Page 24

Read and Find Out

Q. Who was Dr Sadao? Where was his house?
Answer: Dr. Sadao Hoki was a famous Japanese surgeon and scientist. His house was a low, square stone house built on a spot of the Japanese coast, well above a narrow beach.

Page 24

Read and Find Out

Q. Will Dr Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
Answer: This question is a prediction. While Dr. Sadao fears he will be arrested for harboring an enemy, the story shows that he is not arrested because he is indispensable to the General, who trusts him for his upcoming operation. He also cleverly manages to get rid of the prisoner.

Page 31

Read and Find Out

Q. Will Hana help the wounded man and wash him herself?
Answer: Yes, Hana does help the wounded man. After her servant, Yumi, refuses to wash the American soldier, Hana becomes angry and decides to wash him herself. She uses a small clean towel and hot water to clean his upper body.

Page 35

Read and Find Out

Q. What will Dr Sadao and his wife do with the man?
Answer: They decide to hide him and treat his wounds. Sadao performs an operation to remove the bullet, and they both take care of him until he is well enough to leave.

Page 39

Read and Find Out

Q. Will Dr. Sadao be arrested on the charge of harbouring an enemy?
Answer: No, Dr. Sadao is not arrested. He tells the General the truth about the American soldier, but the General does not report it. The General needs Dr. Sadao for his own health, so he protects him. Later, Dr. Sadao himself helps the enemy soldier escape safely. That is why no one arrests him.

Page 43

Read and Find Out

Q. What will Dr. Sadao do to get rid of the man?
Answer: Dr. Sadao decides to set the prisoner free. He gives the American soldier a boat, food, water, and extra clothes. He tells him where to go to be safe. In this way, Dr. Sadao gets rid of the man without handing him over to the police or the army.

Page 47

Reading with Insight 

Q1. 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 with reference to the story you have just read.
Answer: This is a discussion-based question. In the story, Dr. Sadao faces a difficult choice between his duty as a Japanese citizen to hand over an enemy soldier and his duty as a doctor to save a human life. His training and moral compass tell him to save the man, but his national loyalty and fear of being a traitor tell him to report the man. He chooses to prioritize his identity as a doctor and a human being, which shows that a person’s individual moral code can sometimes be more important than their loyalty to their country.

Q2. Dr. Sadao was compelled by his duty as a doctor to help the enemy soldier. What made Hana, his wife, sympathetic to him in the face of open defiance from the domestic staff?
Answer: Hana was sympathetic to the soldier for several reasons. First, she was trained by her husband to assist in his medical work, so she had a sense of duty to help. Second, she couldn’t stand the sight of the helpless man bleeding and suffering. She had lived in America and had met Americans, so she was not as prejudiced as the servants. The servants’ defiance only made her more determined to help the man herself.

Q3. How would you explain the reluctance of the soldier to leave the shelter of the doctor’s home even when he knew he couldn’t stay there without risk to the doctor and himself?
Answer: The soldier’s reluctance is due to his fear and vulnerability. He is severely weakened from his injury and is in a hostile country. He doesn’t know who to trust. While he is a risk to Sadao and Hana, he knows they are the only people who have shown him kindness and saved his life. He is likely afraid of what will happen to him if he leaves, especially since he doesn’t have anyone else to turn to.

Q4. What explains the attitude of the General in the matter of the enemy soldier? Was it human consideration, lack of national loyalty, dereliction of duty or simply self-absorption?
Answer: The General’s attitude is primarily explained by his extreme self-absorption and a sense of entitlement. He doesn’t care about the soldier’s fate at all. He only thinks about his own need for Dr. Sadao’s surgical skills. He is willing to send his private assassins to kill the man but forgets to do so because he is in pain and only thinks of himself. He has no national loyalty, nor does he show any human consideration; he only acts out of personal convenience.

Q5. While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during wartime, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?
Answer: A human being can rise above narrow prejudices through a strong sense of human kindness and a moral code that transcends national and racial lines. Dr. Sadao and Hana were trained to see beyond race and nationality and view all people as human beings in need of help. Their compassion and professional duty as a doctor were stronger than their prejudice against an enemy.

Q6. Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?
Answer: Yes, the doctor’s final solution was the best possible one. He could not bring himself to hand over the man to the police, as that would be against his principles. At the same time, keeping him in the house was a risk to his family. By helping the soldier escape, he saved the man’s life without betraying his country or endangering his family. It was a clever and humane solution.

Q7. Does the story remind you of ‘Birth’ by A.J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots last year? What are the similarities?
Answer: Yes, both stories remind you of each other. In both stories, a doctor faces a life-or-death situation where his medical skills and moral beliefs are tested. Dr. Andrew in Birth is determined to save a newborn baby and its mother. Similarly, Dr. Sadao is determined to save the soldier’s life, even at great personal risk. Both stories show the ethical challenges and rewards of the medical profession.

Q8. Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme?
Answer: This is a discussion-based question. A good example could be the film Schindler’s List, where an individual rises above the hatred of war to save the lives of people who are considered enemies.