THE ENEMY (Vistas)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pearl S. Buck published her first novel, East Wind, West Wind, in 1930. Her next novel, The Good Earth, earned her a Pulitzer Prize in 1932. In 1938, Buck became the first American female Nobel laureate. Concurrent with her writing career, she started the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, a humanitarian organization.
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.

A conflict of interest arises in a situation when someone in a position of trust, such as a doctor, has competing interests. Such competing interests can make it difficult to fulfill his or her duties impartially. A conflict of interest can create an appearance of impropriety like in the story when a white American soldier falls into the hands of a Japanese physician in enemy territory during the second world war. The Japanese physician, Sadao, disliked the white race and struggles with issues of loyalty, duty and racism. As a Japanese national it was his duty to handover the escaped prisoner to the police while as a doctor, it was his duty to save his life. 

Sadoa risks safety and saves an enemy. He fears the consequence of harboring an enemy. Not only this, he for the moment, overcomes his dislike for Americans and addresses the soldier as ‘my friend’. He then helps the soldier escape. Despite the fact that he does not qualify to become a ‘nationalist’, he can be viewed as hero for his qualities of bravery, helpfulness, and professional competence. He, like a real hero, stands up for what he believes in and doesn’t calculate repercussions. One definitely admires him for saving the soldier’s life like a true hero. 

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?

Dr Sadao did it because of his sense of duty as a doctor but his wife Hana did it because of purely humanitarian instincts and apparently because she respected her husband and as a sense of duty towards him washed and fed the American. Her pride and self-respect held her back from giving into the pressure of the servants as they decided to leave them. Perhaps as the servants felt their stay in America had changed their attitude and they were not as parochial as the rest. It could also be that they were educated and sensitive human beings unlike the servants, who viewed the situation as either good or bad. 

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?

As the American, Tom 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. 

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?

The General was a highly self- absorbed man. He had kept the doctor in the country primarily because he needed medical attention. For the doctor, he decided to get rid of the soldier. When Sadao told him about the successful, operation of the American, the General was happy because that was a reassurance of Sadao’s professional skill and that was what made Sadao even more important as he would be requiring his help. His self- absorption comes to the forefront again when he asked what would happen if Sadao was put to death and the next day he had to be operated upon. He was scheming and decided to get the soldier killed by his private assassins. 

Later, when Sadao informed the General about Tom’s escape, a week after his emergency operation, the General admitted that he had promised to get him killed but during his suffering, he thought of nothing but himself and forgot his promise. He was worried that the doctor should stand by him in case the matter was publicized. For this, he promised to reward Sadao. 

5. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?

Sadao had grown up believing that the Japanese were a superior race. He also disliked Americans as his own experience in America had not been pleasant. He had faced racial bias. He thought Americans were full of prejudice. Despite this, he couldn’t let the young American soldier bleed to death. During the operation he called Tom ‘my friend’. 

While his logical and reasoning mind revolted against it, his inherent humanity came to the forefront. The reason was simple, love and compassion are the basis of our consciousness, and we thrive when we let them come to the forefront. There is within each of us a potential for goodness beyond our imagining. 

6. Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?
Yes, it was the best solution to the problem. He was duty bound as a doctor to save lives. Political enemies are not personal enemies. Tom was a young soldier who was merely doing his duty. Compassion is a natural instinct.
7. Does the story remind you of Birth by AJ CRONIN that is a part of class eleven snapshots last year? What are the similarities?

‘The Enemy’ is about an American-trained Japanese surgeon working in Japan during Second world war, who saves an American POW first by operating on him and then, helping him escape. Dr. Sadao realized that the white man in the US navy uniform had a bullet wound. He was in a dilemma for a comment but the doctor in him surfaced inside him spontaneously and he started working to stop the bleeding. 

In ‘Birth’ A. J. Cronin deals with medical ethics through the protagonist, Andrew Manson. It brings out that the medicine is not merely business whose goals is to enrich the practitioners materially and that the essence of being a Doctor is the use of one’s senses, knowledge, and experience to reduce suffering and improve people’s lives. Manson overlooks the disappointment caused to him by his relationship, and seeks tremendous satisfaction in saving mother and child. 

Both the stories underline the medical ethics that a doctor’s responsibility to the patient is most important. In light of this, both Sadao and Andrew are true to their profession and duty as doctors.