The Enemy Class 12 Notes: CBSE 12th English Chapter 4 Vistas, Download PDF

Tanisha Agarwal

Updated: Sep 28, 2023 18:35 IST

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Revision Notes for CBSE Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 4 The Enemy are:

About the Author:

Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker Buck (Pearl S Buck) is the author of CBSE Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 4, The Enemy. She is an American writer and novelist. She is the first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Buck had also devoted a part of her life to various humanitarian efforts. Peasant Life in China and The Good Earth are some of her famous and most-selling novels and pieces of art.

About the Story/ Synopsis of the Story

The story dwells around a man named Sadao Hoki who was a doctor by profession. His house was built around the Japanese coast near the ocean. The story is based on the backdrop of Japan and the US war way back. One day Sadao discovers a seriously injured man, lying around the coast. The man happens to be ‘The Enemy’ because he was an American soldier who had reached there through water. The incident puts Dr Sadao in a serious dilemma of choosing loyalty towards his nation over his moral duty as a doctor. Check the summary below to find out what Dr. Sadao does with the enemy.

Theme of The Enemy

The Enemy is based on the concept of humanism and professionalism. It explores the concept of humanness in an individual in a moment of crisis. The difference in approach towards a situation and humanity in people is dealt with, by the chapter. Should a person follow his moral ethics or do what should have been done? Should a person listen to his brain or his heart in the moment of crisis? All of these questions are explored by the story in detail.  

Character Sketches:

Dr Sadao: He is a thoughtful, kind, caring, and professional man who chose humanity and duty over national interest. He is also emotional since the man being American built an immediate connection, as Dr. Sadao had studied in America for quite a few years. Above all, he is a great human being who respects his profession and values the lives of individuals. He is full of knowledge and resources related to his domain and completely excels at it.

Hana: She is a good, caring, kind, and supportive wife to Dr. Sadao who supports him in his dilemma and respects his decision. She is a compassionate human being filled with humanity since despite the man being an enemy she takes good care of him and helps him recover with compassion. She is also a professional and knows her work. Above all, she is a beautiful soul who is empathetic, sympathetic, caring, kind, humane, and lovable at the same time.

Yumi: Yumi was a good human being who treated Sadao and her wife with respect and loved their children. She took good care of them just like her own kids. But, she is not empathetic at all. She couldn’t stand the fact that Dr and his wife were helping a white man and she left along with other servants. Though she was a loyal and dedicated servant, she could not be a great human at that point in time. Through her acts and words, it was pretty clear that she was a patriotic person who would not allow her conscience to go beyond the national interests of the country.

Tom: Tom was an American soldier who was injured during the war and grabbed by the Japanese army. He managed to run away and save his life. Tom was a grateful human being who did not do anything wrong with Dr. and his family. He was full of gratitude and thanked the family for the care and treatment. He acted as a catalyst for human kindness and paved the way for humanity.

General Takima: General Takima was a strict, intimidating leader who could go to any lengths in order to protect his country. However, there is a vulnerable side to General Takima which is associated with his love for Dr Sadao, mixed with a bit of selfishness as he was not ready to let go of Dr Sadao since he was the only person the General had full faith in. He knew that if Dr. Sadao was caught by the soldiers for protecting an enemy, he would have to leave the country which would then pose a threat to his life. Due to his selfish motives, he was ready to let the enemy go back to his land.

Summary (Important Points)

• Dr Sadao’s house was located near the Japanese Coast and he had spent his entire lifetime playing along the shore, with his father.
• At 22, he was sent to America to learn the art of surgery and medicine. He returned when he was 30. After his success as a surgeon and scientist, his father passed away peacefully.
• He was being kept in Japan because he was making a discovery on completely rendering clean wounds. The old general from the Japanese army was also old and he might require immediate assistance at any point in time.
• Then the story introduces his wife, Hana whom he had met in America and had fallen in love, with after discovering that she was Japanese.  
• As they were spending some time together in their house, near the seashore, while recalling the olden days, they saw a man emerge out of the fog. They quickly went outside the house to see the fallen man on the ground.
• Sadao with his magical fingers and brain figured out that the man had been wounded by a bullet. Sometime, not many days ago, the man had been shot and had not been tended. They saw his face and came to know that he was a white man.
• Sadao took moss and stuffed it across the wound to stop the bleeding. Post that both of them decided to leave the man back in the sea.
• They figured out that the man was from the US Navy, grabbed by the Japanese men, but he had managed to run away. The wounds on his body showed signs of torture.
• After a heavy discussion and considering all aspects of the situation, they came to the conclusion that carrying him to the house would be the safest option.
• Then, they lifted the man and carried him to an empty bedroom. As Hana was about to cover the man with a quilt, she realized that he was dirty. Sadao asks her to fetch him some hot water so that he can be cleaned. Hana replies that she would ask the servants to get him cleaned. They also decided that he had to be operated on otherwise he would die.
• When they informed the servant about the man, all of them were upset with this act. Yumi, the caretaker of the kids did not even agree to wash the man.
• Hana cleaned up the man and called Sadao. He immediately came in with his emergency bag and operated the man. Both of them together completed the process together. The operation was successful and the man was saved.
• The servants left the house in anger, believing that staying for a few years in America had made them less loyal to their own nation.
• As the man gains his health back, Sadao decides to inform the general about the man. They came to the conclusion that the general would send some hired men to kill the enemy.
• By the time the man would arrive, Sadao’s conscience told him to set the man free as he had been good to them, throughout. Additionally, he did not feel right to get him killed since he was treated by him.
• Thus, Sadao arranges a boat with survival essentials and helps him sail off silently during the night hours. The man reaches a boat of a Korean company through which he is set free for the rest of his life.

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