Question

Character sketch of Tom in 'The Enemy'.

Answer 1

Tom is a character of unflagging energy and a real zeal for trickery. He can con and schmoze his way out of any situation. When the novel begins, Tom is a mischievous child who envies Huck Finn’s lazy lifestyle and freedom. As Tom’s adventures proceed, however, critical moments show Tom moving away from his childhood concerns and making mature, responsible decisions. These moments include Tom’s testimony at Muff Potter’s trial, his saving of Becky from punishment, and his heroic navigation out of the cave. By the end of the novel, Tom is coaxing Huck into staying at the Widow Douglas’s, urging his friend to accept tight collars, Sunday school, and good table manners. He is no longer a disobedient character undermining the adult order, but a defender of respectability and responsibility. In the end, growing up for Tom means embracing social custom and sacrificing the freedoms of childhood.

Yet Tom’s development isn’t totally coherent. The novel jumps back and forth among several narrative strands: Tom’s general misbehavior, which climaxes in the Jackson’s Island adventure; his courtship of Becky, which culminates in his acceptance of blame for the book that she rips; and his struggle with Injun Joe, which ends with Tom and Huck’s discovery of the treasure. Because of the picaresque, or episodic, nature of the plot, Tom’s character can seem inconsistent, as it varies depending upon his situation. Tom is a paradoxical figure in some respects—for example, he has no determinate age. Sometimes Tom shows the naïveté of a smaller child, with his interest in make-believe and superstitions. On the other hand, Tom’s romantic interest in Becky and his fascination with Huck’s smoking and drinking seem more the concerns of an adolescent.




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Answer 2

The Enemy by Pearl S. Buck is set during the time of World War. Tom was the American soldier who flung out of the ocean. He was a prisoner of war who escaped his enemies and was shot at the back. He was hardly 17 years old and was bleeding, wounded and lay unconscious. While Dr. Sadao encounters him though unwilling to help the American man he took him to his house and provided him with the medical assistance. Later on, Tom feels safe in the Japanese couple house. Therefore, he becomes full of gratitude towards Dr. Sadao as he risked his life to save his enemy.