NCERT Solutions
for Class 12 English Vistas

Chapter 4 The Enemy by Pearl S. Buck

Updated
Syllabus for 2024-2025 Exams 

Q.1. Who was Dr. Sadao? Where was his
house?

Answer:
Dr. Sadao Hoki was a skilled and renowned Japanese surgeon and scientist. His
house was situated on a rocky coastal area of Japan, overlooking a narrow beach
lined with bent pines. The house was built high on the rocks, offering a view
of the sea, where Dr. Sadao often played as a child.

Q.2. Will Dr. Sadao be arrested on the
charge of harboring an enemy?

Answer:
It is unlikely that Dr. Sadao will be arrested. Although he harbored an enemy
soldier, his actions were justified by his duty as a doctor. He also made
efforts to report the situation to the General and took steps to remove the
enemy soldier from his home. Additionally, the General’s promise to protect Dr.
Sadao further ensures his safety from any repercussions.

Q.3. What will Dr. Sadao and his wife do
with the man?

Answer:
Dr. Sadao and his wife, Hana, initially plan to turn the enemy soldier over to
the authorities. However, after Hana’s hesitation and Dr. Sadao’s moral
conflict, they decide to treat and save the man’s life. Eventually, Dr. Sadao
devises a plan to help the man escape by providing him with a boat, food, and
clothing so that he can reach a nearby island and be picked up by a Korean
fishing boat.

Q.4. Will Hana help the wounded man and
wash him herself?

Answer:
Yes, Hana ultimately decides to help the wounded man by washing him herself.
Although she is initially reluctant and repulsed by the idea of caring for an
enemy, she overcomes her fears and sense of duty as a human being, leading her
to assist in cleaning and caring for the wounded American soldier.

Q.5. What will Dr. Sadao do to get rid of
the man?

Answer:
Dr. Sadao arranges for the man’s escape to avoid endangering himself and his
family. He prepares a boat with food, water, and clothing and instructs the man
to row to a nearby island. He also gives the man a flashlight for signaling in
case he needs more supplies or help. By doing so, Dr. Sadao removes the
immediate danger while preserving the man’s life.

Q.6. Will Dr. Sadao be arrested on the
charge of harboring an enemy?

Answer:
No, Dr. Sadao is unlikely to be arrested. Although he harbored the enemy
soldier, his actions were driven by his duty as a doctor. He treated the
American soldier to save his life, and when he realized that his actions could
jeopardize his own safety, he took steps to help the soldier escape.
Furthermore, the General had promised to protect Dr. Sadao, ensuring that no
harm would come to him because of his medical actions.

Reading with
Insight:

Q.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:
In the story, Dr. Sadao faces a difficult moral dilemma. As a doctor, his duty
is to save lives, but as a Japanese citizen during World War II, he is expected
to treat Americans as enemies. When an American soldier washes up wounded on
the shore near his home, Dr. Sadao has to choose between fulfilling his duty as
a doctor and his national loyalty. He ultimately decides to save the soldier’s
life, even though it puts his family and his career at risk. This reflects the
conflict between personal morality and national duty, where compassion and
professional ethics win over nationalism.

Q.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:
Hana’s sympathy for the enemy soldier stemmed from her sense of humanity and
loyalty to her husband. Despite her initial hesitation and fear of the
consequences, she supported Dr. Sadao because she recognized the moral and
ethical obligation he faced as a doctor. Her compassion grew as she saw the
wounded man’s suffering, and although the domestic staff openly defied their
orders, Hana helped her husband care for the soldier. Her actions reflected
both her love for her husband and her own inner compassion for a helpless human
being.

Q.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’s reluctance to leave Dr. Sadao’s home likely stemmed from his fear
and uncertainty about his fate. Having been saved by the doctor, the soldier
felt vulnerable and unsure if he would survive on his own. He had been injured
and weak, relying on the doctor’s care for his recovery. Additionally, the
prospect of returning to the war or being captured by the Japanese military
posed a significant danger to his life. His hesitation reflected a natural fear
of the unknown and his gratitude towards Dr. Sadao for saving his life.

Q.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:
The General’s attitude towards the enemy soldier was primarily driven by
self-absorption and pragmatism rather than human consideration or loyalty to
his country. The General valued Dr. Sadao’s medical expertise because he
believed that only Dr. Sadao could perform a life-saving surgery on him if
needed. Therefore, he was willing to overlook the presence of the enemy soldier
in Dr. Sadao’s home because his own health took precedence. The General’s focus
on his personal survival over national loyalty or duty exemplifies his
self-centeredness and lack of concern for larger ethical or patriotic matters.

Q.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:
A human being can rise above narrow prejudices when they are guided by a sense
of shared humanity, compassion, and moral responsibility. In the case of Dr.
Sadao, his professional ethics as a doctor compelled him to save the American
soldier, regardless of their opposing nationalities. His sense of duty to save
a life transcended the hatred that often accompanies wartime conflicts. Human
empathy, the recognition of common vulnerability, and the belief in the
sanctity of life allow individuals to overcome prejudices and act in the best
interest of humanity.

Q.6. Do you think the doctor’s final
solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?

Answer:
Yes, the doctor’s final solution of helping the soldier escape was the best
possible one under the circumstances. Dr. Sadao had to balance his duty as a
doctor with his loyalty to his country. Allowing the soldier to stay posed a
significant risk to Dr. Sadao and his family, but turning him over to the
authorities would have meant certain death for the soldier. By arranging for
the soldier to escape to a nearby island, Dr. Sadao not only saved the
soldier’s life but also protected his family from possible repercussions. This
solution allowed him to maintain his integrity as a doctor while minimizing the
risk to himself and his loved ones.

Q.7. Does the story remind you of ‘Birth’
by A. J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots last year? What are the
similarities?

Answer:
Yes, the story of The Enemy shares similarities with A.J. Cronin’s Birth.
Both stories explore the themes of professional duty, compassion, and the moral
dilemmas faced by doctors. In Birth, Dr. Andrew Manson goes to great
lengths to save the life of a baby and its mother, driven by his professional
commitment and compassion. Similarly, in The Enemy, Dr. Sadao faces a
moral conflict as he saves the life of an enemy soldier, despite the personal
and political risks involved. Both stories highlight the dedication of doctors
to their patients, irrespective of the circumstances, and the ethical
challenges they face in the pursuit of saving lives.

Q.8. Is there any film you have seen or
novel you have read with a similar theme?

Answer:
A film with a similar theme is Schindler’s List, directed by Steven
Spielberg. The film is set during World War II and tells the story of Oskar
Schindler, a German businessman who saves the lives of over a thousand Jewish
refugees by employing them in his factories. Like Dr. Sadao in The Enemy,
Schindler is faced with a moral dilemma: should he adhere to the policies of
his country or act on his humanity and save innocent lives? Both stories deal
with the theme of rising above national and racial prejudices to save lives
during wartime.