The Tiger King and The Enemy, a quick run through important themes, topics, and genres from the Vistas textbook for grade twelve

The Tiger King

1. Genre of writing : Satire, Comedy

2. Style of writing tongue in cheek, sarcasm, makes use of literal irony and dramatic irony.

3. Subject of Satirical attack: The Tiger King is the subject of this satirical attack. The writer attacks the bureaucratic system through the Tiger King, he makes fun of the hierarchical system people in high positions follow. Kalki makes fun of the vanity, and obsession of powerful people with all things foreign. The writer makes it a point to describe how the relationship that exists between the Boss and his minions is based not on mutual trust, but fear, fear of being transferred or losing one’s job. Suffice it to say that The Tiger King is a satirical comment on the existing Bureaucratic society of the country.

4. Theme: Crime and punishment / Divine Retribution/Harming Nature will lead to serious consequences.

5.Message: You can’t harm nature and then expect to go virtually free, even if you are a Maharaja. The Tiger King was aware of the fact that even he did not have the right of killing tigers, so he made use of the excuse of ‘Self Defence’ to kill a hundred tigers.

6. Important Characters:

a) The Tiger King- a prodigy who speaks at the age of ten days. A gentleman of the highest order who is obsessed with a long title like His Highness Jamedar-General, Khiledar-Major, Sata Vyaghra Samhari, Maharajadhiraja Visva Bhuvana Samrat, Sir Jilani Jung Jung Bahadur, M.A.D., A.C.T.C., or C.R.C.K.! He is vain, self-obsessed, obsessed about killing a hundred tigers even if it means abdicating his responsibility towards the state, and in many ways, The Tiger is a stereotype an equivalent of the proud but vain Bureaucrat of today! The Tiger King is obsessed with defeating fate for the express reason that he is afraid that what the astrologers might, after all, come true.

b) Dewan Saheb-A rather confused and nervous Chief Minister who is often terrified of his Master, the Tiger King. There are two dialogues that figure in the story. The first is when the Tiger King tells the Dewan that he wants to get married and the Dewan shudders at the sight of the gun in the Maharaja’s hand and he is so nervous and intimidated by the Maharaj that he is depicted as a typical laughing stock, a babbling and blathering idiot. It takes, however the threat of sacking the Dewan that makes the Dewan regain his senses and this is when we see him as not so foolish! He had arranged for an old tiger to be brought from the People’s Park in Madras to be delivered to him so that he could present it to the Maharaja to be shot.

c) The Hunters- these are down to earth people who fear the Maharaja so much that they dare not inform him that he had missed hitting the tiger lest they should lose their jobs. One of them takes aim at the tiger and shoots him and thereafter they become ready participants in the procession carrying the dead body of the tiger into town. Their relationship with the Maharaja is not based on trust.

d) The shopkeeper-He too like the Dewan and the Hunters is a minion who lives in fear of his Master, the Maharaja. He inflates the cost of the wooden tiger because he ‘knew that if he quoted such a low price to the Maharaja he would be punished under the rules of the Emergency’ and so he quotes the price of the tiger as ‘three hundred rupees’!

The Enemy

Learning Targets

1. I can critically analyze the central theme of the lesson.
2. I can compare and contrast the main characters in the lesson.
3. I can create accurate character sketches for the characters in the lesson.
4. I can explain the message that the author wants to get across to the reader.
5. I can support my observations and answers with evidence from the text.

1.Genre: War fiction/philosophy/long reading text- Novel

2. Style of writing: prosaic, part of a novel. Pearl S.Buck has adopted a prosaic form of writing suitable for writing long texts like novels and novellas. Her writing is marked by regular paragraphs and dialogues interspersed in between. Pearl S.Buck has used a straightforward style of writing.

2. The theme of the Lesson: The higher laws of humanity are greater than the divisive Laws of patriotism. The lesson deals with the themes of pacifism, universal brotherhood, and humanitarian ideals that go beyond the narrow laws of patriotism, and loyalty to the nation.

3. The message: There are moments in life when we have to make difficult choices. In such instances, it is better to be guided by the higher laws of humanity. The lesson showcases the ability of human beings to rise above narrow barriers that divide people and nations on the basis of nationality, language and geography. This is what marks some human beings as being different. Sadao and Hana chose to save the white sailor knowing well that they stood the risk of being labelled traitors and that if Sadao was caught, then he would surely be thrown into prison, and both husband and wife chose to safe Tom’s life. They chose humanity over the narrow laws of patriotism. This is what made them different from the other Japanese.

4. Characters in the lesson:

a) Dr. Sadao a skilful surgeon who is discovering ways to render wounds completely clean. He was also treating the Japanese General and so was indispensable to the latter. Being educated in America he has a broader perspective about life, he is therefore different from the other Japanese excluding his wife, Hana. He is dedicated to his profession and thus for him the priority is to save lives. Dr. Sadao gives due importance to the higher laws of humanity. He is, however, guilty of being a traitor towards his country because of sheltering ‘The Enemy’. Dr. Sadao’s guilt, however, is less than that of General Takima. If Dr.Sadao betrayed the country, it was for no selfish reason, it was just to save a life.

b) Hana, Dr. Sadao’s wife stands firmly beside him. She supports him in every way possible even if it means taking up all the household chores after the servants have left. She along with her husband is most affected by the presence of Tom. The stress seems to eat into her emotionally. Hana like her husband has studied in America and so she has a different outlook than the servants. Hana is a symbol of loyalty, faith, and sincere love for her husband. If it wasn’t for her, then Sadao wouldn’t probably have given shelter to Tom. She is a steadfast patient and dignified wife in all circumstances.

c) The servants: They represent the common people who lived in Japan in those times, humble, modest, ordinary, simple and thus superstitious. They seem to have all the answers to the difficult questions that play around in Dr. Sadao and Hana’s minds – just let the white sailor die! The servants are by the Gardener who has served the household the longest. He believes Sadao should not have saved Tom’s life since it would bring them great misfortune. According to him, ‘If the master heals what the gun did and what the sea did they will take revenge on us.’ He also believes that ‘That young master is so proud of his skill to save a life that he saves any life’ but then that is exactly what a Doctor is expected to do!

d) Tom is the white sailor who has been washed ashore in a bad state. Badly bruised and battered by the rocks he also suffers from a gunshot wound. A victim of brutality and torture at the hands of his captors (The gunshot wound and the rope burn marks around his neck are proof enough that he has been a victim of cruelty and torture), it is a miracle how he has survived so much punishment. He is perhaps the reason why the whole story takes place. A young boy of about sixteen, he encapsulates within him the desire to live against all odds, the ‘miracle boy’ who survived all odds.

e) General Takima is in many ways a foil to Dr. Sadao. While both of them have studied in America, his education abroad has however not made General Takima sensitive towards the lives of others. Hana ‘remembered’ such men as him ‘who at home beat his wife cruelly’ and she wonders if he would not be cruel to a prisoner like Tom. General Takima is like Dr. Sadao, equally guilty of treason, breaking the laws of the land and not reporting the presence of Tom in Dr. Sadao’s house. However, what makes General Takima’s guilt greater than that of Dr. Sadao for the very fact that the reason for not reporting the presence of Tom to the authorities was that if he did so, then Dr. Sadao would be arrested and then there would be no one to treat him. General Takima is guilty of the crime of treason as well as the crime of being selfish and putting himself before the state. There is another motive behind his not informing the authorities, and that is that as long as Tom remains in Dr. Sadao’s house, he will have leverage over Dr. Sadao and will be able to manipulate him easily, that is another reason why the assassins don’t turn up finally. The General might be accused of not only lack of patriotism but also dereliction of duty. He is a coward who beats his wife at home, and tortures prisoners on the battlefield but is himself frightened of pain and the suffering caused by his ailment!

f) Dr. Sadao’s father, although we don’t get to see him as a living figure is an important character who makes his presence felt as an ultra-nationalist, a conservative and orthodox person who believes in Japanese hegemony; the right of one country to rule over the whole world. He represents a strong belief in racial superiority and the concept of the super race that was the driving force behind the second world war. It is ironical that Dr.Sadao and Hana put Tom in Dr. Sadao’s room.

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