English (Core) · Ch 17 — The Enemy
Summary
Summary
- Dilemma: Dr Sadao Hoki, a Japanese surgeon, must choose between his duty as a doctor to save a life and his loyalty to his country during WWII, when he finds an escaped American POW washed ashore.
- Story: Sadao brings the wounded American soldier, Tom, to his home, operates on him, and hides him from the authorities. His wife Hana and the servants are terrified. Despite the risk of being branded a traitor, Sadao nurses Tom back to health, then helps him escape to a waiting boat.
- Themes: The conflict between professional ethics and nationalism; the universality of human compassion; the moral courage to defy societal pressure; the dehumanising effect of war.
- Characters: Dr Sadao (principled, humane), Hana (loyal but fearful), Tom (grateful, vulnerable), the servants (representing blind patriotism), the General (self-serving, forgetful). …