There are moments in life when we have to make hard choices between our roles as private individuals and as citizens with a sense of national loyalty? Discuss concerning the story you have just read.

Explanation

The Enemy is a sensitive story with details and characters that are paradoxical, ambivalent, layered, multifaceted, and multicultural. In the story, a surgeon is met with an event that questions his patriotism and contrasts it with humanism. As a private individual, it is very hard sometimes to align our choices with national loyalty and The Enemy is an exemplary story exhibiting this dilemma. The protagonist of the story Dr. Sadao Hoki finds the body of a wounded white soldier near his house which was situated near the Japanese coast. This raised a conflict within him. He had studied in America and so had socio-cultural connections with America. However, he was a patriot and shifted back to Japan after the completion of his medical studies. But, as a trained doctor who had taken an oath to save people, he couldn't let the white man die. So, he operated on him. He fulfilled his role as a private individual and adhered to his duty as a doctor, but by doing this he sidelined his national loyalty. Japan and America were at war with each other, so saving a white man who was a prisoner of war was treason to the nation. Even though Sadao knew this, his conscience did not allow him to let the man die or hand a wounded man over to the police. So, he put humanism above patriotism. His ethical responsibility was fulfilled when he saved Tom, so he decided to report the prisoner. He tried to write a letter to the police.Then, he told the General about the prisoner but the General could not take care of it. So, he also took care of paying the debt loyally to his country.