The Enemy
Pearl S. Buck
Summary
This story is set in the backdrop of the war between Japan and America. The main protagonist of the story is a Japanese doctor, named Sadao who got his medical education at America. One day, a body of a wounded American soldier gets washed up to the shore near the doctor’s house. Dr. Sadao is in dilemma on whether to treat the wounded man or hand him over to the police because he is from the enemy camp. The doctor prefers to hear to his call of duty as a doctor, and treats the wounded man. The domestic staffs in the house resent this idea and a day comes when all the domestic staffs leave their jobs in protest.
Dr. Sadao is often called to treat the General, a powerful person in the Japanese army. During a round of therapy for the General, when the doctor discusses about the wounded American soldier at his home, the General tells him about a solution to the problem. The General tells that he would send some assassins who would take care of the American.
When the assassins do not arrive even after a wait of three to four days, Dr. Sadao arranges for a boat with food, water and warm clothing so that the American could go to a small island, so that he could escape from there.
Once the American is gone, domestic staffs come back to Sadao’s house. When Dr. Sadao tells the General that the American had escaped, the General gives light rebuke to the doctor. But the General appears to have respect for the doctor’s sense of responsibility towards his primary duty, i.e. to save a life.
Reading With Insight
Question 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.
Answer: The main theme of the story is about making hard choices between a person’s role as private individual and as a citizen with a sense of national loyalty. Being a doctor, it is Sadao’s prime responsibility to save the life of a person if it can be saved. But being a Japanese citizen, it is his responsibility to hand over the enemy to the authorities. There is great risk of Sadao being put behind bars and charged for treason if he does not hand over the enemy. But Sadao has powerful urges to cure a wounded man because that is what the doctors are trained to do. As Sadao is a prominent doctor, he has some kind of immunity from getting caught by the law. But he has to face the protest from his domestic staffs. In spite of all the pressures, Sadao opts for fulfilling his role as a private individual.
Question 2: 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?
Answer: Being the wife of a doctor, Hana is also mentally conditioned to save the life of a patient. She thoroughly understands the role and responsibility of a doctor. Moreover, she appears to be a kind human being. That is why in spite of open defiance from the domestic staff, Hana is sympathetic to Dr. Sadao.
Question 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?
Answer: The soldier has developed some sort of confidence on the Doctor. He may be feeling highly safe at Sadao’s house because the doctor had saved his life. The soldier is not willing to put his life to further risk. The hospitality he got at Sadao’s house must have greatly contributed to this sense. That is why the soldier is reluctant to leave the shelter of the doctor’s home even when his stay creates the risk to the doctor and himself.
Question 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?
Answer: General has shown human consideration. Probably, some of the positive vibes from the doctor has rubbed on him too. Moreover, the General also wants to reward the doctor, and that is why he spared the American soldier. When the doctor meets the General after the American had escaped, General tells that it was neither dereliction of duty nor lack of national loyalty. The General also gives a hint of self-absorption as he was suffering, but it appears to be an off the cuff remark. At the end of this dialogue, General talks about rewarding the good human being which the doctor is.
Question 5: While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?
Answer: Hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, but there are many instances when human beings rise above narrow prejudices. In this story, Dr. Sadao shows a perfect example of rising above narrow prejudices. There is another instance when Sadao’s landlady nursed to him when he was suffering from influenza.
We can take a good example from the current situation between India and Pakistan. Our neighbor is suffering from the worst ever flood. The Indian government has decided to provide all the relief for the people of Pakistan in this hour of great human misery.
Question 6: Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?
Answer: The doctor cannot keep the soldier at his home, without risking the wrath of the authorities and the local community. He does not want to hand him over to the authorities because that would be like a death sentence for the soldier. So, the doctor decides to help him escape. There is a risk of him getting drowned or dying of starvation, but there is a flicker of hope of finding a Korean vessel which would provide him a ticket to freedom. So, I think this is the best solution to the problem under given circumstances.
Question 7: Does the story remind you of ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots last year? What are the similarities?
Answer: Both the stories are about a doctor saving the life of a patient. In the story ‘Birth’ Dr. Andrew saves the life of a stillborn baby. In this story, Dr. Sadao saves the life of a wounded soldier.
Question 8: Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme?
Answer: Do it yourself
There are numerous stories and films with similar theme, e.g. Dil Ek Mandir, My Name is Khan, etc.