The Enemy (Character Sketch - Dr. Sadao Hoki )

Dr. Sadao – a happy husband, father, and doctor

• Sadao was a Japanese surgeon. He studied in America and returned to Japan with Hana, a Japanese girl whom he met there, and married her in Japan and settled down comfortably.
• While most of the doctors were sent to serve the Japanese army in World War II, Sadao was allowed to stay home because he was wanted by the old General who was dying.
• But one night, an American soldier got ashore near Sadao’s house. The couple saw that it was an American Navy man and that he was shot, wounded, and was dying.
• Though unwilling to help his enemy, Sadao took the young soldier into his house and provided him with medical aid. He was in danger from that moment.
• His servants advised Sadao to let the American die but Sadao could not. He told them that he would turn the American to the police but the servants didn’t believe Sadao.
• They suspected Sadao’s honesty to Japan. They thought that because Sadao was in America for a while he had developed a love for America.
• Then one day the servants left him. Thereafter Hana had a very hard time coping with a hill of work that she had not done in life. Hana didn’t complain.
• The American’s name was Tom. He was very young. Tom recovered from the wounds and regained health. 

Dr. Sadao, the Patriot

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  When Sadao saw that Tom was alright, he starts thinking of getting him killed.
• At this point, Sadao decided to disclose the secret to the old General whom he treated. The General appreciated Sadao’s kindness towards the enemy but advised him to get the American killed.
• The General offered to help Sadao. He asked Sadao to leave the American’s room open so that his trained assassins (killers) could enter, kill and remove his dead body.
• Since that day, Sadao waited for the General’s trained assassins at night. He could not sleep.
• You can imagine how a doctor feels when his patient, whom he brought back from death, was going to be killed near his room.
• What happened was disappointing. Each morning Sadao woke up with a hope to see the American ‘gone’ but he found that the General had forgotten his promise.
• Tom was healthier and livelier.

Dr. Sadao, the Human Being

• At this point, Sadao becomes the real man in him: a true human being who realizes the essential worth of human life and universal brotherhood.
• He thinks beyond countries and continents and races and wars. He finds no reason to believe that the American is his enemy. Sadao informs Tom that he was in danger. He arranged for his journey.
• Sadao gave him his boat, Japanese clothes, his pen-torch, and food.
• He asked Tom to row the boat to the island at a distance from his home and wait for Americans or Korean fishermen who would help him.
• He was really concerned. Sadao instructed Tom to flash the pen-torch if he needed help or food.
• When Tom was gone, Sadao felt relieved. The next day he went to the General and said that the American was gone.
• The General confessed his not sending his assassins to kill the American. He said that everything went well with Sadao.
• He even said that Sadao was a great man. He promised him a reward for his goodness. He also told Sadao that he trusted only him in the country.
• That night, waiting for the flash of the pen-torch, Sadao saw no flash from the distant island. Tom was really gone.
• Was he really rescued? Was he killed? We don’t know.