The Enemy

The Enemy — Pearl S. Buck

• ​Central Character: Dr. Sadao Hoki
• ​Theme: Conflict between Patriotism/National Loyalty and Professional Ethics/Humanity

1. ​House: Built on rocks along the Japanese coast, framed by bent pines, near a low beach where fishermen occasionally landed.
2. ​Father: A traditional, orthodox Japanese man whose chief concern was Sadao's education; he never joked or played with him but spent infinite pains on his future.
3. ​Education: Sadao went to America at twenty-two to study surgery and medicine, returning at thirty as an accomplished surgeon and scientist.
4. ​Meeting Hana: Sadao met Hana at Professor Harley's house in America, but waited to fall in love with her until he was sure she was purely Japanese.
5. ​Marriage: They married in Japan according to traditional Japanese customs with his father's approval; they lived a happily married life with two children.
6. ​The Discovery: While standing on their veranda in the mist, they saw a man flung up out of the ocean, wounded by the spiked rocks on the beach.
7. ​Identity: The injured man was a white man—an American Prisoner of War (POW)—with wet yellow hair and a battered cap bearing the faint lettering "U.S. Navy."
8. ​The Wound: A bullet wound in the lower right of his back had reopened from the sharp rocks, and fresh blood flowed profusely.
9. ​Dilemma: They initially considered throwing him back into the sea; sheltering him meant arrest for treason, while handing him over meant his certain execution.
10. ​Doctor's Duty: Despite their hesitation, Dr. Sadao stated that as a doctor, he could not let a wounded man die in front of him.
11. ​Decision: They decided to carry the injured American into their home, worrying constantly about how their servants would react.
12. ​Father's Room: They placed the soldier in Sadao's deceased father's traditional Japanese room on a soft silk quilt, covering it with a mat to protect it.
13. ​Need for Surgery: Sadao realized the man would die without immediate surgery to extract the bullet.
14. ​Servants' Rebellion: Hana summoned Yumi to wash the dirty soldier, but Yumi flatly refused; the old gardener and the cook also openly disapproved, believing the sea and the bullet would take revenge.
15. ​Hana's Role: Hana washed the wounded soldier herself with hot water and was then instructed by Sadao to administer the anesthetic (ether) during the operation.
16. ​The Operation: Confronted with the sight of deep wounds and heavy bleeding, Hana rushed outside to the garden to retch and vomit before returning to assist.
17. ​Administering Ether: As the unconscious soldier groaned in pain, Hana administered more anesthetic upon Sadao's sharp instructions.
18. ​Locating the Bullet: The bullet had lodged dangerously close to the kidney; the unconscious youth muttered, "They got... my guts," but Sadao skillfully extracted it.
19. ​Nursing the Enemy: The young American woke up terrified to find himself in a Japanese home; Hana fed him broth with a porcelain spoon and reassured him.
20. ​Third Day After Operation: Sadao examined the healing wound; when the prisoner (who said his name was Tom) asked what would become of him, Sadao coldly replied he did not know.
21. ​Growing Hostility: The servants became increasingly cold and watchful, whispering that Sadao and Hana's time in America had dulled their loyalty to Japan.
22. ​Gardener's View: The old gardener insisted that Sadao's skill had made him arrogant enough to save an enemy whom nature intended to die.
23. ​Hana's Conflicted Feelings: Overhearing the servants, Hana felt uneasy; she realized her care for Tom was not personal affection, but basic human compassion.
24. ​Recovery: Sadao removed the stitches; he informed the prisoner that within a fortnight he would be completely well.
25. ​Unfinished Report: Sadao typed an official report addressed to the Chief of Police detailing the prisoner's arrival, but stopped, locked it in his secret desk drawer, and never sent it.
26. ​The Seventh Day: Seven days after the operation, two critical events occurred:

• ​A. All the servants packed their belongings, collected their wages from Hana, and walked out of the house.
• ​B. An official messenger in uniform arrived to summon Dr. Sadao to the palace because General Takima had suffered another episode of severe pain.

27. ​Promise to Hana: Seeing Hana terrified that the messenger had come to arrest them, Sadao resolved to rid his home of the enemy soldier.
28. ​Confession to the General: Sadao confided the entire truth to General Takima; the General valued Sadao’s surgical skill far too much to let him be arrested or executed.
29. ​General's Plan: General Takima promised to send his private assassins at night to quietly kill Tom and remove his body, instructing Sadao to leave the outer partition open.
30. ​The First Night: Sadao spent a restless night waiting for the assassins; the next morning, he found Tom up and shaving, having survived undisturbed.
31. ​The Second Night: Sadao endured another sleepless night listening to every rustle of the wind, but again found Tom sleeping peacefully the next morning.
32. ​The Third Night: A crashing tile and broken branch woke the house, but morning revealed Tom completely fine, preparing to walk in the garden.
33. ​Alternative Escape: Exhausted by suspense, Sadao decided to help Tom escape by sea; he provided a sturdy boat loaded with food, water, extra quilts, and a flashlight.
34. ​Escape Instructions: Sadao instructed Tom to row to a deserted nearby island and signal with the flashlight only if he ran out of food before catching a Korean fishing boat.
35. ​The Departure: Dressed in dark Japanese clothes with a black cloth wrapping his face and blond hair, Tom thanked Sadao and slipped away safely into the night; Sadao finally slept peacefully.
36. ​General's Emergency: A week later, Sadao performed an emergency operation on General Takima, successfully saving his life.
37. ​The General's Secret: During recovery, Sadao told the General the prisoner had escaped; the General confessed he had forgotten the assassins due to his own intense pain, begging Sadao to keep his lapse confidential.
38. ​The Signal: Looking out toward the island at sunset, Sadao saw no flash of light, confirming that Tom had boarded a Korean boat and escaped safely; the servants returned home.
39. ​Final Reflection: Standing on his veranda, Sadao recalled all the Americans he had met—the prejudiced landlady, the garrulous professor, and the pale, haggard face of Tom—still wondering why he could not bring himself to kill his enemy.