The Enemy

summary
Life during wartime in Japan. Dr. Sadao Hoki and his pureblood wife Hana spot a dark shape
in the surf that turns out to be a white man; a severely wounded soldier. At first they agree
to turn the man over to authorities as a prisoner of war. This makes only perfect sense
considering not just the ramifications of treating his wounds, but that the doctor and his
wife are both virulently racist nationalists who consider the Japanese to be superior to the
white race anywhere in the world. They had met in America before the war and he only
proposed because his father consented to his choice of a pureblood.
Changing their minds in the face of the massive trauma exhibited by the man, the two
agree to take him back to their home and treat his injuries as an act of humanitarian
compassion consistent with their belief in the superiority of the Japanese people. The must
inform their servants of this decision, of course. The servants are every bit as racially
prejudiced and biased as their employers, but their edges have not been softened by the
humanitarianism of medical service. The servants make no secret of their belief that the
man should have been left to die and turn cold toward the doctor and his wife.
After a week of treating the white man and helping him recover from his life-threatening
injuries, the servants quit when their ultimatum that the man be turned over to the
authorities is met by the doctor’s steadfast resolve. Meanwhile the man—an American
named Tom—is well enough to thank the doctor for saving his life. The doctor warns him
not to be premature with this assessment. When a messenger arrives for her husband,
Hana is terrified that the servants have spilled the beans and they are about to be
punished.
Instead, the message directed Dr. Hoki to a patient consultation with General Takima, a
wife-beating hero of the Battle of Manchuria. Takima is very ill and will likely die without
the surgical skill of the doctor. Sadao chooses to confess to the General about the situation
with the injured soldier. The General, in a remarkable display of self-interest over duty
agrees to keep the secret. After all, if he turns in the doctor, then Sadao will likely be
executed and he needs the doctor alive in order to prolong his own life. They reach an
agreement in which the General will send assassins to kill Tom.
After a few days, the soldier not only has not been assassinated, but has recovered much of
his strength which intensifies the doctor’s fear. Since it seems the General has changed the
plans they agreed upon, Dr. Hoki takes it upon himself to arrange the man’s nighttime
escape aboard a Korean fishing boat without informing his wife. The escape plan seems to
be going off without a hitch.
Then the doctor is called in for emergency surgery to save the General’s life and when the
patient is strong enough to receive the news, he tells him that his prisoner somehow
escape in the night. The General confesses that he was worried about his own life to the
degree that he had completely forgotten the assassination agreement. He then goes on to
very strongly that it was simply a case of carelessness and most certainly not dereliction of
duty or lack of patriotism. The two men strike a deal to keep secrets secret with the
General promising Sadao that he will be rewarded.
As Dr. Hoki looks out toward the horizon for the American’s signal that he was still safely in
his hiding spot awaiting the arrival of the fishing boat. But the sun sets without a signal,
informing the doctor that the escape has successful. This, Dr. Hoki thinks, is his real reward.
As he ponders his time in America, the true depth of his irrational prejudice against the
white race is revealed through his thoughts. Such is the depth of his hatred of the
“repulsive” whites of the world that he is actually glad the country is at war with them.
Then muses to himself: “Strange. I wonder why I could not kill him?”

Short Answer Type Questions

Question.1. Why did Dr Sadao treat the American soldier even though, it was an
unpatriotic act On his part? (Compartment 2014)
Answer. Dr Sadao treated the American prisoner of war because as a doctor, he was
trained to save lives. He could not have let the injured soldier die even though he was his
national enemy, as that would have been against his professional ethics.
Question.2. How did Hana help Dr Sadao? (Compartment 2014)
Answer. Hana was an impeccable wife and stood by her husband in all his. decisions. She
helped Dr Sadao when he was operating upon the enemy and also nursed and washed the
prisoner herself when the servants had flatly refused to do so.
Question.3. Why did the General not order immediate arrest of Dr Sadao who had
sheltered a Whiteman? (Compartment 2014)
Answer. The General did not usually keep in good health and trusted no other surgeon but
Dr Sadao in his time of need and could have needed his services anytime. This is why he did
not order immediate arrest of the doctor for harbouring an enemy in his house.
Question.4. What forced Dr Sadao to be impatient and irritable with his patient? (All
India 2013,2010)
Answer. The wounded white man urgently needed an operation as he was critically injured.
Hana was with Sadao when, he started operating on the prisoner. Hana, who had never
seen an operation in her life, vomited at the sight of blood. Sadao wanted to help her in her
distress but he could not leave his patient. This made him impatient and irritable.
Question.5. What made a cool surgeon like Sadao speak sharply to his wife and what was
her reaction? (All India 2013)
Answer. Hana had never seen an operation before. When Sadao started operating, blood
began to flow. Hana choked at this moment. Sadao sharply told her not to faint because if
he had stopped, the wounded man would surely have died. Hana clasped her hands to her
mouth and ran out. Sadao heard her vomit.
Question.6. Why had Hana to wash the wounded man herself? (Delhi 2012)
[or] Why did Hana wash the wounded soldier herself? (Delhi 2011)
Answer. Hana had to wash the wounded man herself because her servants and even her
maidservant flatly refused to wash an enemy American out of superstition and fear.
Question.7. How did Dr Sadao ensure that the American sailor left his house but he
himself remained safe and secure? (Delhi 2011)
Answer. The night the man escaped as per the plan, Dr Sadao slept well. One evening
standing on the verandah, Dr Sadao looked towards the island. There was no signal of the
flashlight. It meant that the man had gone, safe on a Korean fishing boat. In this way, he
ensured the American’s departure and his own safety and security.
Question.8. How does the writer indicate that Dr Sadao’s father was a very traditional
and conventional man? (Delhi 2011)
Answer. Sadao’s education had been his father’s chief concern, who even sent him to
America at the age of twenty-two to study surgery and medicine. Sadao’s father was a true
patriot and took immense pride in Japanese culture and traditions. That is why Sadao
married Hana only after confirming that she was a Japanese, as he did not want to upset
his father. This suggests that Sadao’s father’was a very traditional and conventional man.
Question.9. Why did the messenger come to Dr Sadao? What did Hana think about it?
(All India 2010)
Answer. The messenger had come to Dr Sadao’s house to inform him that the old General
was in pain again and had to be attended to. When Hana first saw the uniformed
messenger, she got frightened, for she thought that he had come to arrest her husband for
harbouring an enemy in their hou$e.
Question.10. Why did the General spare the American soldier? (All India 2009)
Answer. The General spared the American soldier because he was a selfish man. He
thought of nothing but his own life. He needed Sadao for his operation and he forgot about
his promise in his pain.
Question.11.Why was Dr Sadao not sent to the battlefield? (All India 2009)
Answer. Dr Sadao was not sent abroad with the troops because the ailing General trusted
no other surgeon but Dr Sadao and could have needed his expert services anytime.
Question.12.How did Dr Sadao get rid of the enemy soldier? (Foreign 2009)
Answer. Dr Sadao planned out everything beforehand. He put his boat on the shore with
food and extra clothing. He asked the American prisoner of war to row to a little island near
the coast and then wait for a Korean ship to pass. He also gave the American his flashlight
complete with instructions on how to signal him in a time of distress.
Question.13.What secret plan did the General have about the American soldier staying
under the care of Sadao? (All India 2008)
Answer. The General planned to get the American soldier staying under the care of Dr
Sadao assassinated by his private assassins. He assured the doctor about the removal of the
dead body also.
Question.14.Hana told Yumi to wash the soldier. How did Yumi react? (Delhi 2008)
Answer. When Hana asked Yumi to wash the soldier, she bluntly refused to do so, saying
that she had never washed a white man and she would not wash a dirty one. Yumi
obstinately told Hana that she was a poor person and did not want to associate with the
man.
Question.15.Why did the servants leave Dr Sadao’s house?
Answer. The servants left Dr Sadao’s house because they did not approve of the white man
staying in the surgeon’s house. They thought that Sadao’s stay in America during his
education had erased all his sentiments for his country. Also, they did not want to be in
trouble with the authorities if Sadao was arrested as a traitor.
Long Answer Type Questions ( 120-150 Words)
Question.16.What was the General’s plan to get rid of the American prisoner? Was it
executed? What traits of General’s character are highlighted in the lesson? (Al 2014)
Answer. Dr Sadao informed the General about the presence of the American prisoner at his
house. The General decided that his private assassins would take care of him and even take
his body away Sadao agreed to the General’s proposal. However, the General’s assassins
did not arrive for the next three days. Consequently the General’s plan was not executed.
Sadao spent three restless nights in waiting for the assassins; ultimately he helped the
prisoner escape.
When Sadao informed the General about the escape of the prisoner, the General replied
that he was sick and thus forgot about the whole affair. He further wanted that Sadao must
not inform anybody about this.
This shows tharfhe General was highly selfish. He had regard only for his own safety and
pride. Also, he did not send Sadao to the battlefield as he needed his services himself. He
considered himself more important than the lives of thousands of soldiers.
Question.17.What conflicting ideas arise in Dr Sadao’s mind after he has brought the
wounded American soldier home? How is the conflict resolved? (Compartment 2014)
Answer. From the day Dr Sadao found the wounded soldier outside his house, he had been
caught up in a web of conflicts and difficulties.
The first difficulty arose when Sadao decided to operate upon the soldier. He was caught
between his duty as a doctor and loyalty towards his nation. Nonetheless, Sadao emerged a
champion in this regard. As an ethical and sincere doctor, he saved the life of the soldier
and as a responsible citizen, he also informed the General about the presence of the
soldier. Next, when the General’s men did not arrive to kill the enemy, Sadao was again
caught in a conflict as to how to*get rid of the white man. His innate virtues of compassion
and benevolence forbade him from killing the man. Thus, he decided to let the prisoner
escape by sending him off to an unguarded island. This is how Dr Sadao successfully
resolved the conflict.
Question.18.Do you think Dr Sadao’s final decision was the best possible one in the
circumstances? Why/Why not? Explain with reference to the story, ‘The Enemy’. (Delhi
2013)
Answer. Dr Sadao’s final decision was the best possible one in the given circumstances. He
has the instincts of a doctor. When Tom, the prisoner of war, was found wounded, the first
thing he did was to save his life. As a doctor, he was duty bound to save lives.
Next, he completed the duty towards his nation by informing the General about the
presence of the prisoner.
But finally, he helped the enemy escape. His compassionate heart rose above the narrow .
confines of hatred and war. As a doctor, Sadao could not have left the wounded prisoner of
war unattended and so he decided to operate upon him and save his life. However, at the
same time, he discharged his duty towards his nation by informing the General about the
enemy. And finally, the surgeon helped the enemy escape because his compassionate heart
forbade him to kill the same person whom he had saved.
Question.19. What impression do you form about Dr Sadao as a man and as a surgeon on
your reading the chapter ‘The Enemy’? (All India2012)
Answer. After going through the chapter, ‘The Enemy’, we come to the conclusion that Dr
Sadao was an excellent surgeon and a human being per excellence. He appeared to be a
man full of; compassion and a surgeon in the truest sense of the word. Although he had a
bitter experience of Americans being prejudiced when he was a student in America, he did
not let that bitterness overwhelm him and the doctor and fine human being in him
prevailed.,He knew that, if being found that he had harboured an American POW in his own
house, tie would be labelled a traitor.
His conscience did not permit to let a human being die before his eyes and he took the risk
of being called a traitor. It was not that he was a traitor. He promptly informed the General
about the whole incident. It showed that he was not a coward. He was ready to face the
consequences.
Question.20.Why did Sadao help the American soldier to escape? How did he do it?
Answer. Sadao’s expertise in his profession and compassion as a human being were his
most dominant personality traits. As a dutiful doctor, he could not have let the prisoner die
of his injuries and so he saved his life. At the same time, he acted like a responsible citizen
and informed the General of the presence of the enemy. However, when the General’s
men did not come to kill the American Sadao decided to save his life.
Dr Sadao gave his boat to the young soldier, arranged food for him and provided him
valuable information which helped him escape successfully. This is how Sadao helped the
American soldier flee and thereby saved his life.
Question.21.Why did Sadao Hoki go to America? Narrate his experiences there. (Al 2012)
Answer. Sadao Hoki went to America to study surgery and medicine as it was the wish of
his father. His experience of living in America was not very good but he was grateful to
have some good professors who taught him so well. Also, he was grateful to the professor
at whose home he had met Hana and immediately liked her. But he did not like the smell of
their food, their small room and the wife of his professor, who was vbry talkative, although
she tried hard to be kind.
Initially, he had faced great difficulty in finding a place to live in America because he was a
Japanese. He perceived that Americans were full of prejudice and for him it was a bitter
experience to live with them.
Question.22.Dr Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier.
What made Hana, his wife, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the
domestic staff? (All India 2011)
Answer. As a doctor, it was Dr Sadao’s moral responsibility to save Tom, the American
prisoner of war, but Hana was under no such compulsion. In spite of this, she abided by her
husband’s ; decisions because she was a dutiful wife who pledged to support her husband
even through the most difficult times.
Secondly, Hana being a woman, was soft-hearted. She could not see a wounded person
being left in the lurch. As a woman, she adorned the role of a life-giver and a preserver. She
could not have been a destroyer. That is why she cleaned the prisoner when her maid was
unwilling to do so. She also assisted her husband in the operation on the American, despite
the fact that she could not stand the blood, and started vomiting when she saw it. She was
thus a dutiful wife and life-giver.