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The Enemy Class 12 Summary
“The Enemy” by Pearl S. Buck is set in Japan during World War II. Dr. Sadao Hoki, a Japanese surgeon, is the central character of the story…
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The Enemy Class 12 Theme
CHAPTER 4 THE ENEMY BY Pearl S. Buck
THEME OF THE CHAPTER
The story raises several moral questions about ethics in the time of war ‘When is a patient a patient and when is he an enemy to be treated as a threat”? Sadao had grown up believing that the Japanese were a superior race. He also disliked Americans because of his unpleasant experience in America where he faced racial bias. Despite this, he could not let the American bleed to death. He not only operates on him, takes good care but also helps him to escape. He was true to his profession and triumphed over all national prejudices.
Basically ‘The Enemy’ is a story between a man’s intrinsic humanity and the prejudices created by war. War is illogical, it makes enemies out of human beings, who could have been friends. It throttles man’s feelings of love and compassion and makes him behave like a beast. The story also points out the simple fact that all human beings are the same despite physical differences of colour, skin, culture, and nationalities. The story condemns racial bias and suggests another approach in which one can rise above narrow prejudices.
The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer
READ AND FIND OUT (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Q.1 Who was Dr. Sadao? Where was his house? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Dr. Sadao was a famous and established Japanese doctor. He had gone to America to learn surgery and medicine. Dr. Sadao’s house was built on a spot on the Japanese coast. The low, square stone house was set upon rocks well above a narrow beach. The beach was outlined with bent pines.
Q.2. Will Dr. Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
Ans. Japan is at war with America. Giving shelter to a sailor of the U.S. Navy is anti-national work. Dr. Sadao can be arrested. He can be punished on the charge of harbouring an enemy. But it will not happen. His servants will not disclose the matter to the police. The old General knows everything but he sleeps over the matter.
Q.3. Will Hana help the wounded man and wash him herself?
Ans. Certainly, Hana has initial hesitations. The man is a prisoner of war. He is a wounded
sailor of the ‘U.S. Navy’. Hana is reluctant to help the wounded man. First, the man is her enemy. America is at war with Japan. Secondly, she thinks that by giving shelter to such a man they can be arrested. But her essential humanity and obedience to her husband compels her to save Tom’s life.
Q.4. What will Dr. Sadao and his wife do with the man? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. After being operated on, the young man wakes up weak and terrified. Hana assures him that he needs not to be afraid. She serves him herself as none of the servants would enter the room. Sadao instructs him to take more rest.
Q.5. What will Dr. Sadao do to get rid of the man? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Dr Sadao has given a new lease of life to the wounded prisoner of war, Tom. He can’t
throw him into the jaws of death again. Therefore, he gives him a boat with sufficient food and clothes to go to a nearby island. From there the man can take a Korean boat and escape to freedom at night.
Reading with Insight
(The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Q.1 There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty. Discuss with reference to the story you have just read.
Ans. There are moments in life when we find it difficult to make a choice. Our roles as private individuals sometimes come in conflict with our sense of national loyalty. Dr. Sadao Hoki has to confront such conflicting realities of life. An American prisoner of war is washed ashore in a dying state. He is thrown onto the doorstep of Dr. Sadao.
For Sadao, the choice is really difficult. Should he hand him over to the Army? Or should he save his life as a doctor? He has to make a choice.
Dr. Sadao faces a lot of trouble. He is full of patriotic feelings. While in America he had unpleasant experiences with the white people. They suffer from racial prejudice. For a doctor, he has to save the life of a dying man first. It doesn’t matter whether he is a friend or an enemy.
Dr. Sadao’s servants leave him—even Yumi revolts. But human considerations overpower all other considerations. He operates on Tom and helps him in escaping to freedom.
Q.2 Dr. Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff?
Ans. Sadao Hoki was a doctor. He was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help a dying man. It mattered little whether the patient was a friend or a foe. Japan was at war with America. The prisoner of war Tom was an enemy. Hana, Dr. Sadao Hoki’s wife, was in a very precarious position. The kind-hearted lady developed a natural sympathy for the wounded and dying enemy.
She had to face open defiance from the domestic staff. But she was not provoked. She played her role as a dutiful wife and the mistress of the house with dignity. The two servants wanted that “the white man ought to die”. Yumi refused to wash a white man. The fierce look on her face even frightened Hana.
She faced this open revolt like a brave lady. She helped her husband in operating on him. It was due to immense sympathy and cooperation that Dr. Sadao could save the dying prisoner of war.
Q.3 How would you explain the reluctance of the soldier to leave the shelter of the doctor’s home even when he knew he couldn’t stay there without risk to the doctor and himself?
Ans. The wounded soldier was an American. He was a prisoner of war. He was washed ashore near Dr. Sadao’s house. He was fortunate enough to get shelter at Sadao’s home. Dr. Sadao brought Tom to life from the brink of death. He knew it well that he couldn’t stay there without risk to the doctor and himself. The reasons were obvious.
He had developed confidence in Hana and Sadao. They were kind-hearted souls. Sadao was a professional but devoted doctor. They would not let him die again. Perhaps he was in the safest hands while he was with them. and he was rewarded. He got a new lease of life. Not only that, He also got a passport to freedom.
Tom, being a prisoner of war, couldn’t risk leaving Dr. Sadao’s house. He could be arrested and even put to death. He couldn’t decide how, when and where to escape. There were servants in the house. They didn’t want a white man should be saved. Tom judged Hana and Sadao rightly. Dr Sadao not only saved his life but also helped him to escape.
Q.4 What explains the attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dereliction of duty, or simply self-absorption?
Ans. The carelessness of the ‘ruthless General’ in the matter of Tom is difficult to explain. The old General is ruthless like all Japanese generals of his times. But his reaction towards the prisoner of war defies logic. His personal interest becomes supreme. The national interest is sacrificed. He knows Sadao is so skilled that he can save anyone.
He knows that he himself is ill and can’t stand one more such attack. He doesn’t take any action against Dr. Sadao. He knows that Sadao has given shelter to an enemy. His personal consideration outweighs all other considerations. He can’t allow anything to happen to Sadao. Naturally, the old General compromises with national security by not taking action against the enemy.
The General is ready to send two of his private assassins to kill Tom one night. But this doesn’t free him of his criminal negligence of duty. Generally, a Japanese general is highly patriotic and loyal to his country. But the General can’t be absolved of dereliction of his duty. Being a general, he should have acted promptly and arrested the prisoner of war. He sleeps over and doesn’t take any action to arrest Tom.
Q.5 While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?
Ans. They say everything is fair in love and war. War arouses passions. During the war, hatred against a member of the enemy race may be justifiable. It is a natural reaction. We find it in the servants of Dr. Sadao against the American soldier. Even Yumi refuses to wash the wounded soldier.
They can’t commit the sin of saving an enemy. Hence, they leave the house. It does not mean that Dr. Sadao loves and likes Americans. He knows that Americans suffer from racial prejudice. He considers it a great relief that Japan was at war with the white people. Even Hana is reluctant to wash the wounds of the prisoner of war.
Basic humanity and human values make a man rise above these petty prejudices. Love for humanity transcends all other narrow considerations. Dr. Sadao has been trained as a doctor not to let even an enemy die. So he does his duty. His wife Hana helps him in every possible way.
Q.6 Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. It is very difficult to say whether Dr. Sadao was a better doctor or a better man. Certainly, he was both. The doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best one in the circumstances. Some people might say that he must have handed over Tom to the police. After all, he was an American and Japan was at war with America. Giving shelter to the enemy is an anti-national activity.
Many would object to the generosity that Sadao and Hana showed towards Tom. Sadao gave Tom a new lease of life. He also helped him escape to freedom. Perhaps the doctor was left with no other option. Dr. Sadao operated on him. He saved him from dying. Handing him over to the police would have certainly meant throwing him into the jaws of death. Dr. Sadao’s conscience would never have allowed him to make such a decision. He provided him with his private boat to escape to a nearby island. Perhaps that was the only sensible solution to the problem.
Q.7 Does the story remind you of ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots last year? What are the similarities? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. No two things are exactly similar. The Enemy’ written by Pearl S. Buck provides a beautiful comparison with another story “Birth” written by A.J. Cronin. Both stories highlight the dedication and selfless service of doctors towards their patients. In ‘Birth’ the doctor saves almost a stillborn child from dying. He was to make a vital decision. Should he save the mother first or the child?
The doctor made the right decision. First, he saved the life of the mother. Then he went on to save the child. In The Enemy’ Dr. Sadao gives a new lease of life even to a prisoner of war. He operates on Tom and saves him from dying. He rises above narrow racial considerations. Ultimately, human considerations outweighed all other petty considerations. In both the stories dedication and selfless service of this noble profession have been highlighted.
Q.8 Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme?
Ans. Many films show how men rise above narrow considerations of race and colour. A Vietnamese film The White Man’ left a deep impression on my mind. The storyline of the film and The Enemy’ is strikingly similar. Dr. Ho Chi and his wife Min Chi find a man (an American) washed away by the sea. He was a sailor in the “U.S. Navy”. Vietnam was at war with America. Dr Ho Chi felt his pulse.
He was alive. He had a bullet wound near his chest. The man was their enemy. Their first reaction was to throw the man back into the sea. But Ho Chi was a doctor. He was trained to save even a dying enemy. They brought the white sailor into their house. Dr Ho Chi operated on the prisoner of war. The bullet was out. The man survived. The servants were defiant. They refused to serve their enemy. Dr. Ho Chi had to make a difficult choice. Handing him over to the police would mean throwing him into the jaws of death. Dr Ho Chi arranged a private boat for him to escape to freedom.
The Enemy Extra Questions (Short Type)
(The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Q.1 Who was Dr. Sadao Hoki and where did he live? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Dr. Sadao Hoki was a famous Japanese surgeon. He went to America to study surgery and medicine. By the time his father died, he had established himself as a surgeon and scientist. Dr. Sadao Hoki’s house was built on the Japanese coast. It was a low, square stone house above a narrow beach.
Q. 2. What was the chief concern of Sadao’s father? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Sadao’s education was his father’s chief concern. For this reason, he at 22 was sent to America to study surgery and medicine. By the time his father died, Sadao had established himself as a famous surgeon and scientist.
Q. 3. How does the writer indicate that Dr. Sadao’s father was a very traditional and conventional man? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Dr. Sadao’s father was a very traditional and conventional man. He was proud of his nation and race. Like traditional Japanese, he was strict and dominating. The influence of his father was quite dominating on Sadao. His father never joked or played with him. The narrator indicates that his father would not have accepted Hana had she not been a Japanese. Sadao’s father was proud of Japan and the Japanese race.
Q. 4. Why was Dr. Sadao kept in Japan and not sent abroad with the troops?
Ans. Dr. Sadao was a famous surgeon and scientist. He was perfecting a major discovery. It would render wounds entirely clean. There was another reason for keeping Sadao in Japan.
The old general might need an operation. Dr. Sadao’s services were needed at any time. Hence, he was not sent abroad with troops.
Q.5. Who was Hana and where did Sadao meet her? How were they married?
Ans. Hana was a beautiful Japanese. She met Dr. Sadao in America at a professor’s house. But he had waited to fall in love with her until he was sure she was Japanese. She was pure in her race. Otherwise, his father would not have accepted her in the family. They were married as per the old Japanese way.
Q. 6. What did Hana and Sadao see coming out of the mist? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Hana and Sadao were standing outside their house. They saw something black coming out of the mist. It was a man. He seemed to be flung up out of the ocean. He staggered a few steps. He was crawling. Then he fell on his face and lay there. Sadao thought him some fisherman having been washed from his boat.
Q.7. How did Sadao and Hana come to know that the man was an American, a prisoner of war and an enemy? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Sadao and Hana came nearer. They found some stains of blood on sand. The man was wounded. He turned the man’s head and they saw his face. He was a white man. They read the faint writing on the cap: “US Navy”. The man was a prisoner of war. He was an enemy soldier. Japan was at war with America.
Q.8. What was the initial reaction of Dr. Sadao and Hana on seeing the wounded man?
Ans. Sadao saw that a gun wound had reopened on the right side of Tom. He was bleeding. Hana saw him and cried. Then they thought about what they should do with that white man. Had he not been wounded, they could have put him back into the sea. But now there was only one thing to be done. The professional ethics demanded that they must carry him into the house.
Q.9. “The kindest thing would be to put him back into the sea.” Who says it and why?
Ans. Dr. Sadao and his wife were in a fix. Dr Sadao couldn’t hand over even a dying enemy to the police. Giving him shelter could lead to their arrest. Hana thought that the kindest thing would be throwing the man back into the sea. It was the easiest solution. However, they couldn’t do even that. Their professional ethics prevented them from doing such a thing.
Q. 10. How did the gardener react when Dr. Sadao told him about the wounded American soldier?
Ans. All the servants, including the gardener didn’t like Sadao’s efforts to save an American. It was quite unpatriotic to give shelter to a prisoner of war. It was even risky not to hand over Tom to the police or the army. The gardener couldn’t tolerate that his master should save a white man from a hostile country.
Q. 11. What was the reaction of the two servants and Yumi when they were told about the wounded American? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. The two servants were frightened at what their master had told them. They thought that their master should not heal the wound of that white man. The white man must die. If their master healed what the gun and the sea did, they would take revenge on them. Yumi refused to wash a white man.
Q. 12. Hana told Yumi to wash the soldier. How did Yumi react?
Ans. Hana realised that at first the soldier must be washed. She told Yumi to fetch hot water for washing. When she saw the white man, she shook with anger. She would not wash such a dirty white man. Hana cried and commanded her to do as asked. Yumi had a fierce look of resistance and left the room.
Q. 13. How did Hana help Sadao in operating on the wounded prisoner of war?
Ans. Hana dipped a small clean towel into the steaming hot water. She washed his face carefully. Sadao came there with his surgeon’s emergency bag. She was asked to give the anesthetic if needed. The bullet was still there. Sadao proceeded swiftly. The doctor made a clean and precise incision. The bullet was out.
Q. 14. Why did the servants leave Dr Sadao’s house? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Japan was at war with America. Dr. Sadao was nursing a wounded American, a prisoner of war. The servants didn’t like Dr. Sadao’s generosity. He was trying to save a white American. He was giving him a new lease of life. They considered Dr. Sadao’s work an act of treachery. Hence, their patriotic feelings made them leave Dr. Sadao’s house.
Q.15. How did the General react when Sadao informed him about the prisoner of war?
Ans. The behaviour of the General was quite surprising. His personal considerations outweighed all other considerations. He didn’t order the immediate arrest of the enemy. Nor did he take any action against Dr. Sadao who had given shelter to an American soldier. He only offered to send two private assassins to get him killed secretly. But he never sent those men
(The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer important for Exam)
Q. 16. Did the old General lack national loyalty? Was it a case of dereliction of duty?
Ans. The old General didn’t take the issue of the prisoner of war very seriously. He needed Dr. Sadao and couldn’t afford to arrest or displease him. Being an experienced general he should have acted promptly in this matter. The American soldier should have been arrested at once. Certainly, it was also a case of dereliction of duty on the General’s part.
Q. 17. How did Hana behave on seeing the messenger in official uniform? What did he come for?
Ans. In the afternoon Hana saw a messenger come to the door in official uniform. She ran to Sadao gasping, unable to utter a word. She thought that the man had come to arrest them. She was relieved to know that he was sent by the General. He was in pain and had sent for Sadao,
Q. 18. “If all the Japs were like you there wouldn’t have been a war,” said Tom. Justify his statement.
Ans. The wounded American soldier was an enemy. Despite all this, Dr. Sadao sheltered him in his house. He didn’t hand him over to the police. He operated on him. Dr. Sadao risked his own life but saved an enemy from dying. Tom thought if all the Japanese were like him, there would not have been a war between America and Japan.
Q.19. How did Sadao ensure that the American sailor left his house but he himself remained safe and secure? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Or
What did Dr. Sadao do to help Tom to escape to freedom? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Dr. Sadao knew that the wounded American sailor could be arrested (at) any time. So he decided to help him in escaping. He decided to give his private boat with food and clothes in it. He could row it to a little island not far from the coast. Nobody lived there. In this way, he could escape to freedom. Dr Sadao was also now free to live in peace and security.
Q. 20. Why did Dr. Sadao help in the escape of the American soldier? Was it an act of treachery? Can you justify his action? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Dr. Sadao gave shelter to a wounded enemy. Had the young American been healthy, Sadao would have handed him over to the police. But here was a bleeding and dying man. He was a doctor and was trained to save even a dying enemy. Therefore, he helped him in his escape. Human considerations outweighed all other petty things.
Q. 21. What made Dr. Sadao sure that the wounded American soldier had escaped safely in darkness? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Dr Sadao had made elaborate arrangements for the safe escape of Tom. He was made to row to a nearby island. All necessary things were provided to him. He was to signal two flashes if he ran short of food. When no signal came, Dr. Sadao was convinced that Tom had escaped safely.
Q. 22. Justify the title of the story The Enemy’.
Ans. Pearl S. Buck has given a suitable title to the story. The title is quite appropriate and logical. The wounded American prisoner of war is their natural enemy. Dr Sadao and Hana should have handed him over to the police. But human consideration outweighed all other considerations. His duty as a doctor made Dr. Sadao save the life of even a dying enemy.
The Enemy Extra Questions (Long Type)
(The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Q.1 Give a brief character sketch of Tom, the American soldier.
Ans. With the background of the Second World War, Tom comes across as a figure who deserves our sympathy. He is young, with blond hair, and is a prisoner of war. The letters on his cap indicate that he is from the U.S. Navy. He has undergone torture and eventually escaped. A bullet wound had incapacitated 1 him, but his determination made him cross the sea.
He is bleeding and yet the will to survive is there. He is lucky to land at the doorsteps of the Japanese couple. When he comes to his senses, he is surprised and alarmed to see a Japanese doctor tending to him. His innocent question, “What will you do to me?” speaks volumes regarding the cruelty of the Japanese. Even Dr. Sadao notices his extraordinary vitality.
He is lucky that the General has his own preoccupations 2, so he does not fall prey to private assassins. He is doubtful and reluctant to leave Dr Sadao’s ‘safe haven’. When Dr. Sadao reveals his plans, Tom agrees because he has no choice. Eventually, he is shipped to safety.
Q.2 Discuss the significance of Hana’s role in controlling the situation at home and as an anchor in Dr. Sadao’s crucial period of life. (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Hana displays great presence of mind, devotion, and confidence in the hour of crisis. She stands by her husband’s decision and understands him very well. She took a balanced and humane view of the difficult situation and assisted Dr. Sadao in extracting a bullet from the back of the American sailor. Extremely conscious of Dr. Sadao’s reputation and the criticism of her own servants, Hana carried herself with dignity.
Hana bore the conflict in her mind calmly and chose to clean the white man herself when Yumi, the maid, refused to do so. She knew that harbouring an American sailor in the house would put a question mark on her patriotism but she did not lose sight of the reality that the wounded American was a human being first and an enemy later.
Hana took up the duties of the household with efficiency when her servants decided to quit in protest. So she plays a significant role in controlling the situation and providing moral support to her husband.
Q. 3 What impression do you form about Dr. Sadao as a man and as a surgeon in your reading of the chapter, “The Enemy”? (CBSE 2012) (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Or
Write a character sketch of Dr. Sadao as depicted in your lesson, “The Enemy’. (CBSE 2009)
Ans. Dr. Sadao Hoki was the only son of his father. He was highly influenced by his father. His education was his father’s only concern. For this reason, he was sent to America at the age of twenty-two to study surgery and medicine. He married Hana in America when he became sure she was Japanese. This shows Sadao’s love for Japan. Dr Sadao was first a doctor and then anything else. He was a wonderful surgeon.
He was perfecting a discovery that would render wounds entirely clean. Even the old General knew his worth and kept him in Japan. He and Hana found a prisoner of war wounded and bleeding. Sadao was in a dilemma. The wounded man was an American. Japan was at war with America. If he sheltered a white man he could be arrested.
If he handed him over to the police, the wounded soldier would certainly die. Dr. Sadao and his obedient wife faced the ire and displeasure of their servants. Yumi didn’t want to wash the wound of a white man. The old gardener left them. Dr. Sadao ignored all these warnings. He heard the call of his profession only. Dr. Sadao’s heart overflowed with human kindness. Lest Tom is arrested, he makes elaborate arrangements for his escape. He made all these sacrifices putting himself and his wife at maximum risk.
(The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Q.4. Why did Sadao Hoki go to America? Narrate his experiences there. (CBSE 2012)
Ans. Sadao’s education was the chief concern of his father. For this reason, his father sent him to America at the age of twenty-two to learn all that could be learned about surgery and medicine. In the years to follow, Sadao became not only a surgeon but also a scientist. He returned from America at the age of thirty. He was perfecting a discovery that would render wounds entirely clean.
He had met Hana in America. He didn’t fall in love with her until he was sure she was Japanese. His father would never have accepted her unless she had been pure in her race. He met Hana by chance at an American professor’s house. The professor and his wife were kind people. But the professor was a dull man and his wife was a silly talkative woman. His experiences there were not all pleasant and friendly.
He had great difficulty in finding a place to live in America because he was Japanese. The Americans were full of prejudice. He used to despise his dirty and ignorant landlady. He had once tried to be grateful to her as she had nursed him through influenza. But he could never forget her repulsive looks and manners.
Q.5. Why did Sadao help the American soldier to escape? How did he do it? (CBSE 2012)
Or
Why and how did Dr. Sadao help the prisoner of war to escape? Do you find him guilty of harbouring an enemy? (The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)
Ans. Dr. Sadao had given a new lease of life to the American prisoner of war. He didn’t want to throw him into the jaws of death again. He asked the young soldier to take his private boat at night. He should row in the cover of darkness to a little deserted island nearby.
The young American could live there until he saw a Korean fishing boat pass by. Food, bottled water and two quilts were put inside the boat. If the food ran out, he could signal two flashes. He was not to signal in darkness because he could be seen. The young American came down into the darkness of the garden and escaped. The prisoner had gone quite safe.
No. Dr. Sadao can’t be found guilty of harbouring an enemy. No doubt, the nationals of countries at war are considered natural enemies. But we shouldn’t forget that Sadao was a doctor. And for a doctor saving a dying man is the foremost priority. It doesn’t matter if the dying man is an enemy.
Important Vocabulary used in this Post
(The Enemy Class 12 Question Answer)