The writer of the story conveys(बताना) that there comes a time in a man's life when it is required for him to lift from petty considerations(क्षुद्र विचार) of race nationality and act in human consideration. Dr. Sadao being patriotic(देशभक्तिपूर्ण) Japanese hates Americans as his enemies. One day a prisoner of war appears at the shore near Dr. Sadao's house wounded and Dr. Sadao and his wife Hana move over their feelings of hatred towards him and they treat him until he is capable of taking care of himself. Not only they treat him but Dr. Sadao also helps him escape(बच निकलना). He arranges all the things that are required for him to escape. By this humble and kind act, the theme of the story stands clear that humanity should rise above all. Through the story, the writer also shows the impact(प्रभाव) of war on the life of normal people and she does so by presenting an American wounded soldier who has to face the fury(रोष/ क्रोध) of the weather and the hostility(शत्रुता/ विरोधभाव) of the Japanese people.

1. E N G L I S H L I T E R AT U R E S U P P L E M E N TA RY B O O K
Vistas
4 . Th e En emy
Author
Pearl S. Buch

2. Know Your Author
Birth - June 26, 1892, in Hillsboro, West Virginia.
Parents- Southern Presbyterian missionaries,
stationed in China, where Pearl S. Buck spent
most of her first forty years of her life. She had
a Chinese name Sai Zhenzhu as she spent her
childhood in China.
Awards - 1932, won the Pulitzer Prize and the
Howells Medal in 1935, for The Good Earth
which was adapted as a major MGM film in
1937.
In 1938, won the Nobel Prize in literature, the
first American woman to do so.
By the time of her death in 1973, Pearl published
over seventy books: novels, collections of
stories, biography and autobiography, poetry,
drama, children's literature, and translations
from the Chinese.
Pearl S. Buck

3. India
USSR
Africa

4. Character sketches
1. Dr. Sadao:
• Scientist
• A kind man and generous
• A well established doctor
• A patriot
• A loving caring and devoted family man
• A dedicated surgeon
• Committed to his professional duty
2. Dr. Sadao’s father:
• A patriot by heart
• Stern in his believes and loves his
Japanese values
• Futuristic
• Traditional and conventional man
• A very quiet man and very serious(never
jokes nor plays with his son)
3. Hana:
• Dr. Sadao’s wife
• Responsible
• Dignified and graceful
• Supportive
• A balance woman
4. Tom (prisoner of war):
• American wounded soldier
• Brave enough to survive the wounds by
rocks and the furious waves as well
• Has a rough yellow beard
• Has long yellow hair
5. General Takima:
• Ruthless(beats his wife)
• Not promising
• Self-centered
• Selfish
• Unfaithful towards his nation
6. Dr. Sadao’s servants:
• Consider the prisoner of war as their
enemy
• Protest against his presence in the house
• Patriotic and nationalistic
• Disapprove of their master’s kindness
towards him
• Very loyal to the doctor
• Return to their services or duty after the
prisoner leaves the house.

5. Characters
Dr. Sadao Hoki: A Japanese doctor trained by Americans.
Sadao's father: Much concerned about his son's education, a true patriot.
Hana: Wife of dr. Sadao, met in America, became friends and got
married in Japan.
Tom: An American prisoner of war, a soldier of U.S. Navy.
The old General: A sick Japanese army general, needed an operation, trusted
only Dr. Sadao.
An officer: A messenger of the general.
Gardener: An old gardener in the house of Dr. Sadao
Yimi: Hana's maid servant,
The cook: An old cook in the house of Dr. Sadao.

6. The Theme of the story
The writer of the story conveys(बताना) that there comes a time in a man's life
when it is required for him to lift from petty considerations(क्षुद्र विचार) of
race nationality and act in human consideration.
Dr. Sadao being patriotic(देशभक्तिपूर्ण) Japanese hates Americans as his
enemies. One day a prisoner of war appears at the shore near Dr. Sadao's
house wounded and Dr. Sadao and his wife Hana move over their feelings
of hatred towards him and they treat him until he is capable of taking care
of himself. Not only they treat him but Dr. Sadao also helps him
escape(बच वनकलना). He arranges all the things that are required for him
to escape. By this humble and kind act, the theme of the story stands
clear that humanity should rise above all.
Through the story, the writer also shows the impact(प्रभाि) of war on the life
of normal people and she does so by presenting an American wounded
soldier who has to face the fury(रोष/ क्रोध) of the weather and the
hostility(शत्रुता/ विरोधभाि) of the Japanese people.

7. STORY IN SHORT...
• Dr. Sadao’s house was built on a spot of the Japanese coast,
• Sadao's education was the main concern of his father,
• He had been sent to America at the age of 22 to learn surgery and medicine, He had mate Hana in
America. His father would not have received her unless she had been pure in her race.
• Their marriage had been arranged in the Old Japanese way, Now they had two children,
• Both Of them saw a man crawling on his hands and knees ,
• They Saw Stains Of blood on the sand. The man Was wounded. He Was a White man With a rough
yellow beard.
• Dr. Sadao found that a gun wound had been reopened,
• Dr. Sadao Packed the wounded With the sea moss.
• The man cried in pain but remained unconscious.
• They were in a fix. If they gave shelter to white man in their house, they could be arrested. If he was
turned away, he would certainly die.
• The man was an American sailor and a prisoner Of war.
• He was their enemy as all American were their enemies'
• Dr. Sadao and Hana decided to carry the man into the house, The man would die if he was not
operated on.
• Even the servants didn't want that the life of a wounded American soldier should be saved.
• Hana cleaned his breast and face with hot steaming water,
• She helped her husband to turn the man and he began to wash the man's back carefully.

8. STORY IN SHORT...
• With the cleanest and most precise incisions (सटीक चीरे) the bullet was taken out from the body.
• The young man woke . He was very weak terrified(भयाक
ु ल).
• Hana asked him not to be afraid(डरना). The man was surprise to see Hana speaking English.
• They didn't want to save an enemy but human considerations made them feed him gently, The man
looked barely seventeen. He asked what they were going to do with him. Sadao didn't know himself
what to do with him.
• No doubt Americans were his enemies but being a doctor, he was trained not to let a man die.
• However Saving an enemy was nothing less than act of treachery.
• Sadao examined the wound carefully every morning, At last, the last stitches has been pulled out.
• On the seventh day, the servants left altogether, Hana herself gave food to the prisoner.
• A messenger came to the door in official uniform, Sadao was to come to the palace, The old General
was in pain again.
• The General thought it best to have the man quietly killed.
• He could send to men to kill him that night.
• Sadao agreed that perhaps it was the best thing to do so.
• If all the Japanese were like him there would not have been a war,
• Sadao put his boat on the shore that night and extra clothing, He asked Tom to row to a little island not
far from the coast.
• He could live there until saw a Korean fishing boat pass by.
• If Tom's food ran out before he caught a boat, he was asked two flashes.

9. READING WITH INSIGHT
Q1.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. Dr Sadao Hoki faces a dilemma when he finds the body of an unconscious wounded
white man lying on the lonely coast with dangerous rocks near his house. His first
reaction was that the person was perhaps a fisherman who had been washed from his
boat. He ran quickly down the steps. His wife, Hana came behind him. When they
came near, Sadao found that the man was wounded and lay motionless. His face was
in the sand. As they saw his face, they found that he was a white man with long yellow
hair and a rough yellow beard. Being an expert surgeon, Dr Sadao saw that the man
had a gun-wound on the right side of his lower back. He at once packed the wound
with sea moss to stanch the fearful bleeding. Since Japan was at war with America, the
white man was an enemy. Dr Sadao muttered, “What shall we do with this man?” He
answered the question himself, “The best thing that we could do would be to put him
back in the sea.” His wife approved of his decision.
Q2. 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?
Ans. Hana's loving, considerate and sympathetic nature shines out. She washed and fed
the soldier although it was not her job. Her care helped recuperate the soldier fast. It is
also apparent from the story that she respected her husband, and as a sense of duty
towards him, did the needful.

10. Q3. 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.: When the American war- prisoner came to consciousness and realized that he was saved by a
Japanese family, he feared that he would be soon handed over to the army. However, as he
noticed the amount of concern and care given to him by the family, he understood that he was in
safe hands. He knew that although he was a threat to the doctor’s family, his own life might be
saved there. War is man-made. The soldier was hired to fight in the war. He was not at all
interested to join it once more. But he was helpless. Burdened with gratitude towards the
family, he ultimately decides to comply with what the doctor planned for him - the escape.
Q4.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 General was totally governed by self absorption. He was a patient of Dr Sadao and did not
trust anyone except him when it came to his health. He could not take the risk of living
unprotected if the doctor was executed for treachery. He had personal assassins whom he
promised to use for killing the injured soldier. But ironically, he ‘forgot’ his promise to help the
doctor. Human consideration was not his cup of tea.
Q5. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what
makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?
Ans. It is obvious that the countries at war are enemies and hatred is a part of this enmity. However
the success of humanity comes when we rise above this enmity and show our love towards the
civilization as a whole. Dr Sadao did the same. He did whatever he could to save the life of a man
whom he knew was a war prisoner. The instant he saw the injured man, he was filled with
concern. Ignoring the fact that he was the enemy of his country and must have killed so many
Japanese and may kill even more, if alive, he saved him.

11. Q6. Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best
possible one in the circumstances?
Ans. The doctor tried his best to save the injured soldier as a part of his duty.
But the ultimate question was what to do next. It cannot be said that he
betrayed his country as he told the truth to the General. However when
he noticed that the soldier was to be killed not for the benefit of the
country but only to save the doctor’s life, he decided to help him flee. In
such a situation, the doctor's final solution to the problem was the best
possible one.

12. Some other short answer questions
Q.1. Why did the General overlook the matter of the enemy soldier?
Ans. The General had an attack and according to Dr. Sadao he could not
survive the second attack. So if Dr. Sadao was arrested, no other doctor
was capable of performing the operation. So for furthering his selfish
needs he overlooked the matter and promised to send his assassins. But
he was so self-absorbed, he forgot about it.
Q.2. Why was Dr.Sadao not sent With the troops?
Ans. The General thought that Dr.Sadao is indispensable to his life and can
save anyone as he is very skilled. He also does not trust anyone except Dr.
Sadao, so he was not sent with troops.
Q.3. How was the plan of the patient's escape executed in the story?
Ans. The prisoner was successful in his escape only because of the right
guidance and help from Dr.Sadao. He provided him his boat, gave his food,
made him wear Japanese clothes and also helped him in comfortable sail
to a nearby island.
Q.4. Why did the servants leave Dr. Sadao’s house?
Ans. Servants left the house because their masters were treating the
american prisoner of war.

13. Q5. Who was Dr Sadao? Where was his house?
Ans. Dr Sadao Hoki was an eminent Japanese surgeon and scientist. He had spent eight
valuable years of his youth in America to learn all that could be learnt of surgery and
medicine there. He was perfecting a discovery which would render wounds entirely
clean. Dr Sadao’s house was built on rocks well above a narrow beach that was
outlined with bent pines. It was on a spot of the Japanese coast.
Q6. Will Dr Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
Ans. Dr Sadao knew that they would be arrested if they sheltered a white man in their
house. The wounded man was a prisoner of war who had escaped with a bullet on his
back. Since Japan was at war with America, harbouring an enemy meant being a traitor
to Japan. Dr Sadao could be arrested if anyone complained against him and accused
him of harbouring an enemy.
Q7. Will Hana help the wounded man and wash him herself?
Ans. The gardener and the cook were frightened that their master was going to heal the
wound of a white man—an enemy. They felt that after being cured he (the white man)
will take revenge on the Japanese. Yumi, the maid, was also frightened. She refused to
wash the white man. Hana rebuked the maid who had refused to wash a wounded
helpless man. Then she dipped a small dean towel into the steaming hot water and
washed the white man’s face. She kept on washing him until his upper body was quite
dean. But she dared not turn him over.

14. Q8. What will Dr Sadao and his wife do with the man?
Ans. Dr Sadao and his wife, Hana, had told the servants that they only wanted to bring the man to his
senses so that they could turn him over as a prisoner. They knew that the best possible course
under the circumstances was to put him back into the sea. However, Dr Sadao was against
handing over a wounded man to the police. He dedded to carry him into his house. He operated
upon him and extracted the bullet from his body. He kept the white man in his house. He and his
wife looked after him and fed him till he was strong enough to walk on his legs.
Q9. Will Dr Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
Ans. It was the seventh day since Dr Sadao had operated upon the young white man. Early that
morning, their three servants left together. In the afternoon, a messenger came there in official
uniform. He told Dr Sadao that he had to come to the palace at once as the old General was in
pain again. Hana, who had thought that the officer had come to arrest Dr Sadao, asked the
messenger, “Is that all?” The baffled messenger enquired if that was not enough. She tried to
cover her mistake by expressing regret and admitted that the General’s illness was enough. Dr
Sadao told the General about the white man he had operated upon. Since Dr Sadao was
indispensable to the General, he promised that Dr Sadao would not be arrested.
Q10. What will Dr Sadao do to get rid of the man?
Ans. Dr. Sadao offered his personal boat with food and extra clothing to the American soldier when
he left his house. He then advised the soldier to go to a nearby island where no one lived and
escape from there by boarding a Korean fishing boat. Sadao then informed the General that the
soldier had escaped.

15. Value based Questions
Q. 1. Do you think being human is the greatest virtue and treating an enemy
is not a sin? Explain taking reference of 'The Enemy'.
Ans. I agree with the statement, reason being, whatever is our nationality,
gender, colour, caste or creed- we are humans first. Being embroiled in
conflicts and controversies is the side product of our egoism and ideology.
These exist because of difference in perception about any idea of issue.
But our basic conscience is sensitive for other's suffering as reflected very
beautifully through the character of Dr. Sadao in the intriguing story 'The
Enemy'. It is rather a core of our spirit, even mythology of every religion
support this idea of compassion. One cannot deny its existence, in spite of
all the worldly elements, humanity provides its glimpse all around us- in
our words, through our acts. One feels for the sufferer. So, whether the
injured one is our enemy or friend, it should never matter while treating
or extending a helping hand.
• Humanity is a common thread which binds us despite our differences.
• Since time unknown and till up to eternity, humanity will prevails

16. Q2. Give the character sketch of Dr. sadao highlighting his qualities as doctor.
Ans. Dr. Sadao Hoki is the protagonist of the story and Hana’s husband. A skilled surgeon
educated in America, Sadao is wholly responsible for saving the life of Tom, an American
prisoner of war who washes up on the beach alongside Sadao and Hana’s isolated home
on the Japanese coast. Sadao is an emotionally complex character who struggles to
come to terms with his inexplicable impulse to save the life of an American, who is
supposedly his enemy, and his staunch Japanese patriotism (which increasingly reads as
outright nationalism and racial prejudice). Sadao’s arc is anti-epiphanic, ending with his
deeply prejudiced thoughts about all the Americans he’s known throughout his lifetime.
However, the story suggests that the reason he helped the prisoner of war—putting his
and his household’s safety on the line in doing so—is because of the latent human
impulse to be good and kind. Alongside his nationalism, Sadao is also a proponent of
traditional Japanese gender roles, requiring his wife to be a meek, subservient
housewife who tends to the servants and follows Sadao’s orders unflinchingly. Even
though the couple met at college in America, Hana generally conforms to this role gladly
and seems to value Japanese customs. Despite upholding strict gender roles—with
Sadao often coming across as cold and domineering—the couple appears to genuinely
and tenderly love one another, even if those feelings are largely unspoken. Many of the
decisions Sadao makes about how to deal with Tom stem from Sadao wanting to
alleviate his wife’s severe anxiety at housing the prisoner.

17. or
Q2. Give the character sketch of Dr. Sadao highlighting his qualities as doctor.
Ans. Dr Sadao was
• Scientist
• A kind man and generous
• A well established doctor
• A patriot
• A loving caring and devoted family man
• A dedicated surgeon
• Committed to his professional duty

18. Thank
you