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The Enemy

NCERT Class 12 · English Based on NCERT Class 12 English textbook · Free CBSE study kit

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Chapter Notes

Overview
This chapter by Pearl S. Buck explores the moral conflict between professional duty as a doctor and patriotic duty as a citizen during wartime. Dr Sadao Hoki, a Japanese surgeon, must decide whether to save an escaped American prisoner of war or hand him over to the authorities. The one big idea is that humanity and compassion can transcend national enmity, and that true professionalism demands ethical action even against personal and societal pressures.
Key Concepts (14)
Dr Sadao Hoki
A famous Japanese surgeon and scientist, trained in America, who perfects a discovery to render wounds clean. He is the protagonist facing a moral dilemma.
e.g. Like a doctor in India who must treat a patient from a hostile nation during a conflict.
Hana
Sadao's wife, also educated in America, who supports her husband but is torn between fear and compassion. She washes the wounded man when the servant refuses.
e.g. A spouse who helps a stranger despite personal risk, showing loyalty and humanity.
Tom (the American prisoner)
A young, wounded American sailor from the U.S. Navy, escaped prisoner of war, washed ashore near Sadao's house. He represents the enemy who is also a human being.
e.g. An injured soldier from a rival country found on your doorstep.
The old General
A high-ranking Japanese official who needs Sadao for a life-saving operation. He promises to have the prisoner killed by private assassins but forgets due to his own illness.
e.g. A powerful figure who uses his position to protect his own interests.
Yumi
The maid who refuses to wash the white man, saying 'I have never washed a white man, and I will not wash so dirty a one now.' She represents the servants' patriotic and superstitious resistance.
e.g. A domestic worker who refuses to serve an enemy out of fear and loyalty.
The old gardener
A superstitious servant who warns that if the master heals the white man, the sea and the gun will take revenge. He represents traditional Japanese beliefs.
e.g. An elder who believes in supernatural consequences for helping an enemy.
The cook
A servant who contemptuously says the young master is 'so proud of his skill to save life that he saves any life.' She represents the pragmatic, patriotic view.
e.g. A kitchen worker who criticizes the doctor's actions as unpatriotic.
Moral dilemma
The central conflict: Sadao must choose between his duty as a doctor to save a life and his duty as a Japanese patriot to hand over an enemy prisoner.
e.g. A police officer finding a wanted criminal injured and deciding whether to arrest or help.
Patriotism vs. Professionalism
The tension between love for one's country and the ethical obligations of one's profession. Sadao's surgical training compels him to save the man despite him being an enemy.
e.g. A lawyer defending a client everyone hates because the law requires fair representation.
Humanity
The quality of being compassionate and recognizing the shared human condition beyond national or racial boundaries. Sadao and Hana ultimately act out of humanity.
e.g. Feeding a hungry stranger regardless of their religion or nationality.
Prejudice
Preconceived negative opinion not based on reason. Sadao remembers the difficulty finding housing in America because he was Japanese, and the servants show prejudice against the white man.
e.g. Refusing to rent a house to someone because of their skin colour.
Assassins
Private killers employed by the General to eliminate the prisoner quietly. They are described as 'very capable assassins — they make no noise and they know the trick of inward bleeding.'
e.g. Hired killers used by dictators to eliminate opponents without trial.
The stepping stones to the future
Sadao's father's phrase about the islands yonder, symbolizing Japan's imperial ambition and the burden of expectation placed on Sadao.
e.g. A parent telling a child that education is the stepping stone to success.
Cardinal sin of surgery
Sadao's American professor's teaching: 'Ignorance of the human body is the surgeon's cardinal sin... To operate without as complete knowledge of the body as if you had made it — anything less than that is murder.'
e.g. A doctor operating without proper diagnosis, risking the patient's life.
How It Works
Sadao's moral decision-making process
  1. Step 1: Sadao and Hana discover the wounded American on the beach.
  2. Step 2: Sadao initially considers putting him back in the sea as the kindest and safest option.
  3. Step 3: Hana challenges him, asking if he can do it alone; neither can.
  4. Step 4: They decide to carry him into the house, planning to hand him over to the police.
  5. Step 5: Sadao operates to save the man's life, driven by his surgical training.
  6. Step 6: The servants leave, forcing Sadao to confront the consequences.
  7. Step 7: Sadao consults the General, who promises to send assassins but forgets.
  8. Step 8: Sadao decides to help the American escape by boat to a nearby island.
  9. Step 9: The American escapes successfully, and Sadao reports to the General that he escaped.
💡 Students often think Sadao decides immediately to save the man; actually, he first considers killing him and only gradually moves toward helping him escape.
The operation scene
  1. Step 1: Sadao brings his surgeon's emergency bag and wears his surgeon's coat.
  2. Step 2: He unfolds a sterilized towel on the tokonoma alcove and lays out instruments.
  3. Step 3: Hana fetches towels and matting to protect the floor.
  4. Step 4: Sadao washes the man's back and probes the wound with a bright surgeon's light.
  5. Step 5: He finds the bullet near the kidney and removes it with precise incisions.
  6. Step 6: Hana administers anesthetic as instructed.
  7. Step 7: Sadao injects a stimulant into the patient's left arm.
  8. Step 8: The pulse strengthens, and Sadao declares the man will live.
💡 The key detail is that Sadao operates despite knowing the man is his enemy, and he murmurs 'my friend' out of habit, forgetting the man is an enemy.
The escape plan
  1. Step 1: Sadao decides he cannot go through another night of waiting for assassins.
  2. Step 2: He tells the American he is well enough to leave.
  3. Step 3: Sadao drags his boat to the shore and stocks it with food, bottled water, and two quilts.
  4. Step 4: He ties the boat to a post in the water for the high tide.
  5. Step 5: He gives the American a small flashlight and instructions: signal two flashes at sunset if food runs out, one flash if still there but okay.
  6. Step 6: He wraps a black cloth around the American's blond head to conceal him.
  7. Step 7: The American walks to the boat and rows to the nearby island.
  8. Step 8: Sadao sees one flash from the shore, confirming departure.
💡 Students often miss that Sadao buys the quilts at a pawnshop and the food secretly, showing he is acting covertly to protect himself and Hana.
Exam Traps — Don't Make These Mistakes
⚠ Confusing Sadao's initial reaction
✗ Sadao immediately decides to save the American because he is a doctor.
→ Sadao first says 'The best thing that we could do would be to put him back in the sea' and only after Hana's challenge does he agree to carry him inside. His decision is gradual and conflicted.
✓ Sadao initially considers putting the man back into the sea, but his trained hands instinctively stanch the bleeding, and he ultimately cannot let a man die when he can help.
⚠ Misunderstanding Hana's role
✗ Hana was against saving the American and wanted to hand him over immediately.
→ Hana is the one who challenges Sadao by asking 'are we able to put him back into the sea?' and when he hesitates, she says 'Then there is only one thing to do. We must carry him into the house.' She also washes the man when Yumi refuses.
✓ Hana, though afraid, supports Sadao's decision to save the man and even washes him herself when the servant refuses, showing her own moral strength.
⚠ The General's promise and forgetfulness
✗ The General deliberately lied about sending assassins to test Sadao's loyalty.
→ The General explicitly says 'I forgot my promise to you' because he was 'suffering a good deal' and 'thought of nothing but myself.' It is a genuine lapse due to his own illness, not a test.
✓ The General forgets to send the assassins because he is preoccupied with his own health crisis, which ironically saves Sadao from having to betray the American.
⚠ The servants' reason for leaving
✗ The servants left because they were afraid of the American prisoner.
→ The servants leave because they believe Sadao and Hana have forgotten their duty to Japan. The old gardener says 'the master ought not to heal the wound of this white man' and Yumi says 'they think we like Americans.' It is a matter of patriotism and superstition, not personal fear.
✓ The servants leave because they believe Sadao is being unpatriotic by sheltering an enemy, and they fear the consequences for themselves and the children.
⚠ Sadao's final reward
✗ Sadao was rewarded by the General with money or promotion.
→ Sadao's reward is not material; it is the sight of the empty island, confirming the American has escaped safely. The text says 'Sadao, searching the spot of black in the twilighted sea that night, had his reward. There was no prick of light in the dusk. No one was on the island. His prisoner was gone.'
✓ Sadao's reward is the inner satisfaction of knowing the American has escaped safely, as indicated by the absence of a signal light from the island.
Compare & Contrast
Moral stance toward the enemy
Sadao's initial dilemma
Sadao's final decision
Initially, Sadao considers putting the man back in the sea or handing him over; finally, he actively helps the man escape, showing a shift from passive compliance to active humanitarian action.
Willingness to help the enemy
Hana's attitude toward the American
Yumi's attitude toward the American
Hana, despite her fear, washes the man and feeds him, showing compassion; Yumi refuses outright, saying 'I have never washed a white man, and I will not wash so dirty a one now,' showing stubborn prejudice and fear.
Fulfillment of commitment
The General's promise
The General's action
The General promises to send assassins to kill the prisoner, but he forgets due to his own illness and never sends them, leaving Sadao to resolve the situation himself.
Exam Focus
Marks pattern: 2 MCQs (1 mark each), 1 Short Answer (2-3 marks), 1 Long Answer (5-6 marks), often a value-based question on ethical conflict.
Most asked: Moral dilemma of Dr Sadao · Character sketch of Dr Sadao · Character sketch of Hana · Role of the General · Theme of humanity vs. patriotism · The servants' attitude and its significance
Don't skip: Justify the title 'The Enemy'; Discuss the conflict between professional duty and patriotic duty in the story.; How does Sadao resolve his moral dilemma?; Compare and contrast the attitudes of Hana and Yumi toward the American.
One-Line Revision (read aloud before the exam)
  1. Dr Sadao Hoki is a Japanese surgeon trained in America, perfecting a discovery to clean wounds.
  2. The American prisoner, Tom, is an escaped U.S. Navy sailor washed ashore with a gunshot wound.
  3. Sadao initially considers putting the man back in the sea but cannot bring himself to do it.
  4. Hana washes the American when the maid Yumi refuses, showing her compassion.
  5. The servants leave because they believe Sadao is being unpatriotic by helping an enemy.
  6. The old General promises to send assassins to kill the prisoner but forgets due to his own illness.
  7. Sadao helps the American escape by boat to a nearby island with food, water, and a flashlight.
  8. The American signals once from the shore, confirming his departure.
  9. Sadao's reward is seeing no light on the island, meaning the prisoner is safe.
  10. The story explores the theme that humanity and professional ethics can transcend national enmity.
  11. Sadao's father's words about 'stepping stones to the future' symbolize Japan's imperial ambition.
  12. The cardinal sin of surgery, according to Sadao's professor, is ignorance of the human body.
  13. Sadao remembers prejudice he faced in America when trying to find housing.
  14. The scars on the American's neck hint at possible torture by Japanese forces.
  15. The General says he wishes to combine 'German ruthlessness with American sentimentality.'

MCQs — 10 Questions with Answers

Q1. Based on the opening paragraphs, why was Dr Sadao not sent abroad with the troops?

  • A. He was perfecting a discovery about wound treatment and possibly needed to treat an old General. ✓
  • B. He was too young and inexperienced as a surgeon.
  • C. He was married to a foreign woman and considered a security risk.
  • D. He refused military service due to his American education.

Answer: A — The text explicitly states Sadao was kept in Japan because he was perfecting a discovery about cleaning wounds and there was danger that the old General might need his surgery.

Q2. Read the extract: 'He had met Hana in America, but he had waited to fall in love with her until he was sure she was Japanese.' What does this reveal about Sadao's values?

  • A. He values personal happiness over his father's approval.
  • B. He prioritizes his father's teachings about racial purity and national loyalty. ✓
  • C. He was indifferent to Hana's background initially.
  • D. He did not believe in falling in love with foreign women.

Answer: B — The text states his father would never have received Hana unless she was 'pure in her race,' showing Sadao deliberately conformed to his father's values before allowing himself to love her.

Q3. Which of the following best explains Hana's hesitation when she says, 'The kindest thing would be to put him back into the sea'?

  • A. She is afraid of her husband's reaction.
  • B. She cannot perform the act herself, revealing her inability to abandon a suffering human despite her rational argument. ✓
  • C. She does not understand what it means to put him back in the sea.
  • D. She is worried about being arrested by the authorities.

Answer: B — When asked directly, Hana says 'No' to performing the act, and the text notes 'neither of them moved,' showing their compassion prevents them from abandoning the wounded man despite the logical argument.

Q4. The discovery of 'U.S. Navy' lettering on the cap is significant because it:

  • A. Proves the man was a deserter from his ship.
  • B. Identifies him as an American prisoner of war who escaped, raising the stakes of the moral dilemma. ✓
  • C. Shows he was shot in the back deliberately by his own crew.
  • D. Reveals he is a spy sent to infiltrate Japan.

Answer: B — The cap identifies the man as American and an escaped prisoner, making him technically an enemy combatant, which intensifies Sadao and Hana's conflict between duty and humanity.

Q5. How does Dr Sadao's education in America contrast with his father's teachings?

  • A. America taught him to value wealth; his father taught him to value honor.
  • B. America taught him universal medical ethics (save all lives); his father taught him Japanese patriotism and national duty. ✓
  • C. America taught him to question authority; his father taught him to obey without question.
  • D. America taught him science; his father taught him philosophy.

Answer: B — The text shows Sadao was sent to America to learn medicine and surgery (universal saving of lives), while his father emphasized Japan's future and expansion, creating the internal conflict.

Q6. Which of the following is NOT a consequence mentioned for Dr Sadao if he shelters the wounded American?

  • A. He and Hana will be arrested.
  • B. The old General will remove him as his personal physician. ✓
  • C. The man will die anyway if turned in as a prisoner.
  • D. Both A and C are consequences.

Answer: B — The text mentions arrest and the prisoner's death as consequences, but does not mention the General removing Sadao as his physician as a direct threat.

Q7. What does the fog symbolize in the story when the American sailor appears on the beach? (HOTS)

  • A. The uncertainty of war and its unpredictable consequences.
  • B. The isolation of Sadao and Hana from society, allowing them privacy to act on their conscience without immediate societal judgment. ✓
  • C. The American sailor's confused and disoriented mental state.
  • D. The Japanese military's inability to see enemy movements.

Answer: B — The fog conceals them from witnesses (fishermen, beachcombers have gone home), creating a morally isolated space where Sadao and Hana must choose based on conscience rather than external authority.

Q8. Read this assertion: (A) Dr Sadao's hands 'seemed of their own will to be doing what they could to stanch the fearful bleeding.' (R) This suggests the surgeon's instinct to save life operates independently of his conscious moral conflict.

  • A. Both A and R are true, and R correctly explains A. ✓
  • B. Both A and R are true, but R does not explain A.
  • C. A is true, but R is false.
  • D. Both A and R are false.

Answer: A — Sadao's hands act automatically to stop bleeding, showing his medical training and humanity override his conscious deliberation about duty and patriotism—the reason correctly explains the action.

Q9. The conflict in 'The Enemy' differs from a simple patriot vs traitor narrative because: (HOTS)

  • A. Sadao is a coward who fears the authorities.
  • B. The story questions whether national loyalty should override universal human compassion, suggesting the two values are irreconcilable in wartime. ✓
  • C. The American sailor is actually a Japanese spy in disguise.
  • D. Hana is more patriotic than Sadao and forces him to turn the man in.

Answer: B — The story does not glorify patriotism or condemn it; instead, it explores the impossible choice between duty to country and duty to humanity, suggesting both are valid but cannot coexist in this situation.

Q10. Sadao's father once told him, 'Who can limit our future? It depends on what we make it.' In the context of the story, this teaching becomes ironic because:

  • A. Sadao's father dies before Japan loses the war.
  • B. Sadao's choice to save the American contradicts his father's vision of Japan's expansion and national purpose. ✓
  • C. The old General does not support Sadao's scientific work.
  • D. Sadao chooses to move to America permanently.

Answer: B — The father's words about Japan making its own unlimited future imply national expansion and power, but Sadao's choice to save an enemy based on universal human values redefines what Japan's 'future' should be—not conquest but compassion.

Flashcards

What is Dr Sadao's profession and why was he not sent to war?

He is a surgeon and scientist perfecting a discovery to clean wounds; he was kept in Japan because of this research and to possibly treat an old General.

Where does Dr Sadao find the white man and what is his condition?

He is washed ashore on the beach below Sadao's house; he is an American sailor, unconscious, with a reopened gunshot wound on his back from escaping.

What are the consequences Sadao mentions for sheltering the white man?

If they shelter him, they will be arrested; if they turn him in as a prisoner, he will certainly die because the wound is too serious.

What does Hana suggest initially as the kindest thing to do with the wounded man?

She says the kindest thing would be to put him back into the sea, but she cannot do it herself and hesitates when asked to act on this.

Why does the cap with 'U.S. Navy' lettering matter to the discovery of the man's identity?

It reveals the man is an American sailor and a prisoner of war who has escaped, explaining why he is wounded in the back.

How does Dr Sadao's education in America influence his moral dilemma?

He learned Western medical ethics which emphasize saving all human lives, conflicting with his father's teaching of Japanese patriotism and national duty.

What does Sadao's father teach him about Japan's future stepping stones?

His father says the South Sea islands are stepping stones to Japan's future, but leaves it undefined—suggesting that Japan's path depends on what the people choose to make it.

How does the fog in the story function as the man appears on the beach?

The fog creates isolation and concealment, allowing Sadao and Hana to discover and help the man without immediate witnesses or interference from the authorities.

What is the central question the story poses about duty and compassion?

Whether a doctor's duty to save human life overrides his patriotic duty to his country during wartime, or whether universal human values transcend national enmity.

Why does Sadao hesitate to put the wounded man back into the sea despite his own suggestion?

He realizes he cannot abandon an injured human being, even an enemy; his training and humanity prevent him from acting against his conscience despite the danger.

Important Board Questions

What does the cap with 'U.S. Navy' lettering reveal about the wounded man, and how does this discovery affect Sadao and Hana's dilemma? [2 marks]

The cap identifies him as an American sailor and escaped prisoner of war. This transforms him from an unknown victim into a classified enemy, raising the legal and patriotic stakes of sheltering him.

How does the phrase 'his trained hands seemed of their own will to be doing what they could to stanch the fearful bleeding' reveal the conflict between Sadao's professional duty and his patriotic duty? Explain with reference to his background. [5 marks]

His hands act automatically because medical training (learned in America) overrides conscious deliberation. His American education emphasized universal saving of lives, while his father taught national patriotism. The automatic action shows the surgeon overrides the patriot—his profession wins without conscious choice.

Analyze how the story 'The Enemy' uses the character of Dr Sadao to question whether national patriotism or universal human values should take precedence in wartime. Support your answer with at least two specific moments from the text. [6 marks]

Explore the contradiction: Sadao says 'put him back in the sea' (patriotic logic) but his hands act to save him (humanitarian instinct). Also examine his conflict between his father's teaching (Japan's future) and his American education (save all lives). Show how neither choice satisfies both values—the story suggests they cannot coexist.

Assertion-Reason Questions for The Enemy

Q1. Assertion (A):

Dr Sadao decided to let the American sailor die by returning him to the sea.

Reason (R):

Helping an enemy prisoner of war during wartime would result in arrest and legal consequences for Dr Sadao and his family.

Answer: D — A is false but R is true — The assertion is false—Sadao and Hana 'neither moved,' suggesting they did not follow through with abandoning the man. Although the reason is true and would justify such a decision, the assertion itself is contradicted by their hesitation and paralysis.

Q2. Assertion (A):

Dr Sadao's training in America and marriage to Hana represent a conflict between his Eastern upbringing and Western education.

Reason (R):

His father required him to verify that Hana was 'pure in her race' before accepting the marriage, demonstrating traditional Japanese values.

Answer: B — Both A and R are true, but R is NOT the correct explanation of A — Both the assertion and reason are true—Sadao was trained in America and did marry a Japanese woman after his father's approval of her lineage. However, the reason does not fully explain the assertion; the conflict extends to his universal medical ethics versus Japanese wartime patriotism, not just racial expectations.

Q3. Assertion (A):

The fog that descends on Dr Sadao's house is a coincidence that has no thematic significance to the story.

Reason (R):

The fog screens Dr Sadao and Hana from observation at the precise moment they discover the wounded American sailor.

Answer: D — A is false but R is true — The assertion is false—the fog is clearly thematically significant, creating isolation and obscuring moral clarity that matches the ethical ambiguity of their dilemma. The reason is true but proves the opposite of the assertion; the fog's timing and function are deliberately symbolic.

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Case-Based Questions (CBQ) for The Enemy

Case Study:

During the 2015 Nepal earthquake, Indian Dr Rajesh Kumar was stationed near the border town of Kathmandu as part of a medical relief team. An injured Pakistani prisoner, Farhan Ahmed, who was being transported for trial in India, was critically injured when the vehicle transporting him overturned in the earthquake. The local authorities initially expected Dr Kumar to refuse treatment because Farhan was accused of anti-Indian militant activities. However, Dr Kumar immediately began emergency surgery to save Farhan's life. When questioned by his military superiors, Dr Kumar stated, 'A doctor's first duty is to the Hippocratic oath, not to national boundaries.' Within weeks, after recovery, Farhan was released as part of a goodwill gesture between the two nations.

Q1. How does Dr Kumar's decision in the case study parallel Dr Sadao's moral conflict in 'The Enemy'?

  • A. Both doctors prioritize their medical oath over national patriotism, even when it involves treating an enemy ✓
  • B. Both doctors receive official approval from their governments before treating enemy prisoners
  • C. Both doctors eventually turn their patients over to authorities after initial treatment
  • D. Both doctors treat their patients out of fear of personal legal consequences

Answer: A

Q2. What does Dr Kumar's statement about the Hippocratic oath reveal about the universal nature of medical ethics?

  • A. Medical ethics are flexible depending on the patient's nationality and political status
  • B. Doctors must refuse treatment to prisoners and enemies as a patriotic duty
  • C. Professional medical responsibility transcends national, political, and wartime boundaries ✓
  • D. The Hippocratic oath is more important than international law and legal consequences

Answer: C

Q3. Unlike Dr Sadao, Dr Kumar's decision was publicly celebrated as a 'goodwill gesture.' What does this suggest about how society values ethical medical decisions?

  • A. Doctors should only help enemy prisoners if it benefits international relations
  • B. Ethical medical decisions are more widely accepted in modern contexts than in wartime ✓
  • C. Public recognition and social approval are the main motivations for helping enemies
  • D. Wartime always prevents recognition of humanitarian medical work

Answer: B

Q4. Which aspect of Dr Sadao's predicament is NOT present in Dr Kumar's situation?

  • A. The fear of personal arrest for helping an enemy ✓
  • B. The automatic medical response to save a human life
  • C. The conflict between patriotism and universal human values
  • D. A natural disaster creating the ethical crisis

Answer: A

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