The Enemy

The floor of Sadao and Hana’s home is a symbol of tradition and Japanese culture. Traditional Japanese households sleep on mats on the floor, and thus the floor is symbolic of this household tradition. Sadao’s father “would never in his own home sit on a chair” nor sleep in a traditional bed, preferring the matted floor (44). Hana is concerned that Sadao operating on Tom will ruin the floor of their home, and she rushes to fetch old matting to prevent the blood from destroying it. But Sadao, engrossed in his task, operates, nonetheless. The blood of the American ruining the matted floor is symbolic of the once strictly traditional household becoming mixed with someone they considered their enemy. If Sadao and Hana are indeed as prejudiced as their thoughts make them seem, they would never let the blood of the “white man” soak their floor and ruin a space they regard as integral to the functioning of the Japanese home. This action challenges the themes of racial prejudice and patriotic loyalty, and human kindness ultimately overcomes both.