The Enemy: Sadao's Dilemma, Humanity or Patriotism
Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked
In The Enemy, Dr Sadao Hoki finds a wounded American prisoner of war on the Japanese shore and must choose between patriotism, which says hand him over or let him die, and his duty as a doctor to save life. He operates, and finally helps the man escape by boat. The story shows humanity winning over hatred and prejudice.
Understand Sadao's Dilemma: Humanity or Patriotism
The situation. Dr Sadao, a respected Japanese surgeon who studied in America, lives with his wife Hana in a stone house on the coast. One misty evening they 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 the lower back. His cap shows he is an American sailor, an escaped prisoner of war.
The dilemma, stage by stage.
Stage 1: instinct against law. 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. His trained hands seem to act on their own to stop the bleeding, and they carry him in.
Stage 2: pressure from home. The old gardener says the white man should die; Yumi, the nurse, refuses to wash him, so Hana does it herself. Sadao operates, removing a bullet, with Hana giving the anaesthetic though sickened. All the servants leave.
Stage 3: pressure from the state. Sadao is called to the General, who is in pain. He tells the General about the prisoner. The General, who wants Sadao free to operate on him, says the man should be quietly killed and offers private assassins. Sadao agrees. For three nights he waits anxiously, but each morning the American is still there.
Stage 4: the solution. Unable to bear the strain, Sadao tells Tom to escape at night in his boat, with food, water and quilts, to an island where he can wait for a Korean fishing boat, and gives him a flashlight for signals. He avoids both murder and open defiance.
Stage 5: the irony. After the General's emergency operation, Sadao learns that the General forgot his promise because he was absorbed in his own suffering: I thought of nothing but myself. That evening there is no light on the island, so the prisoner is gone.
Why humanity wins. Sadao is patriotic: he was not sent abroad because of his skill and a discovery he was perfecting. But a doctor's duty is to heal. He is also an educated man who has known prejudice in America, and he ends by asking why he could not kill the man.
The two helpers. Hana is as important as Sadao. Her kindness and courage make the household decision shared.
What the story criticises. Not Japan or America, but hatred of people because of nationality or colour, and the selfishness of the powerful. Keep the tone neutral in answers.
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.
I guess if all the Japs were like you there wouldn’t have been a war.
Tom: Thanking Sadao.
Kindness can overcome enmity.
I wonder why I could not kill him?
Sadao: The final line.
His humanity was stronger than his prejudice.
Sadao's Dilemma: Humanity or Patriotism: key facts
- The two pulls
Patriotism arrest if he shelters an enemy Law hand him over and he dies Duty a doctor must save life Conscience he cannot kill him - Open any dilemma answer with this contrast.
- The pressures
Servants the gardener wants him to die, Yumi refuses to wash him, all leave General quietly kill him, assassins Fear three nights of waiting - Social and political pressure on Sadao.
- The escape plan
Boat Sadao's Supplies food, water, quilts Destination an island Wait for a Korean fishing boat Signal flashlight - Details prove his care.
- The irony
General promises assassins Forgets absorbed in his own suffering Admits I thought of nothing but myself Result Sadao is saved from guilt of murder - Quote when asked about the General.
How to answer Sadao's Dilemma: Humanity or Patriotism questions
Use this for questions on Sadao's decision, Hana, the General or the title.
- 1Describe the dilemma: arrest if he shelters the prisoner, death if he hands him over.
- 2Show how Sadao acts: trained hands, the operation, the boat.
- 3Add the pressure: servants and the General.
- 4Show the result: the General forgets, the man escapes, Sadao wonders why he could not kill him.
- 5Conclude: humanity is stronger than hatred.
Sadao's Dilemma: Humanity or Patriotism in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Professional duty to help anyone
Suppose a paramedic is called to the scene of a fight and finds that the badly injured man is a member of a gang that has threatened his own neighbourhood.
His colleague says to leave him. Using Sadao's example, what should he do and why?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Sadao treated the American because a doctor must heal anyone who needs help.
- A paramedic's duty is the same: save life first, leave judgement to the law.
- He should treat the man and report the incident through proper channels.
Answer: He should give the treatment, as Sadao did. Duty to save life comes before personal or group enmity.
Memory hook: A healer treats the patient, not the label.
Tricks to remember Sadao's Dilemma: Humanity or Patriotism
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
S-S-S-S: Sea, Surgery, State, Solution
Washed ashore, operation, the General, the boat.
Use it when: Plans the story of the dilemma.
Hands first, head later
Sadao's hands act before his reasons.
Use it when: For the question on instinct and profession.
Forgot the promise
The General forgot because of his own pain.
Use it when: For the question on selfishness of the powerful.
Sadao's Dilemma: Humanity or Patriotism: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: What is the American's condition? · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
In what condition do Sadao and Hana find the American?
(a) Asleep on the shore, unharmed (b) Unconscious, with a reopened gun wound in his lower back (c) Standing and asking for food (d) Unconscious, with a broken leg
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- He stumbles out of the sea and collapses, unconscious and bleeding from a reopened gun wound in the lower back (1 mark).
Answer: (b)
Example 2: Who helps with the anaesthetic? · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
Who gives the anaesthetic during the operation, and how does she feel?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Hana gives the anaesthetic (0.5).
- She is sickened by the sight (0.5).
Answer: Hana; she feels sick at the sight of the wound.
Example 3: Why does Sadao not hand the man over? · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does Sadao neither put the man back into the sea nor hand him over to the authorities? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- A doctor's duty to save life (1).
- Handing him over means death (1).
Answer: Sadao is a doctor and cannot let a wounded man die. His trained hands begin to treat him at once. Handing him over would mean the man's death, and putting him back in the sea would be murder. So he treats him secretly and faces the risk of arrest.
Example 4: Hana's role · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
How does Hana show courage and kindness in the story? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- She washes the man when Yumi refuses (1).
- She gives the anaesthetic and does the household work after the servants leave (1).
Answer: Hana is kind and brave. When the nurse Yumi refuses to wash the white man, Hana does it herself. She gives the anaesthetic, though sickened by the sight, and manages the house after all the servants leave. She supports her husband in a risky decision.
Example 5: Humanity over hatred · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
Sadao ends by asking why he could not kill the man. What does the story say about humanity and prejudice? Write in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Introduction: the final question (1).
- Body: prejudice around him and his choices (2).
- Judgement: humanity prevails (1).
- Conclusion and accuracy (1).
Answer: Sadao's last question shows that humanity proved stronger than hatred. He could have killed the American as the General suggested, or handed him over, as patriotism required. Around him, the servants hated the white man, Yumi refused to wash him, and the General thought only of himself. Sadao himself remembered the prejudice he faced in America. Yet his duty as a doctor, and a deeper sympathy, made him save the man and help him escape by boat. The story does not blame a nation; it blames prejudice and selfish power. It suggests that when we treat a person as a human being, enmity loses its force. Tom's remark that there would have been no war if all were like Sadao shows this hope.
Where students lose marks in Sadao's Dilemma: Humanity or Patriotism
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Calling Tom a soldier
He is a sailor, as his cap shows.
Wrong working
The American was an army soldier.
Right working
He is an American sailor, an escaped prisoner of war.
Do this: Remember the cap.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Saying Sadao gave the man to the General
He told the General about him but did not hand him over.
Wrong working
Sadao handed the prisoner to the General.
Right working
He told the General, who offered to send assassins; Sadao then helped the man escape.
Do this: Say: told, not handed over.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Blaming a nation
The story criticises prejudice, not a nation.
Wrong working
Japanese people are cruel to prisoners.
Right working
Prejudice and selfish power are the targets, shown by the servants and the General.
Do this: Use neutral wording.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Missing Hana
Students write only about Sadao.
Wrong working
Sadao alone saved the American.
Right working
Hana washed him, gave the anaesthetic and shared the risk.
Do this: Always add a line on Hana.
Usually costs: 1 of 5 marks.
Exam tips
- Describe the dilemma with both horns: arrest on one side, death on the other.
- Mention Hana in every character or theme answer.
- Use the General's admission I thought of nothing but myself for the question on selfishness.
- Keep the tone neutral about both countries.
- End with the final question of the story to show humanity won.
Practice questions on Sadao's Dilemma: Humanity or Patriotism
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 does Sadao send the American to wait for a Korean fishing boat?
(a) A distant city (b) An island (c) A ship in the harbour (d) The General's houseHint
Boat, food, water, quilts, flashlight.
Answer
(b) An island.
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does the General forget to send the assassins? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
His own suffering.
Answer
The General was absorbed in his own pain and illness, and thought only of himself. After Sadao's emergency operation, he explains that he forgot his promise to send private assassins. He admits that he thought of nothing but himself, showing the self-interest of the powerful.
Q3 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
How does Sadao's inner conflict build suspense in the story? Answer in 120-150 words.
Hint
Three nights of waiting.
Answer
Sadao's inner conflict keeps the reader anxious from the moment the American is found. He knows that sheltering an enemy means arrest, and that handing him over means death, so each choice is dangerous. After the General says the man should be quietly killed, Sadao agrees, but the assassins do not come. For three nights he waits, listening for sounds, dreading the arrival of the killers, yet each morning the American is still there. The strain grows until Sadao can bear it no longer and plans the escape by boat. The reader is also anxious about the servants who have left, the General's promise, and whether Tom will reach the island. The story ends with an empty island and an unanswered question, and thus the tension of his dilemma continues even after the plot is over.
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What does Tom's remark about all the Japanese being like Sadao tell us? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Kindness and war.
Answer
Tom means that if everyone were as kind as Sadao, there would be no war. The remark shows his gratitude, and the story's belief that personal kindness can overcome national hatred. It also shows that the enmity of war lies in policy and prejudice, not in ordinary people.
Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
A reader says Sadao is not a true patriot because he helped an enemy. Evaluate this view in 40-50 words.
Hint
Duty as a doctor.
Answer
The view is narrow. Sadao is a patriot who serves his country as a skilled surgeon and is even needed by the General. But his professional duty to save life comes first. Helping a wounded man is not betrayal; it shows that patriotism and humanity can sit together.
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.What is Sadao's profession?Show answer
He is a surgeon and scientist.
2.Who refuses to wash the American?Show answer
Yumi, the nurse.
3.Who offers to send private assassins?Show answer
The General.
4.How many nights does Sadao wait anxiously?Show answer
Three.
5.What does Sadao give Tom for signals?Show answer
His flashlight.
6.What is the last line of the story?Show answer
I wonder why I could not kill him?
Sadao's Dilemma: Humanity or Patriotism: frequently asked questions
Who wrote The Enemy?
Pearl S. Buck wrote it; it is a story in Vistas.
What is the theme of The Enemy?
Humanity versus patriotism, and the power of kindness over prejudice.
Why does Sadao help Tom escape?
He cannot kill him and cannot hand him over, so he gives him a boat to escape.
What question types come from this story?
A 2-mark question on Sadao, Hana or the General, and a 5-mark question on the dilemma or humanity.