Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973) was a celebrated American author and humanitarian who spent much of her life in China. Best known for her powerful cross-cultural storytelling, she became the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938 and earned the Pulitzer Prize in 1932 for her acclaimed novel The Good Earth. Throughout her works—including stories like "The Enemy"—she consistently emphasized human dignity, empathy, and the power of universal ethics to overcome racial and national prejudices.
"The Enemy" by Pearl S. Buck is a poignant World War II story set on the Japanese coast that explores the profound conflict between national loyalty and universal human compassion. When Dr. Sadao Hoki, a skilled Japanese surgeon, and his wife Hana discover a gravely wounded American prisoner of war washed ashore near their home, they face a severe moral dilemma: hand him over as patriotic citizens or save his life as medical professionals. Choosing humanity over wartime hatred, Dr. Sadao operates on the enemy soldier and later secretly arranges his safe escape. Ultimately, the story highlights how basic human empathy and professional ethics can transcend racial prejudice and political enmity in times of crisis.
1. Who was Dr Sadao? Where was his house?
Ans: Dr. Sadao Hoki was a famous Japanese surgeon and scientist who was working on a discovery to render wounds entirely clean.
His house was built on a narrow coast on a spot of the Japanese beach, set upon square stones well above the high-water mark, surrounded by low, bent pines.
2. Will Dr Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
Ans: No, Dr. Sadao is not arrested.
Although he harbored an American prisoner of war, he reported the matter to the Old General. The General promised to send private assassins to kill and dispose of the soldier, but forgot due to his own ill health. Eventually, Dr. Sadao secretly helped the soldier escape to safety on a nearby island, leaving no evidence behind.
3. Will Hana help the wounded man and wash him herself?
Ans: Yes, Hana helps the wounded man and washes him herself. When Yumi, the maid, flatly refuses to wash an American enemy soldier, Hana asserts her authority, reprimands Yumi, and washes the soldier's body herself with hot water before the operation.
4. What will Dr Sadao and his wife do with the man?
Ans: Initially, Dr. Sadao and Hana treat the wounded American soldier and save his life by operating on him. Afterwards, to prevent his capture or execution, Dr. Sadao secretly arranges a boat, food, water, and supplies, helping him escape safely to a nearby island to board a Korean fishing vessel.
5. What will Dr Sadao do to get rid of the man?
Ans: To get rid of the prisoner, Dr. Sadao secretively prepares a sturdy boat with food, fresh water, quilts, and a flashlight. He instructs the American soldier to row to a nearby uninhabited island, where he can wait safely to board a passing Korean fishing boat to escape.
6. 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:Ans: In "The Enemy", Dr. Sadao and Hana face a classic conflict between humanitarian duty as private individuals (and medical professionals) and patriotism as Japanese citizens during World War II. By rescuing and treating a wounded American prisoner of war, Dr. Sadao honors his professional oath to save lives, overriding his national prejudice. However, to fulfill his duty as a loyal citizen, he reports the enemy's presence to the General. Ultimately, when the state fails to act, human compassion wins: Dr. Sadao helps the soldier escape safely, demonstrating that universal humanitarian ethics can transcend narrow national boundaries in times of moral crisis.
7. 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 was sympathetic to the soldier primarily due to her inherent human kindness, dignity, and deep loyalty to her husband. Unlike the domestic servants, who viewed the situation strictly through narrow patriotism and fear, Hana’s compassionate nature made her perceive the wounded man as a suffering human being rather than just an enemy. Additionally, as a loving and devoted wife, she felt it was her duty to support Dr. Sadao's moral and professional obligation, even when it meant performing menial tasks and facing open defiance from her staff.
8. 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 soldier’s reluctance stemmed from gratitude, trust, and intense fear for his survival.Having experienced the cruelty of war and harsh treatment as a prisoner, he found extraordinary kindness, medical care, and safety in Dr. Sadao's home. Outside, as an escaped American POW in enemy territory, he faced almost certain torture, recapture, or execution. Leaving meant giving up the only safe haven he had and stepping back into deadly vulnerability.
9. 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’s attitude is primarily explained by sheer self-absorption.He is deeply preoccupied with his own health, suffering, and impending surgery. Knowing that Dr. Sadao is the only surgeon capable of keeping him alive, the General cannot afford to have the doctor arrested or executed for treason. While his neglect to send private assassins could be seen as a dereliction of duty or a lack of strict national loyalty, his failure stems not from compassion or malice, but purely from selfish anxiety about his own personal survival.
10. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?
Ans: A human being rises above narrow prejudices through universal compassion, professional ethics, and a shared sense of humanity.When faced with direct human suffering, moral conscience and the fundamental value of human life override artificial political boundaries and racial hatred. As demonstrated by Dr. Sadao, professional duty (his oath as a physician) along with basic empathy allows individuals to view an enemy not as a political threat, but as a helpless fellow human being in need of help.
11. Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?
Ans: Yes, Dr. Sadao’s final solution of helping the prisoner escape was the best possible resolution under the circumstances. It allowed him to reconcile his conflicting duties: he fulfilled his professional oath and humanitarian obligations by preserving a human life, while also protecting his own family and household from the grave danger of treason charges. Since the General failed to send the promised assassins, arranging a quiet, secret escape ensured the soldier's safety without directly betraying his country or leaving evidence behind.
12. Does the story remind you of ‘birth’ by A.J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots last year? What are the similarities?
Ans: Yes, The Enemy closely parallels A.J. Cronin's Birth through its central theme of medical duty, professional ethics, and saving a human life against all odds.
Key similarities include:Duty Over Personal Odds: In both stories, a doctor faces an extreme crisis—Dr. Andrew Manson revives a seemingly stillborn baby, while Dr. Sadao saves an enemy soldier—putting their clinical skill to the ultimate test.Overcoming Resistance: Both doctors work under intense pressure without immediate support; Andrew battles exhaustion and social expectations, while Sadao faces societal prejudice and household defiance.Triumph of Human Life: In both narratives, the primary obligation of a doctor to preserve life transcends personal fatigue, doubt, and social norms.
13. Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme?
Ans: Yes, the movie Hacksaw Ridge shares a similar theme. It tells the true story of Desmond Doss, a World War II combat medic who refused to bear arms or harm the enemy due to his beliefs. Despite facing intense ridicule and hostility from his fellow soldiers and superiors, Doss risked his life on the battlefield to save dozens of wounded soldiers—demonstrating how humanity, moral duty, and compassion can transcend hatred and prejudice even in the midst of war.
EXTRA QUESTION ANSWERS:::
1.Who was Dr. Sadao Hoki?
Ans: Dr. Sadao Hoki was a famous Japanese surgeon and scientist.
2.Where was Dr. Sadao’s house located?
3.Ans: His house was built on a narrow coast of the Japanese beach, set upon square stones well above the high-water mark.
4.What was Dr. Sadao’s father’s primary dream for him?
Ans: His father’s chief concern was Sadao's education, which led him to send Sadao to America to study surgery and medicine.
5.Who was Hana, and where did Sadao meet her?
Ans: Hana was Dr. Sadao's wife, whom he met in America at Professor Harley’s house.
6.Why was Dr. Sadao not sent abroad with the Japanese troops during World War II?
Ans: He was perfecting a discovery to render wounds clean, and the Old General required potential emergency medical care.
7.Who was the wounded man washed ashore near Dr. Sadao's house?
Ans: He was Tom, an American prisoner of war (POW) from the U.S. Navy.
8.Why did Yumi, the maid, refuse to wash the wounded American soldier?
Ans: She refused out of national prejudice and fear of helping an enemy during wartime.
9.What promise did the Old General make to Dr. Sadao regarding the American soldier?
Ans: The General promised to send his private assassins to kill the soldier secretly and dispose of his body.
10.Why did the Old General fail to fulfill his promise to Dr. Sadao?
Ans: He failed because he was completely self-absorbed and preoccupied with his own severe health issues and impending surgery.
11.How did Dr. Sadao ultimately help the American prisoner escape?
Ans: He provided the soldier with a boat, food, water, quilts, and a flashlight, directing him to row to a nearby island to board a Korean fishing vessel.
2- Mark Questions & Answers:
1.Why was Dr. Sadao not sent to the front line with the Japanese troops?
Ans: Dr. Sadao was retained in Japan for two main reasons: he was perfecting a scientific discovery to render wounds entirely clean, and the Old General was under his care for a serious medical condition that might require an emergency operation.
2.How did Hana react when Yumi refused to wash the wounded soldier?
Ans: Hana became angry at Yumi’s open defiance and reprimanded her. Demonstrating dignity and human compassion, Hana decided to clean the American soldier herself using warm water before Dr. Sadao operated on him.
3.What moral dilemma did Dr. Sadao and Hana face upon discovering the wounded POW?
Ans: They were torn between their patriotic duty as Japanese citizens to report or hand over an enemy soldier during wartime and their ethical obligation as humans and a doctor to save a dying man's life.
4.Why did the General promise to send private assassins, and why did he fail to do so?
Ans: The General promised private assassins to secretly eliminate the American soldier and protect Dr. Sadao from treason charges. However, he forgot to send them because he was completely preoccupied with his own deteriorating health and impending surgery.
5. How did Dr. Sadao ensure the safe escape of the American prisoner?
Ans: Dr. Sadao provided the soldier with a sturdy boat, provisions, fresh water, quilts, and a flashlight. He instructed him to row to a nearby uninhabited island and signal a passing Korean fishing boat for rescue.
