59 pages • 1 hour read
Laura HillenbrandUnbroken (The Young Adult Adaptation): An Olympian's Journey from Airman to Castaway to Captive
Nonfiction | Biography | YA | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Running
The concept of running is an important motif throughout Unbroken. Beginning in the first section of the text with the physical act of running, the sport of track provides redemption for Louie and a path for him to follow out of his rebellious and directionless childhood. With Pete’s help, he dedicates his life to running, realizing how good he is at it and how, while running, “all he felt was peace” (16), something he struggled to find throughout his childhood to that point. While allowing Louie to develop his relationship with Pete and renew his relationship with his parents, it also allows the town to forgive him, conveying the theme of The Power of Forgiveness. Formerly rejected by his town and unable to find redemption, Louie finds the redemption he seeks and the support he needs from his town through his success at running.
In addition to the physical act of running, there also exists the metaphorical idea of Louie “running” throughout his life. As he fights to survive—in his bomber runs, on the raft, in the POW camp, and finally in his battle with PTSD after the war—he perseveres throughout, showing his Strength and Resilience. The races he runs at the start of the text become a metaphorical representation of his larger “race” throughout the text, as he perseveres and continues to “run” despite all the struggles he faces. In the last line of the text, as he runs the Olympic torch through where he was formerly imprisoned, he notes that there is no longer any trace of the horrors he had experienced; instead, there is just “the old and joyful man, running” (282). This final line conveys the idea that Louie has “run” his entire life—experienced both the joy and the hardship—and now continues his life at peace with what he has endured.
Faith
Faith is an important motif throughout the text. Initially, Louie is not religious, reading the Bible out of boredom but not understanding it. However, as he is in peril on the raft and throughout his experiences in the camp, he turns toward faith repeatedly for guidance and support. As he sits on the raft, he experiences two crucial moments which he later realizes convey to him the existence of God. First, he experiences complete calm, as his “suffering [is] suspended” and he witnesses “extraordinary beauty” (129). Then, as he floats on the raft just days before reaching land, he sees “the silhouettes of twenty-one human figures [that] were singing the sweetest song he’d ever heard” (129). These two instances will return to Louie after he is moved by Graham’s preaching. As Graham tells his followers that God is interested in their lives and takes an active role in them, despite the suffering they face, these memories come back to Louie as moments where he was reminded of God’s existence. These memories, which are “the last flashback he’d ever have” (269), renew Louie’s faith. As a result, he turns a corner in his life. No longer suffering from PTSD and no longer needing to turn to alcohol, he fixes his relationship with Cynthia and begins helping others overcome their ordeals. Faith plays a critical role in the theme of The Power of Forgiveness. Because of his renewed faith, Louie can forgive his tormentors during the war—including the Bird—and finally move on with his life.
The Names on the Wall
When Louie is imprisoned on Kwajalein, he finds the names of nine Marines etched into the wall and carves his name beneath them. These names symbolize the shared experience of all men fighting in war. Louie’s act of adding his name conveys his shared connection with these men, as they were all imprisoned and suffered the Impact of War. Additionally, when Fred Garret is later imprisoned in the same cell, he reads the names and learns that nine were dead, but that Louie’s fate is unknown. When he finds Louie, he tells him how he had lain on the ground after having his leg sawn off and read the names, thinking often of Louie’s fate and determined to discover what it was. Hillenbrand notes how “Garrett and Louie, both Los Angeles-area natives, had been imprisoned in the same tiny Kwajalein cell almost five thousand miles from home” (158). This coincidence conveys the connection that military members have with each other, a connection that would allow them to fight together throughout the war to survive.
Related Titles
By Laura Hillenbrand
