Chapter 4 The Enemy

Dr. Sadao was a famous surgeon and a scientist because he was perfecting a discovery which would render wounds entirely clean. His house was built on a spot of the Japanese coast. The low, square stone house was set upon rocks well above a narrow beach that was outlined with bent pipes.

If anyone would complain against him then definitely Dr. Sadao will be arrested on the charge of harboring an enemy. He knew that they would be arrested if they will provide shelter to the enemy because on that time Japan was in war with the America and also the enemy was wounded by a bullet on his back as he was escaped from the prison.

Hana didn’t wanted Sadao to clean the wounds of enemy therefore they told their servant Yumi to do so but she refused to do that so later Hana helped him and wash him herself.

When they saw the enemy they was not able to think what to do with him so first they cured him and Hana cleaned his wounds and fed him with her hands. But later they decided they will cure him and handover to the army.

Yes, Dr Sadao will be arrested if somebody complains against him and open his secret. He did his duty but it was also a serious crime of helping their country’s enemy. However he didn’t get any punishment because the whole scenario was remain a secret between him and his wife and his loyal and timid servants and a general who was too self-obsessed with his own treatment.

Dr. Sadao cured the enemy and he was improving but he was not getting a way to get rid of him so he decided to inform the general and he said that he will send his assassins to kill him in his sleep but his assassins never came. So he decided that he will save him one more time so he secretly arranged a boat, food, bottled water , clothes, blanket and his own flashlight on a boat to send him to an isolated island from where he boarded a Korean ship to freedom and safety.

The story is revolves around the thought of moral and human values and the responsibility as a Japanese. Dr. Sadao, the protagonist is in a dilemma. He chose to act as a doctor whose moral and ethical responsibility is to save the soldier no matter he was a enemy. But as a normal Japanese he should have got him arrested so that he cannot be called as a traitor.

But as a doctor and a human his first duty was to help and cure the enemy. So he put his life in risk and helped him. Also he showed his patriotism as well as nationalism by informing the general but the general didn’t did anything so he again helped him and made him escaped from the country.

Dr. Sadao and Hana helped the enemy in curing him after knowing that they would be questioned by everyone but they did their duty. Dr. Sadao helped him due to his profession but Hana did helped him for supporting his husband and performing her duty towards her husband and for the humankind, so this duty towards her husband made her sympathetic towards the enemy. She was kind hearted because when their staff refused to help the enemy so Hana cleaned his wound and helped the enemy for his recovering.

When the white man got his consciousness he saw that he was saved by a Japanese family and he knew that later he would be handed to the army, but when he saw the concern and care for him from the Dr. Sadao and Hana he was sure that he was in safe hands but he also knows that being there would be a threat to Dr. Sadao’s family and he did not wanted them to be in threat who did so much help for him therefore he followed according and accompanied in Dr. Sadao’s plan of escaping.

The whole scenario shows that the general was in self absorption and also he was a patient of Dr. Sadao and he thought that the Dr. Sadao was executed for treachery. He promised Dr. Sadao that he will send his assassins and kill the enemy in his sleep but he forgot to send his assassins. And it was not at all a human consideration.

In the present time people are more concern about their life and family then their country. Whenever we read information regarding war in newspaper we feel hatred against the enemy side. And in the case of Dr. Sadao the man was his country’s enemy he also had hatred against him but instead this he helped the injured man and did his duty towards his profession. It was definitely the humanity, sympathy and compassion which makes a man raise above all the hatred. And due these emotions Dr. Sadao helped his enemy.

Yes, I think the doctor’s final solution was the best possible one. He did hid duty of a doctor by curing him and also the duty towards his nation by telling the truth to the general and general promised him to kill the enemy in his sleep but that didn’t happened so he realized that by killing him will not be beneficial for the country but only to save their lives so he decided to help him escape and he did right in my opinion.

The story definitely reminds us about ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin in which Dr. Andrew made lot efforts to save the life of new born infant and in this story Dr. Sadao saved the life of enemy in war time. So in both the stories Doctors showed their humanity and responsibility towards their profession.

No, I have not seen any movie or read novel with a similar theme.