Unbroken: The Role Of Running In Louis Zamperini's Life

Throughout Unbroken, running plays a huge role in Louis Zamperini’s life. For Louie, running was an escape from reality, a way to forget what was really going on around him. In a life such as Louie’s, an escape is priceless as he had to deal with being a rebellious teenager, World War II, and his troubled life after the war. In many ways, running saved his life and his sanity. Though Louie was not very fond of the sport at first, he came to realize that running made him stronger and helped him get through hard times. There were many points during the story that Louie’s ability to run was impaired or taken away. These points include many of the dark moments in his life where grief and fear ate at his mind and heart. Running played huge part in making Louie who he was before the war, during the war and after the war. In high school, Louie was known to be a troublemaker. After one incident, the principal at his high school took away Louie’s privilege to participate in extra-curricular activities like sports. However, Louie’s brother, Pete, was always looking out him and wanted to see Louie changed and make something of his. Pete was a local track star in Torrance (where the two grew up), so he thought the best thing to do was get Louie to participate in track. …show more content…
Even though he was unable to escape from reality right after the war, he still managed to maintain his sanity for a time. This sanity seems to have ended after he married Cynthia. He began running again to escape the harsh memories from the POW camps, but he eventually injured himself and became unable to run again. The memories and stress forced him into a life of drinking, and until his meeting with Billy Graham, Louie became miserable. He didn’t change until his enlightening with Billy Graham which saved him from falling into a miserable life. Louie had found his new