69 pages • 2 hours read
Laura HillenbrandUnbroken
Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2010A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Preface-Chapter 3Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1
Preface Summary
The narrative begins aboard a life-raft in shark-infested waters. At this point, Louis Zamperini and two others have survived on the life raft for twenty-seven days. A Japanese bomber flew over the men, riddling the surrounding area with a spray of bullets. To avoid being shot, the men plunged into the water and floated under the rafts, out of sight. Once they returned to the life rafts, the bomber also returned with another wave of fire. Zamperini’s two boat-mates were too exhausted to continue climbing in and out of the boat so they lay defenseless on the floor of the raft. Zamperini returned underwater, where sharks were waiting.
Chapter 1 Summary: “The One-Boy Insurgency”
The chapter opens with an image of Zamperini as a child, admiring the Graf Zeppelin as it drifted above his house in Torrance, California on its American flight in 1929. During his childhood, Louie was known for his numerous thieving and conning exploits, as he was “thrilled by the crashing of boundaries, [and] was untamable” (6). Although his shenanigans earned him an unfavorable reputation within his community, his wit and resourcefulness proved to be an asset later in his life. His family was close, despite the continued frustration his parents felt at his insolence.
Louie suffered at the hands of bullies in his youth, and these incidents were usually racially motivated. He learned how to defend himself, but his abilities only strengthened his temper and shortened his fuse.
Chapter 2 Summary: “Run Like Mad”
The turnaround in Louie’s life was inspired by his brother’s support. Pete believed that if Louie was just “recognized for doing something right” (13), he could accomplish great things. Pete encouraged Louie to compete in athletics, and Louie decided to run track; he soon began winning races. With Pete’s training and determination, Louie proved himself to be a talented runner. With intensive training and a passion for his sport, Louie began shattering records. Louie soon gained the positive attention of his community in Torrance, California, and his reputation was vastly improved.
Chapter 3 Summary: “The Torrance Tornado”
This chapter chronicles details of Louie’s successful running career. He was nicknamed the “Torrance Tornado” and was said to be the “fastest high school miler in American history” (31). His dreams and training were geared towards the 1500 meter race in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Part of his struggle was due simply to his young age, as he needed to develop in order to match his older rivals. In order to make his Olympic dreams come true, Louie would have to try to compete in a different race. Though he had never tried his talents at a longer race, he decided to participate in the open trial for the 5000 meter race. Norman Bright, the man to beat, was also the one to “stay with” (32). Louie made the Olympic qualifier, and he went to New York for the final Olympic trials. Despite the extreme heat, Louie won the race, earning his right to run in the Olympics; he had prepared for this particular distance for only two months. He was the youngest runner to have made the Olympic team.
Preface-Chapter 3 Analysis
Hillenbrand begins crafting the unlikely hero of Louie Zamperini by tracing his past after hooking the reader with the intense and puzzling war scene described in the Preface to the biography. By starting Louie Zamperini’s story in medias res, or, in the middle of things, Hillenbrand establishes a suspenseful atmosphere that encourages the reader to keep reading. The graphic, death-defying situation in the Preface disorients the reader and mirrors the plight of the characters as it builds the suspense that drives the story forward.
Hillenbrand presents Zamperini’s childhood in two ways. First, she places his story in historical context as she describes the Graf Zeppelin grazing past historical monuments in world cities around the globe (i.e. the construction of the Empire State Building in New York City, the birthplace of Anne Frank in Frankfurt, etc.). Secondly, she provides details that reflect the aspects of Louie’s personality that get him into trouble when he is young and have the potential to serve him well later in life. Zamperini is characterized as “untamable” (6), “resourceful” (7) and as having “resilient optimism” (7). These two important modes of experience will eventually integrate when Louie enters World War II and must use his creativity and resourcefulness to make it out alive.
The focus on Zamperini’s running career demonstrates that a dream can re-direct misguided activities and turn negative tendencies into something meaningful and productive. The emphasis on his brother Pete’s inspiration and influence reminds the reader of the importance of positive influences, the closeness of the Zamperini family, and the life-changing effects of hope and redemption. Zamperini’s athletic prowess, as inspired by his brother, enables him to develop a crucial awareness of his body; this awareness, as well as the other ways in which Zamperini is extraordinary, makes his story a remarkable one.
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