NCERT Solutions for Class 12 English (Vistas) Chapter 4: The Enemy
Complete solutions for Class 12 English Vistas Chapter 4 – “The Enemy” by Pearl S. Buck: an original summary, the theme and message, important word meanings, and every textbook exercise (the Reading with Insight questions) answered fully in exam-ready style, plus extra short and long questions, MCQs, and Assertion–Reason questions with answer keys. The questions are reproduced exactly as printed in the NCERT book.
Class: 12Subject: EnglishBook: VistasType: Prose (Chapter 4)Author: Pearl S. BuckSession: 2026–27
Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973) was an American writer who spent much of her early life in China and drew deeply on Asian settings and characters in her fiction. Her best-known novel, The Good Earth, won the Pulitzer Prize, and in 1938 she became the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Her writing is marked by sympathy for ordinary people, an interest in cross-cultural understanding, and a steady humanitarian concern. “The Enemy”, set in wartime Japan, reflects these lifelong themes – the clash between national duty and human compassion, and the question of whether prejudice can ever fully overrule the better instincts of the heart.
Summary
Dr Sadao Hoki is a distinguished Japanese surgeon living with his wife Hana on a lonely stretch of the Japanese coast during the Second World War. Sadao has been trained in America and is so valuable to his country – he is perfecting a discovery to render wounds clean, and the old General may need him for an operation – that he has not been sent abroad with the troops.
One foggy evening Sadao and Hana see a wounded man flung up from the sea. They discover he is a white American – an escaped prisoner of war from a U.S. Navy ship, shot in the back. As patriotic Japanese, their first thought is to push him back into the sea or hand him to the police. Yet neither can bring themselves to let him die. The surgeon in Sadao takes over: they carry the man inside, and Sadao operates and removes the bullet, with a reluctant Hana giving the anaesthetic.
The frightened servants disapprove of harbouring an enemy and finally leave the house. Torn between duty and conscience, Sadao reports the matter to the General, who, being privately dependent on Sadao’s skill, promises to have the man quietly killed by his private assassins. The assassins never come – the General, ill and self-absorbed, simply forgets his promise. Unable to bear the strain any longer, Sadao himself helps the young man escape, giving him a boat, food, clothes and a flashlight to row to a nearby island and wait for a Korean fishing boat. The prisoner gets away safely. At the end Sadao, recalling the white faces he has known and disliked, wonders why, in spite of his hatred, he could not kill this helpless enemy.
Theme & message
The central theme of “The Enemy” is the conflict between professional/humanitarian duty and patriotic, national loyalty. Dr Sadao is torn between his identity as a doctor sworn to save life and his identity as a citizen of a country at war with the man he is saving. The story shows how genuine humanity, compassion and the ethics of one’s profession can rise above racial prejudice and wartime hatred. It also exposes self-interest in those who claim to be patriotic (the General), and quietly argues that human bonds and conscience are ultimately stronger than the artificial label of “enemy”.
Word meanings
Word
Meaning
haori
a loose outer garment worn over the kimono
breaker
a large sea wave that breaks into foam
beachcombers
people who search beaches for things washed ashore
stanch
to stop the flow of (blood)
stupor
a dazed, half-conscious state
pallor
unusual paleness of the face
tokonoma
an alcove in a Japanese home for displaying art
anesthetic
a drug that prevents one from feeling pain
retching
trying to vomit / vomiting
ruthless
without pity or mercy
hypodermic
a syringe used to inject under the skin
vitality
strength and energy; the power to live
superstitious
believing in luck, omens and the supernatural
harbouring
sheltering or hiding (someone)
dereliction
shameful neglect of one’s duty
assassins
people hired to murder someone secretly
indispensable
absolutely necessary; cannot be done without
repulsion
a strong feeling of dislike or disgust
slatternly
(of a person) dirty and untidy
fathoms
units measuring the depth of water
Reading with Insight
The following are the exact textbook questions from the ‘Reading with Insight’ section of NCERT Vistas, answered in full.
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.
ANSWERThe story repeatedly places Dr Sadao at the crossroads of two duties. As a private individual and a trained surgeon, he is bound by the oath of his profession to save every life he can; as a loyal Japanese citizen in wartime, his duty is to hand an escaped enemy prisoner over to the police. The two roles pull in opposite directions throughout the narrative.When the wounded American is washed ashore, Sadao’s patriotic mind tells him to push the man back into the sea or report him; yet his “trained hands” act of their own will to stop the bleeding. He operates and saves the man, then dutifully begins a report to the police but locks it away unfinished. Even the General’s plan to have the prisoner secretly assassinated tempts Sadao to let national loyalty win.In the end the private individual – the healer and human being – triumphs over the citizen. Sadao helps the prisoner escape, choosing conscience over the strict letter of patriotic duty. The story suggests that such hard choices test our deepest values, and that true humanity sometimes demands that we rise above narrow national loyalty.
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?
ANSWERHana was sympathetic chiefly because of her deep love and loyalty to her husband and her own essential kindness. She understood that Sadao, as a surgeon, simply could not let a man die if he could save him, and she supported the values he lived by.Though she too was frightened and not free of the same fears as the servants, her humanity overcame her prejudice. She bravely washed the wounded man herself when Yumi refused, assisted Sadao during the operation by giving the anaesthetic despite never having done it before, and fed and nursed the prisoner when no servant would enter the room.Her education in America had also broadened her outlook, so she was not as superstitious as the old gardener. Above all, she could not stand by and watch a helpless, wounded human being die. Her wifely devotion combined with her compassion is what kept her loyal to Sadao even when the servants openly defied them and finally left.
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?
ANSWERThe young American soldier, Tom, had been shot, washed ashore half-dead, and had survived only because of Sadao’s care. In the doctor’s home he found safety, treatment, food and the unexpected kindness of people who, though officially his enemies, were nursing him back to health.Outside that shelter lay only danger – he was an escaped prisoner of war in hostile Japanese territory, still weak and unable to fend for himself. Naturally he clung to the one place where he was alive and cared for, even though staying risked the doctor’s life and his own.His reluctance reflects the basic human instinct for survival and the gratitude and trust he had developed towards Sadao and Hana. He had nowhere safe to go and feared what awaited him beyond the doctor’s walls. Only when Sadao arranged a careful escape plan – the boat, food, clothing and the island – did the soldier finally agree to leave.
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?
ANSWERThe General’s attitude was driven by pure self-absorption and self-interest, not by human consideration or any lack of patriotism. He was willing to overlook the harbouring of an enemy only because he could not afford to lose Sadao, the one surgeon he trusted to operate on his own ailing body.When he promised to have the prisoner quietly killed by his private assassins, it was again to protect Sadao – and therefore himself. He later failed to send the assassins not out of mercy but because he was ill and “thought of nothing but himself”; he simply forgot his promise.So his conduct was a case of self-absorption. It was not human consideration for the wounded man, nor genuine dereliction of duty in his own mind – as he insists, his lapse was “not lack of patriotism.” His every action revolved around his own survival and comfort, leaving him, ironically, in the palm of Sadao’s hand.
5. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?
ANSWERWhat makes a human being rise above narrow prejudice is the deeper voice of conscience, compassion and the ethical commitments that define one’s humanity. Sadao genuinely regards Americans as his enemies, yet he cannot let a helpless, wounded man die in front of him.His professional ethic as a doctor – the belief that it is wrong to let a man die if one can save him – rises above his racial hatred. His American teacher’s words, “to operate without complete knowledge of the body… is murder,” reflect the reverence for life that guides him.More broadly, empathy, education, exposure to other cultures and basic human kindness all soften prejudice. When we see the “enemy” not as a label but as a suffering individual – young, frightened and bleeding – our shared humanity asserts itself. It is this recognition of a common human bond that allows people like Sadao and Hana to act with mercy even towards an enemy.
6. Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?
ANSWERYes, given the impossible situation, the doctor’s final solution was the wisest and most humane one possible. Sadao could neither murder a patient he had saved nor hand him over to certain execution; nor could he go on living under the constant strain of hidden assassins and suspicious neighbours.By secretly providing a boat, food, water, clothing and a flashlight, and directing the soldier to a small uninhabited island from which a Korean fishing boat could rescue him, Sadao gave the man a real chance of survival while removing the danger from his own household.This solution satisfied his conscience as a doctor, protected his family and position, and quietly ended his moral dilemma without bloodshed. It also allowed the servants to return and life to resume. Considering the wartime circumstances and the threat to his own safety, this carefully planned escape was indeed the best possible course of action.
7. Does the story remind you of ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots last year? What are the similarities?
ANSWERYes, the story strongly recalls ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin. Both stories celebrate the dedication, skill and compassion of a doctor who places the saving of life above every other consideration.In ‘Birth’, Dr Andrew Manson struggles relentlessly to revive a stillborn baby, refusing to give up even when the case seems hopeless – just as Sadao struggles to save the wounded enemy soldier. In both stories the doctor’s commitment to his profession overrides other pressures: discouragement and exhaustion for Manson, racial hatred and national loyalty for Sadao.Both protagonists show that a true doctor regards every patient simply as a life to be saved, irrespective of circumstances. The reverence for human life, the intense moments of the medical crisis, and the triumph of professional duty and humanity make the two stories remarkably similar in spirit.
8. Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme?
ANSWERYes. The theme of humanity triumphing over the hatred of war – of helping an “enemy” because he is a fellow human being – appears in several well-known works.The film Schindler’s List shows Oskar Schindler risking everything to save Jewish lives during the Second World War. Hacksaw Ridge portrays a medic who, refusing to kill, saves wounded soldiers – even enemies – on the battlefield. Novels such as All Quiet on the Western Front reveal the shared suffering of soldiers on both sides and the senselessness of treating fellow humans as enemies.Like “The Enemy”, all these works carry the message that compassion, conscience and the value of human life can rise above the divisions and prejudices created by war. (You may write about any film or novel you have actually seen or read.)
Extra questions
Short answer
1. Why had Dr Sadao not been sent abroad with the troops?
ANSWERSadao was perfecting a discovery to make wounds entirely clean, and the old General might need him for an operation. Because he was so valuable, he was kept back in Japan rather than sent to the front.
2. How did Sadao and Hana realise that the wounded man was a prisoner of war?
ANSWERSadao examined the man’s battered cap and read the faint lettering “U.S. Navy” on it. The man was white, shot in the back and dressed in wet rags, which told them he was an escaped American prisoner of war.
3. Why did the servants leave Sadao’s house?
ANSWERThe servants disapproved of their master harbouring a white enemy. They felt it endangered the household and the children, and believed Sadao and Hana had grown too American in their sympathies, so on the seventh day they left together.
4. What plan did the General suggest to get rid of the prisoner?
ANSWERThe General offered to send two of his private assassins to Sadao’s house at night to kill the prisoner silently and even remove the body, provided Sadao left the outer partition of the man’s room open to the garden.
5. How did Sadao finally help the prisoner escape?
ANSWERSadao secretly stocked his boat with food, water, quilts and Japanese clothes, gave the man a flashlight, and told him to row to a nearby uninhabited island and wait for a Korean fishing boat. He arranged signals using the flashlight to keep track of him.
Long answer
6. Sketch the character of Dr Sadao as revealed in ‘The Enemy’.
ANSWERDr Sadao Hoki emerges as a man of remarkable skill, conscience and quiet courage. He is a brilliant surgeon and scientist, trained in America, devoted to the reverence for life his profession demands. Although patriotic and loyal to Japan – he sincerely calls Americans his enemies – he cannot betray his calling by letting a wounded man die. His “trained hands” act almost instinctively to save the prisoner.He is also caring and considerate towards Hana, sparing her fear where he can. Though tempted by the General’s plan, his humanity finally prevails and he risks his own safety to help the prisoner escape. He is practical and prudent too, reporting the matter and planning the escape carefully. In him Pearl S. Buck creates a hero in whom professional ethics and basic human compassion triumph over wartime prejudice.
7. “The Enemy’ shows that humanity is greater than national loyalty.” Justify with reference to the story.
ANSWERThroughout the story, the call of humanity proves stronger than the demands of national loyalty. Sadao and Hana are loyal Japanese citizens who regard Americans as enemies, yet they cannot bring themselves to let a helpless wounded man die. Sadao operates and removes the bullet; Hana nurses the prisoner; both endure the desertion of their servants for the sake of saving a stranger.Even when patriotic duty and the General’s deadly plan offer Sadao an easy way out, his conscience refuses it. He chooses to engineer the prisoner’s escape, valuing the man’s life over the strict obligations of a citizen in wartime. By contrast, the “patriotic” General is shown to be merely self-absorbed. The story thus argues, through Sadao’s example, that true humanity – compassion, mercy and the reverence for life – rises above the narrow boundaries of nation and race.
MCQs & Assertion–Reason
1. Who is the author of ‘The Enemy’?
(a) A. J. Cronin (b) Pearl S. Buck (c) Jack Finney (d) Tishani Doshi
2. What was Dr Sadao’s profession?
(a) Soldier (b) Lawyer (c) Surgeon (d) Fisherman
3. Where had Dr Sadao learnt surgery and medicine?
(a) Germany (b) China (c) America (d) England
4. The wounded man washed ashore was a prisoner of war from the:
(a) British Army (b) U.S. Navy (c) German Navy (d) Japanese Army
5. How did Sadao and Hana know the man was American?
(a) His passport (b) His accent (c) The lettering on his cap (d) His uniform
6. Who gave the anaesthetic during the operation?
(a) Yumi (b) Hana (c) The gardener (d) The cook
7. What was the name of the young American prisoner?
(a) Tom (b) Jack (c) Harley (d) Takima
8. The General promised to get the prisoner killed by his:
Assertion–Reason – choose: (a) A and R true, R explains A; (b) A and R true, R does not explain A; (c) A true, R false; (d) A false, R true.
1. Assertion (A): Dr Sadao operated on the wounded American soldier.
Reason (R): As a doctor, he could not let a man die if he could save him.
2. Assertion (A): The servants left Dr Sadao’s house.
Reason (R): They disapproved of their master sheltering a white enemy.
3. Assertion (A): The General did not have the prisoner assassinated.
Reason (R): He had a change of heart out of mercy for the young man.
4. Assertion (A): Dr Sadao was not sent abroad with the Japanese troops.
Reason (R): He was indispensable as a surgeon and the General might need him.
5. Assertion (A): Hana washed the wounded man herself.
Reason (R): The maid Yumi refused to wash a dirty white man.
A–R Answer Key: 1-(a) 2-(a) 3-(c) [A true; R false – he simply forgot, he did not feel mercy] 4-(a) 5-(a)
Exam tips
Remember the central conflict in one line: doctor’s duty vs. patriotic loyalty – quote it in long answers.
Learn the key names: Dr Sadao Hoki, Hana, Yumi (maid), the old gardener, the General, Tom (the prisoner).
For value-based questions, stress humanity, compassion and reverence for life rising above prejudice.
Note the irony of the self-absorbed “patriotic” General – a favourite exam point.
Link the chapter to ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin – both glorify a doctor’s dedication.
FAQs
Who is the author of ‘The Enemy’ and what is its setting?
The story is written by the American Nobel laureate Pearl S. Buck. It is set on the Japanese coast during the Second World War, in the home of the surgeon Dr Sadao Hoki.
What is the central conflict in ‘The Enemy’?
The central conflict is Dr Sadao’s struggle between his duty as a doctor to save a wounded man and his duty as a patriotic Japanese citizen to hand over an enemy prisoner of war.
Why couldn’t Sadao kill the prisoner?
Despite regarding the man as his enemy, Sadao’s conscience and his ethics as a doctor – the reverence for human life – would not let him kill a helpless, wounded person.
How does the story end?
Sadao secretly helps the prisoner escape by boat to a nearby island. The man gets away safely, and Sadao is left wondering why, in spite of his hatred, he could not kill his enemy.
Questions are taken verbatim from the NCERT Vistas textbook; summaries and answers are written originally by ClearStudy.
