“All he could see, in every direction, was water.”

When the narrative begins in media res, suspense builds quickly and establishes a key theme of the text: Strength and Resilience. As the Japanese bomber repeatedly passes overhead, Louie regularly returns to the shark-infested water, making every effort to survive.

“It was the German airship Graf Zeppelin. Nearly 800 feet long and 110 feet high, it was the largest flying machine ever crafted. It was the wonder of the world.”

The opening lines of the text set up the narrative style that appears throughout the book. A moment in Louie’s life, as he sits and watches the Graf Zeppelin move overhead, is contextualized into the greater scheme of history, discussing the airship’s journey across the globe.

“When history carried him into war, this resilient optimism would define him.”

This line from early in the text establishes the key theme of Strength and Resilience, while characterizing Louie as someone with both of these qualities, which he will need to survive his ordeals throughout the text. This connects his experiences of misbehaving as a child without direction and training tirelessly for the Olympics to the horrors he will experience in the war and the strength he needs to survive and thrive through both.