I think it could be argued that Zamperini's motivation to
live was not driven by an external factor (say, a relationship back home) but rather,
came directly from within. It was in his nature to be the very best, to live life to
the fullest, to fight, and to win. In his experience as a POW, this natural sense of
personal ambition manifested itself in the will to
survive.
Consider his character even as a boy. First, he
is rebellious in his youth and prided himself on escaping the punishment of the law.
Later, he channels this competitive energy into running, and makes up his mind that he
will become the best runner in the world. After succeeding as a high school track star,
he makes it to the Olympics then goes on to break several track records as a college
athlete.
In many ways, his natural physical
talents are the embodiment of what must certainly be an even stronger mental
capacity. It is as if Zamperini had already tested the full limits of his body
before becoming a POW. This, in turn, gives him the advantage of
knowing exactly how strong he really is (both mentally and physically). Though it is
never explicitly stated, certainly, this hero's will to survive was something he
possessed long before he became a prisoner of war.
Even
after his liberation, his goal continues to be to "live life to the fullest." After a
battle with depression and alcoholism, at the end of the book it is revealed that
Zamperini becomes a born-again Christian as a result of a Billy Graham crusade. It is
then that his personal war ends (the depression, the flashbacks, the alcohol: gone).
Thus, it could be further argued that he not only possessed a strength of his mental
character, but perhaps, his spiritual self as well. This detail poses the suggestion
that it is by a force of God that Zamperini was meant to live all
along.
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