CBSE Class 12 English The Enemy Notes Set B

About The Author

Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) was born in Hillsboro, West Virginia. Pearl had begun to publish stories in 1920. Her novel ‘Good Earth’ became the best selling and won Pulitzer Prize and the Howells Medal. Pearl was the first American lady to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Buck had a humanistic attitude to the problems of life. She felt that while nations were at war, individuals were humans.

Summary

‘The Enemy’ tells the story of a Japanese doctor who hates Americans because of his patriotism. Dr. Sadao Hoki, a Japanese surgeon and scientist, lived with his wife Hana and two children at the Japanese sea-coast. His house was located on the sea-coast where he had spent his childhood. He was greatly influenced by his father whose chief concern was Sadao’s education. When he was twenty two Sadao Hoki was sent to America to study surgery and medicine. Sadao fulfilled his father’s desire and became a famous scientist and surgeon. He returned to serve his nation and people.

Even though there was a war going on Dr. Sadao was not sent as he was perfecting a discovery on wounds and the old general might need him for an operation. Hana whom he met in America. They had two children. Hana was a Japanese lady and had full faith in Japanese values and customs. She was a sympathetic lady.

One night as the two of them stood in verandah, they saw something being washed ashore into the close proximity of their house and on closer inspection found that it was an American prisoner of war. The American seemed to have lost a lot of blood due to a bullet wound. Sadao and Hana were in a perplexed situation. Their human instincts demanded them to take care of the wounded person but their patriotic self wanted them to leave the injured person there only. Sadao realised, being a doctor, that the man needed an urgent medical attention. They thought that the servants would oppose their action and may give them away to the authorities. Dr. Sadao requested Hana to allow him to get the man in the house and also to disclose it to the servants. The children’s nanny, Yumi, refused to help in cleaning a white man.

Therefore, Hana not only cleaned him but also administered anaesthesia which she had never done before. Hana assisted her husband in the surgery. She wondered if the prisoner of war was tortured in the same way as she heard in the stories. Dr. Sadao successfully took out the bullet which was lodged close to the kidney. Hana saw three red scars on his neck. Dr. Sadao tried his best to keep the prisoner alive. Meanwhile, he thought the reason behind his earnest attempts. He, out of habit, called the man “my friend” forgetting that he was the enemy. Sadao looked after the patient till he regained his consciousness. When the young man realised where he was, he got extremely scared. Hana consoled him. He was surprised to listen them talking in English. She informed him that she was in America for some time. The young man who was about seventeen years old got up after the third day of the operation. He asked what they would like to do with him to which Dr. Sadao replied that he was also not sure if he will hand over the young man to the authorities or not.

The servants in the house protested that they would not stay if the American would be there in the house. Dr. Sadao said that it was his professional ethics that made him take care of the young man. He loved the country equally like they did. Though the servants were polite but they showed a callous behaviour as the days passed. The servants made sure that Hana could hear when they spoke within themselves. The gardener said that the man should have been left bleeding, the cook said that it was Sadao’s pride due to which he treated the American soldier. Yumi said that the kids would suffer if Sadao was caught. He would be declared a traitor. The prisoner’s name was Tom. He started recovering and in a fortnight recovered completely. Sadao wrote a letter to the chief of police but then put the unfinished letter in his drawer.

Hana was not able to understand why she and her husband were in a dilemma about the next step for the prisoner. The General sent out a messenger in an official uniform. Hana got extremely scared and thought the servants would have informed the police. But she took a sigh of relief when the messenger told that he came to call the doctor as the General was suffering from chest pain. Tensed and tired of hiding the enemy, Dr. Sadao revealed the secret to the General when he went to examine him. Looking at his present medical conditions, General realised that he would require Sadao’s medical expertise at any time. So, he was selfish enough to not let Sadao get into any trouble. He assured Sadao that he would send his personal assassins to kill the American and remove his body from Sadao’s house.

Dr. Sadao kept this plan a secret and did not disclose it to Hana as he did not want her to be troubled. He could not sleep for two nights as he expected assassins to come at night and kill the American. But each morning he found Tom alive. After three nights of restlessness, panic, anxiety and terror, Sadao decided to get rid of the stranger and the uneasiness his presence caused. He packed him off on a boat, loading the boat with basic necessities like food, water, quilts and he also gave him a flashlight so that he could send signals if required. He sent him to a nearby island to wait for a Korean ship. Thus, Tom departed safely.

Sadao then operated the General. When he recuperated after a week the General said that he was apologetic for not being able to send assassins to kill the American. The General admitted to have forgotten his promise to send the assassins because of his own pain. One night, Sadao saw there was no flashlight from the island, so Sadao understood that the prisoner must have been safe and would have boarded the Korean ship. Sadao was left wondering that though he hated Americans and treated them to be enemies why he couldn’t kill the young Soldier