The Enemy Class 12: Summary, Themes, Characters and Board Answers
Updated 14 October 2026 · Fact-checked
The Enemy by Pearl S. Buck, from Vistas, is set in Japan during the Second World War. Dr Sadao Hoki finds a wounded American prisoner of war on the beach. Torn between his duty as a doctor and his loyalty to his country, he saves the man's life and helps him escape. The board tests extracts, short and long answers.
What The Enemy is about
The Enemy by Pearl S. Buck is set during the Second World War. Dr Sadao Hoki, a Japanese surgeon trained in America, and his wife Hana find a badly wounded American prisoner of war washed up on the beach below their house. Sheltering an enemy could get them arrested; handing him over would mean his death.
Sadao operates and saves the man, Tom. The servants leave in protest. Sadao, who is treating an old General, confesses the matter; the General, wanting to keep his doctor, offers to send private assassins to kill the prisoner quietly. They never come, because the General, absorbed in his own illness, forgets. Sadao gives Tom his boat, food and a flashlight and helps him escape to a nearby island to wait for a Korean fishing boat. The story ends with Sadao wondering why he could not kill him.
What the board asks: a Vistas extract with four 1-mark parts (Q8); 40-50 word answers on Sadao's dilemma, Hana's sympathy, the servants' reaction, the General's attitude, and the soldier's reluctance to leave (Q11); 120-150 word answers on humanity versus national loyalty or whether Sadao's solution was best (Q13).
Weightage: Section C (Literature) carries 40 of the 80 theory marks; Vistas is tested through a Vistas extract (4 x 1), two of three short answers (2 x 2) and one of two long answers (5).Source: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus and sample paper 2026-27
In real board papers: asked in 1 of the 2 board papers we hold (2026 to 2026), on average 2.5 marks per paper. See the questions
The Enemy: summary
In our own words, in the order of the text. Read the NCERT text itself too: the board quotes from it.
Dr Sadao Hoki lives in a stone house on the Japanese coast. His father had given great care to his education, and Sadao studied surgery and medicine in America, where he met Hana, also Japanese. They married after returning to Japan, and Sadao became a respected surgeon and scientist. Because he was perfecting a discovery and because the old General might need an operation, he was not sent abroad with the troops.
One misty evening, Sadao and Hana see a man stumble out of the sea and collapse on the beach. He is a young white man, unconscious and bleeding from a reopened gun wound in his lower back. His cap shows he is an American sailor, and they realise he is an escaped prisoner of war. Sadao says the best thing would be to put him back in the sea; if they shelter him they will be arrested, and if they hand him over he will die. Yet neither can abandon him, and they carry him into the house.
The servants object. The old gardener says the white man should die, and Yumi, the nurse, refuses to wash him, so Hana washes him herself. Sadao operates and removes a bullet, with Hana giving the anaesthetic though she is sickened by the sight. Gradually the man recovers. Soon all the servants leave, saying they cannot stay in a house that shelters an enemy.
Sadao is called to the General, who is in pain. Sadao tells him about the American. The General, who wants Sadao free to operate on him, says the man should be quietly killed and offers to send his private assassins. Sadao agrees. For three nights he waits anxiously, but each morning the American is still there. Unable to bear the strain, Sadao tells Tom to escape by night in his boat, stocked with food, water and quilts, to an island where he can wait for a Korean fishing boat, and gives him his flashlight for signals.
After the General's emergency operation, Sadao learns that the General had simply forgotten his promise, being absorbed in his own suffering. That evening there is no light on the island; the prisoner has gone. Remembering the prejudice he faced in America, Sadao wonders why he could not kill the man.
Themes and message
Humanity versus patriotism
Sadao is torn between his loyalty to Japan, which demands handing over the enemy, and his duty as a doctor to save a life. He chooses humanity while still respecting his country.
From the text: He could neither leave the man to die nor openly defy the law.
Professional ethics
A doctor's duty is to heal, whoever the patient. Sadao's trained hands act almost on their own to stop the bleeding.
From the text: His trained hands 'seemed of their own will' to stanch the bleeding.
Prejudice and its limits
The servants hate the white man; Sadao remembers prejudice in America. Yet compassion overcomes national and racial hatred in a crisis.
From the text: Sadao ends by asking, 'I wonder why I could not kill him?'
Self-interest of the powerful
The General thinks only of his own health; he forgets his promise and worries only about his own reputation.
From the text: He admits, 'I thought of nothing but myself.'
Characters
Dr Sadao Hoki
Japanese surgeon who saves an American POW.
- Skilled and dedicated doctor
- Patriotic but humane
- Calm and rational
- Torn by inner conflict
- Resourceful in finding a solution
He operates on the American, informs the General, and finally helps the man escape in his boat.
Hana
Sadao's wife.
- Kind and compassionate
- Brave: washes the man when Yumi refuses
- Loyal to her husband
- Fearful but steady
She gives the anaesthetic despite feeling sick and does the household work after the servants leave.
Tom (the American prisoner)
A young American sailor who escaped from a prison camp.
- Grateful
- Cheerful
- Understanding of Sadao's risk
He says that if all the Japanese were like Sadao there would have been no war.
The General
Sadao's powerful patient.
- Self-centred
- Cunning
- Concerned only with his own safety
He offers assassins, then forgets because he was suffering and thought only of himself.
The servants (Yumi, the gardener and others)
Household staff.
- Patriotic and prejudiced
- Superstitious and fearful
Yumi refuses to wash the white man; all the servants leave the house.
How it is written
| Device | Example | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Inner conflict | Sadao's repeated question of what to do with the man. | Builds tension around the central dilemma. |
| Irony | The General forgets to send the assassins because of his own illness, yet calls Sadao 'a good man'. | Exposes the self-interest of the powerful. |
| Suspense | Three nights of waiting for the assassins. | Keeps readers anxious about Tom's fate. |
| Open ending | 'I wonder why I could not kill him?' | Leaves readers to reflect on the triumph of humanity over hatred. |
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
If we sheltered a white man in our house we should be arrested
Sadao: On finding the wounded American.
States the danger at the heart of his dilemma.
It would be best if he could be quietly killed
The General: On learning about the prisoner.
Shows the General's ruthlessness and self-interest.
I guess if all the Japs were like you there wouldn’t have been a war.
Tom: Thanking Sadao.
Kindness can overcome enmity.
It is only inconvenient to have you here any longer.
Sadao: When Tom thanks him for saving his life again.
Sadao hides his compassion behind practical words.
I wonder why I could not kill him?
Sadao: The final line.
His humanity was stronger than his prejudice.
The Enemy in real life
Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Professional duty over prejudice
Suppose a doctor in a riot-hit town treats injured people from both communities without asking who they are.
How is this doctor like Sadao? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Sadao treated an enemy soldier.
- Medical duty to all.
- Compassion over hatred.
Answer: Like Sadao, who saved an American prisoner during war, this doctor puts the duty to heal above hatred and division. Both show that a doctor's first loyalty is to human life, whatever the patient's nationality or community.
Memory hook: A doctor sees a patient, not an enemy.
Self-interest of the powerful
Imagine an official who forgets a promise to a junior because he is busy with his own problems.
Which character does the official resemble?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The General forgot his promise.
- He thought only of himself.
Answer: The General, who forgot to send the assassins because, as he admitted, he thought of nothing but himself.
Memory hook: Power often looks only inward.
Kindness to strangers
Suppose your family helps an injured foreign tourist on a highway even though you don't share a language.
What theme of the story does this reflect?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Humanity crosses national lines.
- Kindness wins gratitude.
Answer: It reflects the triumph of humanity over national differences, as when Sadao and Hana cared for Tom.
Memory hook: Kindness speaks every language.
Topics in this chapter
How the board asks The Enemy
The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.
| Question type | How it is asked | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Vistas extract (Q8, 4 x 1) | Passages on the discovery, the operation, the General, or the escape. | Know who speaks and why; answer inference parts with the dilemma in mind. |
| Short answer (Q11, 40-50 words) | Hana's sympathy; servants' reaction; the General's attitude; Tom's reluctance to leave; Sadao's solution. | Two specific details with a judgement. |
| Long answer (Q13, 120-150 words) | Private duty vs national loyalty; rising above prejudice; was the solution best? | Trace Sadao's choices, weigh both sides, conclude. |
Tricks to remember The Enemy
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Plot in eight words
Beach, bleeding, dilemma, operation, servants leave, General, assassins, boat.
Use it when: Summary order.
Three nights
Night 1: footsteps imagined; Night 2: wind; Night 3: crash. Each morning Tom is still there.
Use it when: Suspense questions.
Who opposes, who helps
Opposes: gardener, Yumi, servants, General. Helps: Sadao, Hana.
Use it when: Character questions.
The Enemy: extract-based questions
Read the extract, answer every part on paper, then open the answers.
Extract 1: A dilemma on the beach
‘‘Yes, undoubtedly that would be best,’’ Hana said steadily. But she continued to stare down at the motionless man. ‘‘If we sheltered a white man in our house we should be arrested and if we turned him over as a prisoner, he would certainly die,’’ Sadao said.
(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Just before this, Sadao has stopped the man's bleeding for the moment and suggested that the best thing would be to put him back in the sea. How had Sadao stopped the bleeding?
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
What does Hana's continued staring at the man suggest?
(a) She was angry (b) She could not bring herself to abandon him (c) She recognised him (d) She was bored(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What two dangers does Sadao point out?
(4) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What inner conflict is shown in the extract?
Show the answersAnswers
- By packing the wound with sea moss from the beach.
- (b) She could not bring herself to abandon him
- Sheltering him would get them arrested; handing him over would mean his death.
- Between loyalty to their country and their human (and medical) duty to save a dying man.
Extract 2: Tom's gratitude
His big thin hands gripping a chair were white at the knuckles. “I guess if all the Japs were like you there wouldn’t have been a war.” “Perhaps,” Sadao said with difficulty. “And now I think you had better go back to bed.”
(1) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Just before this, Tom says warmly, 'Sure, I know that'. What does Tom know?
(2) · 1 mark · MCQ
His knuckles were white because he was:
(a) cold (b) gripping the chair tightly with emotion and weakness (c) ill with fever (d) angry(3) · 1 mark · Very short answer
Why did Sadao answer 'with difficulty'?
(4) · 1 mark · Very short answer
What is Tom's view of war, as shown here?
Show the answersAnswers
- That he would not be alive if he had not met a doctor like Sadao.
- (b) gripping the chair tightly with emotion and weakness
- He was moved, and also troubled, because he had just agreed to let the General's assassins kill Tom.
- That if people treated each other with kindness like Sadao, wars would not happen.
The Enemy: board-level solved questions
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.
Example 1: Hana's sympathy · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What made Hana sympathetic to the enemy soldier despite the open defiance of the servants? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Natural compassion; he was helpless.
- Loyalty to husband.
- Anger at Yumi's stubbornness spurred her.
Answer: Hana was naturally kind and could not leave a helpless, bleeding man to die. She also stood by her husband's decision. When Yumi refused to wash the man, her anger at the servant's stubbornness strengthened her, and she washed him herself and later assisted in the operation.
Example 2: The General's attitude · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What explains the General's attitude in the matter of the enemy soldier? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Wanted Sadao safe for his own operation.
- Offered assassins.
- Forgot: self-absorption.
Answer: The General's attitude came from self-absorption. He wanted Sadao free to treat him, so he offered assassins to remove the prisoner quietly. Then, suffering from his illness, he forgot the promise entirely, as he himself admits, thinking of nothing but himself.
Example 3: Tom's reluctance · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why was the soldier reluctant to leave the doctor's home even though staying was risky? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Safe and cared for.
- Outside: capture or death.
- Still weak; fear of unknown.
Answer: In Sadao's house Tom was safe, fed and cared for. Outside he faced capture, return to the prison camp or death, and he was still recovering. Leaving meant facing the unknown alone on an island, so he asked, 'Do I have to?' but finally agreed.
Example 4: The servants · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
How did the servants react to the presence of the American in the house, and why? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Gardener: he should die.
- Yumi refused to wash him.
- They left the house.
- Patriotism and prejudice; fear.
Answer: The servants disapproved strongly. The old gardener said the white man ought to die, Yumi refused to wash him, and finally all of them left the house. They were patriotic, prejudiced against the enemy, and afraid of being punished for sheltering him.
Example 5: Hard choices · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
At times we must choose between our roles as private individuals and as loyal citizens. Discuss with reference to 'The Enemy'. Answer in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Sadao's dilemma.
- Chooses to save as doctor.
- Informs the General: loyalty.
- Helps escape: humanity.
- Conclusion: balance.
Answer: Dr Sadao faces exactly such a choice. As a loyal Japanese citizen in wartime, he should hand over the American prisoner washed up on his beach. As a doctor and a human being, he cannot let a wounded young man die. He knows that sheltering the man may get him arrested, yet his trained hands begin to stop the bleeding.
Sadao tries to honour both roles. He operates and saves the man's life. Then, as a loyal citizen, he reports the matter to the General and even agrees to the plan of assassins. When they do not come, he finds a third way: he gives the prisoner his boat, food and a flashlight so that he can escape.
The story suggests that true loyalty to one's country does not demand the loss of humanity. In hard choices, compassion guided by reason can serve both conscience and country.
Example 6: Was it the best solution? · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Do you think Dr Sadao's final solution was the best possible in the circumstances? Answer in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Options: hand over, kill, hide, escape.
- Escape saved life and family.
- Risks remained.
- Judgement.
Answer: Sadao had few choices. Handing the American to the authorities would mean his certain death, while hiding him indefinitely would endanger Sadao, Hana and their children, and had already driven away the servants. Letting the General's assassins kill him would go against everything Sadao believed as a doctor.
His solution was to help the man escape by night in his own boat, with food, water, quilts and a flashlight, to an island where Korean fishing boats passed. This saved the prisoner's life while removing the danger from his home. It was carefully planned: Tom wore Japanese clothes, and signals were arranged so that no one would notice.
The plan was not without risk, as the escape could have been discovered. But given wartime laws, the servants' anger and the General's plans, it was the wisest and most humane course. It balanced his duty as a doctor with his responsibility to his family and country.
Where the marks are
How a typical answer is marked: the value points the examiner looks for and the marks each earns.
What explains the General's attitude? (40-50 words, 2 marks) (2 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Wanted Sadao for his own treatment; offered assassins. | 1 |
| Forgot because of self-absorption in his illness; within word limit. | 1 |
Long answer on duty vs loyalty (120-150 words, 5 marks) (5 marks)
| Step | Marks |
|---|---|
| Sadao's dilemma and choices with evidence. | 2 |
| Judgement or extrapolation. | 1 |
| Organisation. | 1 |
| Accuracy. | 1 |
Where students lose marks in The Enemy
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Saying the General had Tom killed
Do this: The assassins never came; the General forgot. Tom escaped in Sadao's boat.
Usually costs: Central content mark.
Mistake: Calling Tom a spy
Do this: He was an American sailor and escaped prisoner of war.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Saying Sadao hid Tom from the authorities completely
Do this: Sadao told the General about the prisoner.
Usually costs: Accuracy.
Mistake: Describing Sadao as unpatriotic
Do this: He is loyal to Japan but also bound by his duty as a doctor; he balances both.
Usually costs: Interpretation marks.
The Enemy: previous year questions
- Asked in 1 of the 2 board papers we hold (2026 to 2026), on average 2.5 marks per paper; 1 questions in all, counting OR alternatives. In 2 of 3 sample papers.
Counted from the real papers on our previous year papers page, not estimated. Average marks are over every board paper we hold, with an OR pair counted once. Chapter tags are ours.
Every The Enemy question, by year
- For 2027
Sample paper 2026-27: Q13(B) (5 marks)
- 2026
Set 301/1/1: Q13(B) (5 marks)
- For 2025
Sample paper 2024-25: Q13(A) (5 marks)
Practice questions on The Enemy
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Where had Sadao studied medicine?
(a) Germany (b) America (c) England (d) KoreaHint
Where he met Hana.
Answer
(b) America
Q2 · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Why was Sadao not sent abroad with the troops?
Hint
Discovery and the General.
Answer
Because he was perfecting a discovery and the old General might need an operation.
Q3 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How did Sadao plan the American's escape? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Boat, island, signals.
Answer
He placed his boat on the shore with food, water and quilts, and told Tom to row to a small nearby island and wait for a Korean fishing boat. He gave him his flashlight to signal at sunset if food ran out, and Japanese clothes and a black head cloth.
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why did the assassins never come? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
The General's illness.
Answer
The General, suffering badly and then needing an emergency operation, thought only of himself and forgot his promise to send the assassins. He later admitted his carelessness and was anxious only that it should not be seen as a lack of patriotism.
Q5 · 1 mark · Very short answerHarder board level
What does Sadao mean when he says it is 'only inconvenient' to have Tom there?
Hint
Hiding feelings.
Answer
He hides his compassion and pretends that practical concerns, not kindness, make him help Tom escape.
Q6 · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
'Hatred of the enemy may seem justified in wartime, but humanity can rise above it.' Discuss with reference to the characters of 'The Enemy'. Answer in 120-150 words.
Hint
Servants vs Sadao and Hana.
Answer
In wartime Japan, hatred of Americans is common. The old gardener says the white man should die, Yumi refuses to wash him, and all the servants leave rather than live under the same roof as an enemy. The General sees the prisoner only as a problem to be quietly removed. Even Sadao remembers the prejudice and discomfort he felt among Americans and finds the prisoner's face 'white and repulsive'.
Yet Sadao and Hana rise above this hatred. Sadao's training as a doctor makes him save a life, whatever the patient's nationality. Hana, though frightened and disgusted, washes the man and helps with the operation. Their kindness earns Tom's gratitude: if all Japanese were like Sadao, he says, there would have been no war.
The story shows that what makes us human is compassion, professional duty and conscience. These can overcome narrow prejudice, even when nations are at war.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Who wrote 'The Enemy'?Show answer
Pearl S. Buck.
2.Where did Sadao meet Hana?Show answer
In America, at a professor's house.
3.Where was the American wounded?Show answer
On the right side of his lower back (a reopened gun wound).
4.Who refused to wash the American?Show answer
Yumi, the children's nurse.
5.What did the General offer?Show answer
To send his private assassins to kill the prisoner quietly.
6.Where did Tom escape to?Show answer
A small island near the coast, to wait for a Korean fishing boat.
7.What operation did the General have?Show answer
An emergency operation involving the gall bladder.
Quick revision checklist
The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?
- Can you describe Sadao's background?
- Can you explain the dilemma on the beach?
- Can you describe the servants' reaction?
- Can you explain the General's plan and why it failed?
- Can you describe the escape plan?
- Can you write 120-150 words on humanity vs patriotism?
The Enemy: frequently asked questions
What is the theme of The Enemy?
The conflict between national loyalty and humanity, and how compassion and professional duty can overcome hatred and prejudice.
Who is 'the enemy' in the story?
Literally the American prisoner of war; the story also suggests that hatred and prejudice are the real enemy.
Why did Sadao save the American?
As a doctor he could not let a wounded man die; his training and humanity made him heal him.
What does the last line mean?
Sadao realises that something in him, his humanity, would not let him kill the man, despite prejudice and wartime hatred.
Based on: CBSE English Core (301) syllabus 2026-27; NCERT Vistas, Supplementary Reader in English for Class XII