The Enemy Pearl S. Buck Before you Read | Class 12 English Notes
By ConceptScroll Team · Published on 17 July 2026 · 4 min read
The Enemy Pearl S. Buck Before you Read – this guide gives you a concise, exam-ready overview of The Enemy Pearl S. Buck Before you Read from Class 12 English, written by ConceptScroll editors and reviewed against the latest NCERT textbook.
The Soldier's Recovery and Growing Tensions
This section narrates the period following the soldier's operation, focusing on his recovery and the increasing tensions within the household. The young American, named Tom, begins to regain strength but remains wary and fearful, aware of his precarious situation as an enemy prisoner.
Hana continues to care for him, feeding him gently and trying to comfort him despite her lingering dislike and fear. The servants' open defiance and eventual departure highlight the social isolation faced by Sadao and Hana due to their decision to shelter the enemy. Their departure underscores the conflict between personal morality and societal expectations.
Sadao struggles with his dual roles as a doctor committed to saving life and a citizen loyal to his country. His decision to delay reporting the soldier's presence to the police reflects this internal conflict. The General's visit and conversation with Sadao introduce the political and military pressures weighing on him, including the threat of assassination to eliminate the prisoner.
The General's pragmatic attitude, combining humor with cold realism, reveals the harsh realities of wartime Japan. He values Sadao's medical skills highly, especially for his own health, which complicates the situation further. The General's suggestion to have assassins kill the prisoner quietly reflects the ruthless measures employed during war.
Sadao's contemplation of this plan and his decision to keep it secret from Hana illustrate the burden of responsibility and the moral ambiguity he faces. The section ends with the soldier's improved health and his warm, grateful acknowledgment of Sadao's help, deepening the emotional complexity of the story.
📊 Diagram: Images depict the General's visit, showing a pale, weak Japanese official, and scenes of the household with the absence of servants, emphasizing isolation.
🧪 Activity: No specific activity; focuses on narrative and character development.
🔗 Connection: Leads to the climax involving the decision to send the soldier away and the resolution of the story.
Frequently asked questions
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. 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? 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? 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? 5. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices? 6. Do you think the doctor's final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances? 7. Does the story remind you of 'Birth' by A. J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots last year? What are the similarities? 8. Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme?
1. The story 'The Enemy' by Pearl S. Buck presents a conflict between personal feelings and national loyalty. Dr. Sadao, a Japanese citizen and a doctor, faces a dilemma when he finds an injured American soldier, an enemy during wartime. As a private individual and a doctor, he feels compelled to save the soldier's life, but as a citizen, he is expected to treat the enemy as a threat. This reflects the hard choices individuals face when their personal ethics conflict with national duties.
2. Ha
During which historical event is the story 'The Enemy' by Pearl S. Buck set?
World War II
What is the central ethical dilemma faced by Dr. Sadao Hoki in the story?
Whether to save the wounded American soldier as a doctor or hand him over to the Japanese Army as a patriot
Where is Dr. Sadao Hoki's house located?
On the Japanese coast, on rocks above a narrow beach lined with bent pines
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