Part V, Chapter 39 and Epilogue Summary and Analysis

Chapter 39 is called "Daybreak." Louis had turned his life around. He had become a Christian speaker, making a living from the fees. It was now 1950 and he had returned to Japan to meet some of the guards whom he had known while a prisoner. The guards were themselves now prisoners. He had long given up the idea of killing the Bird, but was surprised not to find him among the guards. He was told that the Bird had killed himself.

Louis did not know how he would feel upon seeing the guards who had once tormented him. When he finally met them, he found he was happy to see them. He greeted them with a smile.

Hillenbrand ends the book with this act of reconciliation, then includes an epilogue. Louis went on to...