The Enemy: A Tale of Humanity and Duty
Who is the Tiger King? Why does he get that name?
Ans: Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, the king of Pratibandapuram, is known as the Tiger King. At the time of his birth the astrologers declared that the prince would have to die one day. The ten-day-old prince asked the astrologers to reveal the manner of his death. The wise men were baffled at this miracle. The chief astrologer said that the cause of his death would be a tiger. The young prince growled and uttered terrifying words: ‘Let tigers beware!’ He decided to kill one hundred tigers. He thus got the name ‘Tiger King’.
What did the royal infant grow up to be?
Ans: The royal infant grew up to be the king of Pratibandapuram who was obsessed with the idea of killing one hundred tigers. He wanted to do so to disprove the prophecy which said that his death would come from the hundredth tiger. This made him kill all the tigers of Pratibandapuram. He even married for the sake of this ambition. He came to be known as the Tiger King.
What will the Maharaja do to find the required number of tigers to kill?
Ans: To get the required number of tigers to kill, the Maharaja will ask his dewan to find a suitable girl for him to marry. A suitable girl for matrimonial alliance should be the one who would not only come from a royal family but also would belong to a state with a large tiger population. As Pratibandapuram had no more tigers left, a province that belonged to his father-in-law would certainly provide him with an opportunity to kill more tigers and reach his aim of killing one hundred tigers.
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?
Ans: When the American war-prisoner came to consciousness and realized that he was saved by a Japanese family, he feared that he would be soon handed over to the army. However, as he noticed the amount of concern and care given to him by the family, he understood that he was in safe hands. He knew that although he was a threat to the doctor’s family, his own life might be saved there. War is man-made. The soldier was hired to fight in the war. He was not at all interested to join it once more. But he was helpless. Burdened with gratitude towards the family, he ultimately decides to comply with what the doctor planned for him – the escape.
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?
Ans: The General was totally governed by self absorption. He was a patient of Dr Sadao and did not trust anyone except him when it came to his health. He could not take the risk of living unprotected if the doctor was executed for treachery. He had personal assassins whom he promised to use for killing the injured soldier. But ironically, he forgot his promise to help the doctor. Humanity was not his cup of tea.
While hatred against a member of the enemy race is justifiable, especially during war time, what makes a human being rise above narrow prejudices?
Ans: News of war is fast becoming a way of life. The moment one picks up a newspaper, one is bombarded with news of wars between different countries, directly or indirectly. It is obvious that the countries at war are enemies and hatred is a part of this enmity. However the success of humanity comes when we rise above this enmity and show our love towards the civilization as a whole. Dr Sadao did the same. He did whatever he could to save the life of a man whom he knew was a war-prisoner. The instant he saw the injured man, he was filled with concern. Ignoring the fact that he was the enemy of his country and he must have killed so many Japanese and might kill even more, if alive, he saved him.
Do you think the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one in the circumstances?
Ans: The doctor tried his best to save the injured soldier as a part of his duty. But the ultimate question was what to do next. It cannot be said that he betrayed his country as he told the truth to the General. However, when he noticed that the soldier was to be killed not for the benefit of the country but only to save the doctor’s life, he decided to help him flee. In such a situation, the doctor’s final solution to the problem was the best possible one.
Does the story remind you of ‘Birth’ by A. J. Cronin that you read in Snapshots last year? What are the similarities?
Ans: The story definitely reminds one of “Birth’ by A. J. Cronin. There is a striking similarity between both the stories. Both revolve around doctors who try their level best to save the lives of nearly dead human beings. In the story ‘Birth’, Dr Andrew saves the life of an almost still born baby boy with a lot of effort, while ‘The Enemy’ deals with the story of Dr Sadao who saves an American soldier from the enemy troops during the times of war. Both the stories deal with humanity, love, affection, selflessness and a strong sense of duty.
Is there any film you have seen or novel you have read with a similar theme?
Ans: The story ‘The Enemy’ is built on the pillars of selflessness, sense of duty, kindness and generosity. There have been many films and novels based on this theme. One such example is the film ‘My Name is Khan’, where the protagonist, with a sense of duty and generosity, goes to the flooded Georgia to save the lives of his friends, Mama Jenny, Joel and other natives. He selflessly works to save the town without thinking twice about the possible dangers to his own life.