Book 3 Project

5 Reasons/Examples Why Louie Zamperini’s Behavior Always Got Him In Trouble

Louie Zamperini grew up a childhood thief. His actions in his childhood made him the man he is today. In order to be a thief you an attitude that reflects your true anger and frustration. Not Louie, he is a prankster and has no respect for anyone and it almost gets him killed.

1. Louie was a childhood thief

Ever since Louie was a kid he’s been running away from people trying to elude their presence as he escapes with their items. He would steal anything that either he needed or that his family needed. Examples of thing he took: cake, ice cream, candy, etc.

            2. Louie was stranded in the middle of the ocean alone

After a brutal plane crash that left his crew floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for weeks, Louie was the only faithful one. Nobody had come searching for them, at least to their knowledge. Louie’s relentless work effort and strong will to live got him out of the Ocean safely, but, tangled up in Tokyo in a concentration camp. So, basically his strong will and very in shape body kept him alive but put him in a terrible situation in Tokyo.

 

            3. Showing no respect in the concentration camp

Louie has no respect for people he steals from and shows no respect to those who steal from him. In this, case they are stealing his life hoping he dies in the camp. But when Louie is called to do a task, he will never follow instruction. He gets struck for no reason and then gets told he’s not allowed to look at the guard. He immediately looks up and stares at him. Which of course led to more beating.

 

4. Stealing a Nazi flag

Louie was out celebrating during the Olympics in Germany which he was a part of. Hitler was in power during this time and the Nazi’s put their flags everywhere to make sure that all the tourists and Olympians knew who was running the show. A drunk Louie attempted to jump and snatch a Nazi flag that was just out of his reach. The only problem was that there was an armed guard with his back turned that saw Louie after several failed attempts. Luckily, they didn’t mind and found it hilarious and let him keep the flag. “But stealing a Nazi flag from the well-guarded Reich Chancellery was not the best idea.”

           

5.  Eating pig feces because of “The Bird”

The act of eating pig feces did not get him in trouble in any way while he was at the concentration camp. But, the memory of killing this animal and eating its insides are what gets to his head. All the violence that “The Bird” had inflicted on Louie really took a toll on him. That act did in fact keep him alive because it was a cure to his long hours of starvation. Even when he returned home he still had thoughts of “The Bird”, and it haunted him. Then one day it all just went away and he returned to thinking like that same old Louie. “He was not the worthless, broken, forsaken man that the Bird had striven to make of him.” Yes the Bird was a person. He ran the camp and put Louie out of his misery.

            Louie Zamperini is a one of a kind man. An Olympian, a War Veteran, a thief, and a survivor. Nobody else has ever done what this man has accomplished. From being the well-known thief of his home town to running in front of Adolf Hitler, he has come a long way that few can only dream of. His behavior was a key contributor to his success. By stealing things and running away, he learned very quickly that speed was crucial. With help from his family, they got him on the right path. But, by being himself he found a way out of every situation and now has one of the most amazing life stories anyone has ever heard of.