The Enemy Class 12 English Vistas

Key Points of the Story

• The Enemy is a war-fiction story by American writer Pearl S. Buck. 
• It is set in the times of World War II. 
• A young American soldier has managed to escape from the clutches of Japanese soldiers and has swum across the ocean to find himself washed ashore near Dr Sadao Hoki’s house. 
• He is wounded by a bullet and lies unconscious while Sadao and his wife Hana contemplate helping him since he is a white American soldier. 
• Given the war, he is an enemy of the state. 
• The couple decides to help the young soldier at last. Read

Detailed Summary

• In the story, Dr. Sadao Hoki is depicted as an exceptionally virtuous physician, deeply ingrained with the customs and demands of traditional Japanese society. He pursued an excellent formal education in America, at the behest of his father, studying surgery and medicine from the age of twenty-two. During his time in America, he met his wife, Hana, but hesitated to fall in love with her until he was certain of her pure Japanese heritage, as he knew his father would not approve otherwise. Their marriage followed traditional Japanese arrangements upon his return to Japan.
• Due to Sadao's exceptional medical skills, he was exempt from World War service, and he found himself treating a General who required a surgeon of his caliber.
  One evening, while Sadao and Hana were gazing at the ocean from their veranda, they discovered a wounded man, a U.S. soldier who had washed ashore. Knowing that harboring an American soldier was illegal given the political climate, they grappled with the moral dilemma but couldn't leave the wounded man unattended. They decided to care for the prisoner and later turn him over to the authorities.
• Sadao and Hana placed the wounded American soldier in Sadao's father's unused room. Sadao performed a life-saving operation on the prisoner, and Hana cleaned him when their servant, Yumi, refused. The servants were shocked and hesitant to be part of this act, which went against their country's values.
• As the prisoner recovered, Sadao and Hana struggled to manage their conflicted servants. Sadao realized that the prisoner needed about two weeks to fully recover and composed a letter to the Chief of police but did not send it.
• On the seventh day after the incident, the servants left, and Sadao continued treating the prisoner. Later, he was called to the palace to treat the General, who offered to help eliminate the prisoner. Sadao agreed, and the General assured him that the prisoner would be dealt with.
• Sadao couldn't sleep for three consecutive nights, fearing the prisoner's assassination. However, each morning, he found the prisoner alive. On the third day, Sadao informed the prisoner that he could escape to an island with the help of Korean fishermen. The young man understood and agreed to the plan. Sadao explained how to survive and escape without getting caught, and the prisoner set off by boat at night.
• A week later, Sadao informed the General that the prisoner had escaped, and the General apologized for forgetting about the assassination plan due to his health. Sadao pledged his loyalty to the General in case of any official inquiry.
  That night, Sadao looked at the sea and saw no signals, concluding that the prisoner had escaped safely. He reflected on his time in America and the contrasting treatment he received from different people, leaving him wondering why he couldn't bring himself to kill the white prisoner.

Conclusion

The Enemy Class 12 Summary shows us how Dr Sadao is stuck between duty and humanitarian obligations. Although he knows well that treating his enemy may lead to unpleasant consequences for him and his family, his conscience is bound to save the prisoner’s life, as he finds it unreasonable to abandon a wounded man to his fate in dire circumstances. He knows that it is his duty as a responsible citizen to report the arrival of an American prisoner at the Japanese shores to the lawful authorities. But, the urge to save a human is stronger than his feelings of patriotism. This feeling intensifies towards the end of the chapter when he helps the prisoner escape.
Understanding the deeper meanings involved in a piece of writing is very important to have a good grasp of literature. Students can find other articles and materials related to CBSE English for better command over the syllabus.

Difficult Words

• Bare feet - Not wearing anything in feet
• Yonder - There, In the direction shown
• Stepping stones - Something that helps in success
• Taken into his mind - Understood and remembered
• Spent infinite pains - Spent lot of time
• Chief - Main, Major
• Concern - Worry
• Render - Make, Result into
• Abroad - Foreign country
• Troops - Soldiers, Military
• Outlines - Outer edges
• Shore - Edge of sea
• Creeping - Moving slowly
• Wreathe - Encircle
• Wrapped - Covered
• Haori - Jacket of Japanese style
• Kimono - Japanese dress
• Affectionately - Lovingly, With love
• Wondered - Thought
• By most casual way - Coincidentally
• Nearly not gone - Did not want to go but went
• Voluble - Talkative
• Years enough - Many years
• Heedlessly - Carelessly, Without thinking
• beforehand - Prior, Before
• Flung - Thrown
• Breaker - Wave that breaks on shore
• Staggered - Walk unsteadily
• Curled - Moving in spirals or circles
• Leaned - Bent
• Washed from boat - Thrown from boat
• Bare - Without houses etc
• Surf - Sea
• Badly torn - Severely wounded
• Indeed - Certainly
• Stain - Mark, Smudge