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In the midst of the running, celebrating men, Louie stood on wavering legs, emaciated, sick, and dripping wet. In his tired mind, two words were repeating themselves, over and over. I’m free! I’m free! I’m free!
In one of the most victorious moments of the story, Louie realizes that his time as a captive has truly come to an end, with the surrender of the Japanese and impending rescue from POW camp. After an American bomber signals the great news of relief, the men rush toward it and Louie musters all the strength he has left to stand in celebration. This moment signals a turn in the story and embodies Louie as a surviving hero in the mist of impossible odds.
The rim of California slid away, and then there was nothing but ocean. From this day forward, until victory or defeat, transfer, discharge, capture, or death took them from it, the vast Pacific would be beneath and around them. Its bottom was already littered with downed warplanes and the ghosts of lost airmen. Every day of this long and ferocious war, more would join them.
This quote foreshadows the significance of the setting and its contribution to the heroic journey that Louie, Phil, and the other men are on. This foreboding description comes after Super Man’s first flight over the sea and evokes a reverence toward the forces that the soldiers face but cannot control. The adventure they face is deeply influenced by the setting on the Pacific Front, and this quote sets the scene with a strong sense of gravity.
Louie ran through the place where cages had once held him, where a black- eyed man had crawled inside him. But the cages were long gone, and so was the Bird. There was no trace of them here among the voices, the falling snow, and the old and joyful man, running.
In the very last line of the book’s epilogue, the hero’s journey comes to a close and the adventure he has taken proves to be a victorious one. In this quote, it is clear that Louie has defeated every enemy that has come against him, and the things that shaped him early in his life, such as his love for running, remain intact despite the insurmountable challenges he has faced. He runs past Naeotestu with the Olympic Torch, signifying that even the darkest places in one’s life can become places of light. This transformation and miraculous ending to his story shows Louie’s identity as an inspiration and true hero.
