The Enemy

Dr. Sadao Hoki was a famous, loyal Japanese scientist and surgeon. He lived in an ancestral stone house built above a narrow beach on the Japanese coast, outlined by pine trees. He had spent eight years in America perfecting his medical skills and was currently researching a drug to render wounds entirely clean.

Dr. Sadao stayed loyal to his medical oath. He saved the injured American soldier washed ashore, despite the political tension between Japan and America. While his actions could legally lead to arrest for treason, from a humanitarian and professional perspective, he fulfilled his duty as a doctor to save a life, regardless of nationality.

Yes, Hana helps the wounded man. Although she was not medically trained and was frightened of the American “enemy,” she supported her husband. When her servant Yumi refused to wash the “dirty white man,” Hana’s dignity and loyalty compelled her to wash him herself, albeit with impulsive hesitation.

They decided to treat and operate on him. The man was a prisoner of war and a threat to their safety. However, Dr. Sadao’s medical ethics prevailed. They cleaned him, operated to remove the bullet, and fed him to help him recover, even while knowing they might eventually have to hand him over to the authorities.

Since the General failed to send his assassins, Dr. Sadao devised an escape plan. He could not hand the man over to be killed after saving him. He realized the man had to leave for the safety of his family.



He gave the soldier a boat, food, water, clothes, and a flashlight. He instructed him to row to a nearby uninhabited island and signal with the flashlight if he ran out of food, eventually advising him to board a Korean fishing boat to safety.

Life often presents conflicts between duty to one’s country and duty to humanity. Dr. Sadao faced this dilemma: let a man die because he is the enemy, or save him because he is a human. He chose the “private individual” role of a healer over the “citizen” role of a patriot. By saving the soldier, he upheld the universal value of life, yet by reporting him to the General later, he attempted to balance his national loyalty. Ultimately, humanity won.

Hana shared Dr. Sadao’s values. Though initially repulsed, seeing a man in a wretched, near-death state triggered her innate human empathy. Her sympathy was born out of shared humanity and loyalty to her husband. Even when the servants abandoned them in protest, her dignity and moral compass kept her steadfast in aiding the helpless soldier.

The General was driven by self-absorption. He did not arrest Sadao because he needed him for his own surgery; he trusted no other surgeon. He promised to send assassins to kill the American not out of patriotism, but to solve Sadao’s problem so Sadao could focus on treating him. He later admitted he “forgot” to send them because he was too preoccupied with his own suffering. It was dereliction of duty caused by extreme selfishness.

Empathy and Professional Ethics. War creates artificial boundaries, but pain and suffering are universal. Dr. Sadao rose above prejudice because his training as a doctor taught him that a life is a life, regardless of the uniform. Rising above prejudice requires recognizing that the “enemy” is also a human being with fears, blood, and a desire to live.

Yes, it was the most balanced solution. Handing the soldier over would have meant his death, rendering Sadao’s medical efforts futile. Keeping him was dangerous for his family. Helping him escape saved the soldier’s life, cleared Sadao’s conscience, and removed the danger from his home without him having to directly kill the man or betray his country publicly.

• Moral Analysis: detailed breakdown of the conflict between duty and patriotism.
• Character Insight: Deep dive into Dr. Sadao’s professionalism and the General’s selfishness.
• Vocabulary: Explanations of terms like ‘harbouring’, ‘prejudice’, and ‘dereliction’.
• Exam Prep: Structured answers focusing on the humanitarian themes required for board exams.