NCERT Solutions For Class 12 English
Vistas
Chapter 4 –
The Enemy
(Pearl S Buck)
Long question answers
Q1. Why did Sadao Hoki go to
America? What do you learn about his experiences there?
Ans. Sadao's father placed paramount importance on
his education. Consequently, at the age of twenty-two, he was dispatched to
America to acquire the utmost knowledge in surgery and medicine. He dedicated
eight years to his studies before returning to Japan at the age of thirty. By
the time his father passed away, Sadao had garnered fame, not merely as a
skilled surgeon but also as a reputable scientist.
His time in America was marred by
considerable challenges in securing accommodation due to his Japanese heritage.
Enduring the pervasive prejudice, living among individuals he deemed inferior,
proved a bitter experience. Ultimately, he reluctantly found lodging in the
home of an ignorant and unclean elderly woman, whose kindness failed to
diminish his repulsion towards her.
Amidst this adversity, there were a
few kind souls among his American acquaintances. One of his professors and the
professor's wife harbored genuine concern for their handful of foreign
students. However, their quarters were notably cramped, the quality of food
unsatisfactory, and the professor himself unremarkable in demeanor, while his
wife tended towards trivial and incessant chatter.
Q2. What was the dilemma that Sadao
faced when he saw a wounded, young white man washed to his doorstep? What
solution did his wife, Hana, offer to resolve his (Sadao’s) predicament?
Ans. The young Caucasian man was bleeding from a
bullet wound on his lower back, urgently requiring medical attention. Dr.
Sadao, a renowned surgeon, possessed the skills to provide aid. However,
harboring a white man in their residence risked their arrest. Conversely,
turning him over as a prisoner meant certain death. Neither option of returning
him to the sea to dispose of him was tenable. Bound by their true humanistic
values, they found themselves in a quandary.
Sadao acknowledged the man's
American origin as his adversary, admitting that, under normal circumstances,
he would have handed him to the authorities. Yet, the man's injury altered the
situation. He hesitated, conveying his training as a doctor, highlighting his
ethical duty not to let a wounded man perish if he could assist.
Hana proposed bringing the man
inside the house, suggesting they inform the servants of their intent to
surrender him to the police. She underscored the potential risk to Sadao's professional
standing and their family's safety if they didn't turn him in as a prisoner of
war. Her arguments assuaged Sadao's reservations, leading them to decide to
bring the injured man into their home.
Q3. How did the servants initially
react to the presence of a white man in their masters house?
Ans. When
Dr. Sadao divulged to the cook and gardener about the wounded young Caucasian
man they had ushered into the house, both servants appeared alarmed and
perplexed. The superstitious old gardener, visibly irritated, tugged at the few
hairs on his upper lip. He forthrightly conveyed to Hana that their master
should not tend to the white man's injury, suggesting that the man should meet
his demise. He rationalized that the white man had been shot and then harmed by
the sea's rocks; healing him might provoke retribution from both the gun and
the sea.
Even the maid, Yumi, declined to
attend to the man, despite Hana's stern rebuke and insistence that she follow
the master's directive. The servants appeared obstinate, and Yumi's passive
resistance alarmed Hana. She feared that the servants might misreport the
situation. Retaining her composure, Hana explained that their intention was to
facilitate the man's surrender as a prisoner of war. However, this rationale
failed to sway Yumi, and she adamantly refused to assist the injured white man.
Q4. Write the charactersketch of Hana.
Ans. Hana embodies the
complement of her husband, Dr. Sadao Hoki. She seamlessly adapts to his mannerisms
and recognizes that saving lives is his paramount mission, often causing him to
immerse himself fully in his patients' care, even to the extent of forgetting
her existence. Despite years of marriage, their love and affection for each
other remain steadfast.
She demonstrates deep care for her
husband, ensuring he doesn't endure the cold, foggy February night outside.
While somewhat sentimental, she maintains a pragmatic approach. Insightful
about her husband's thoughts, she swiftly offers solutions and maintains her
composure amid the servants' resistance and defiance. As a devoted and obedient
wife, she dutifully carries out her husband's directives, including tending to
the wounded white man, administering anesthesia, and providing nourishment.
Her paramount concern lies in
safeguarding her husband's safety, status, and reputation. Initially, she
tentatively suggests disposing of the man into the sea out of fear of potential
misreporting by the servants. Her apprehensions heighten notably when a uniformed
messenger arrives from the palace. To allay her fears, Dr. Sadao resolves to
find a way to eliminate the white man. In essence, she epitomizes an ideal life
partner.
Q5. What impression do you form of
Dr Sadao as a man and as a surgeon from your reading of the story ‘The Enemy’?
Or write the charactersketch of
Sadao.
Ans. Dr. Sadao Hoki epitomized a true Japanese
individual, following in the footsteps of his father. A courageous and obedient
youth, he held deep respect for Japanese culture, traditions, and its people.
Renowned for his intelligence and diligence, he pursued an extensive eight-year
study in surgery and medicine in America. His marriage to Hana, a fellow
Japanese he met in America, followed the traditional Japanese arrangement once
they returned home, later blessing them with two children. Despite the passage
of time, his affection for his wife remained as fervent as ever, maintaining a
disciplined routine of returning home at consistent hours.
As an esteemed surgeon and
scientist, Dr. Sadao earned the complete trust of the elderly General, who
refrained from sending him overseas with the troops due to the potential need
for an operation. His dedication to his profession was unwavering, often being
summoned at unusual hours from the palace. Driven by his fundamental belief in
saving lives, he chose to treat an injured "enemy" rather than
surrendering him to the authorities, despite the grave risk this posed to his
own safety and reputation.
Facing a dilemma when unable to
execute the man himself, he sought assistance from the old General to dispose
of the prisoner. However, when this plan failed, he allowed the man to escape,
prioritizing calming his wife's fears and ensuring the smooth functioning of
their household. While some might perceive this action as a stain from a narrow
patriotic perspective, Dr. Sadao, with a sensitive soul, found it impossible to
retract a gift once given.
Q6. Under what circumstances did Dr
Sadao let the wounded white man escape? Was it lack of national loyalty,
professional ego and sentimentality, human consideration or just an attempt to
save his skin?
Ans. Hr Sadao had no love for the repulsive Americans and
he considered them his enemies. Unfortunately, the sea-waves pushed a wounded
white man to his doorstep. He knew that the best possible thing was to throw
him back into the sea. He could not handover a wounded ‘enemy’ to police
because he would certainly die. Being a doctor, he could save him and not kill
him. His efforts to get him removed with the help of the old General’s private
assassins did not bear fruit.
He was under a severe strain. His domestic servants had left him. His wife had
to do unaccustomed labour and run the household. Moreover, his wife was anxious
about his safety. They might be arrested for harbouring an enemy prisoner of
war and condemned as traitors.
Dr Sadao let the man escape in the larger interest of professional ethics and
human consideration. He rose above narrow national loyalty and sentimentality.
He did not think of himself as the General had already assured him that no harm
would be caused to him. The matter remained unreported and closed from public
eyes and ears. The servants returned after the white man had “left”. Everything
became normal again.
Q7. Comment on the role of the old
General in the story ‘The Enemy’.
Ans. The old General plays an important role in the story.
He is being treated medically for a condition which might need an operation any
time. Since he has full faith in Dr Sadao, he is kept back in Japan. Dr Sadao
is indispensable to the General. He assures Sadao that nothing will happen to
him and he will not be arrested.
The arrival of the messenger rouses Hana’s worst fears. She thinks that police
has come to arrest her husband. Dr Sadao gets distressed at her anxiety and
decides to get rid of the white man for her sake. When Dr Sadao confides in the
General, the latter promises to send two of his private assassins to remove the
man from the scene.
The old General has an unsual sense of humour as well as frankness and ability
to admit his mistake. Dr Sadao keeps on waiting for three nights for the
assassins who fail to turn up. He loses sleep and rest. Finally he lets the
white man escape.
When Dr Sadao tells the General that the man has escaped, the General admits
that he forgot his promise. He was suffering a great deal and thought of
nothing but himself. It was careless of him but not lack of patriotism or
dereliction of duty, It is his self-absorption and instinct of preserving
himself that saves Dr Sadao and his family from being arrested.
Q8. What was the General’s plan to
get rid of the American prisoner ? Was it executed ? What traits of the
General’s character are highlighted in the lesson ‘The Enemy’?[All India 2014]
Ans. The General devised a
plan to eliminate the American prisoner by dispatching his personal assassins
for the task, intending to remove the prisoner's body from Sadao's residence.
Regrettably, this scheme failed to materialize; the assassins were not sent, and
the plan remained unexecuted.
The General, known for his
unconventional humor, forthrightness, and willingness to acknowledge errors,
exhibited an uncommon sense of humor. Dr. Sadao, anticipating the assassins'
arrival for three consecutive nights, suffered from sleepless nights and
restlessness as they failed to appear. Eventually, he made the decision to
allow the white man to escape.
Upon informing the General of the
man's escape, the General conceded to forgetting his pledge. Acknowledging his
lapse as an act of carelessness rather than a lack of patriotism, the General's
preoccupation with self-preservation inadvertently shielded Dr. Sadao and his
family from potential arrest.
Q9. What will Dr Sadao do to get rid
of the man?
Ans. Dr.
Sadao had disclosed to the old General that he had performed surgery on a white
man. In response, the General pledged to dispatch his clandestine assassins to
eliminate the man under the cover of darkness and dispose of his body. Dr.
Sadao left the partition of the white man's room ajar, eagerly anticipating
action for three consecutive nights. During this time, the servants vacated the
house, leaving Dr. Sadao's wife, Hana, to undertake unfamiliar tasks of
cooking, cleaning, and attending to the wounded man, causing her considerable
anxiety to rid themselves of the man.
Informing the white man, Tom, that
he had sufficiently recovered, Dr. Sadao offered to assist in placing his boat
ashore that very night. Equipped with provisions and additional clothing, Tom
could potentially row to a nearby uninhabited island, unfortified and typically
submerged during storms. As the stormy season was not imminent, Tom could
reside there until he sighted a passing Korean fishing boat. Dr. Sadao provided
Tom with a flashlight, instructing him to signal twice at sunset if in need of
assistance. If all was well, a single signal would suffice.
In aiding the man's escape from
Japan, Dr. Sadao also managed to rid himself of the man. He clothed Tom in
Japanese attire and concealed his blonde hair with a black cloth, facilitating
the man's departure while simultaneously ensuring his removal from their lives.
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