Sea and Poison
Shusaku Endo's novel The Sea and Poison was published in 1958. Although it is set during World War II, The Sea and Poison is about much more than the war. The novel is about bioethics. The fact that The Sea and Poison is set against the backdrop of one of the bloodiest wars in history is appropriate from a literary perspective. Morality of war is juxtaposed with the morality of self-serving doctors. The decisions that doctors make in their own interest is depicted alongside the decisions that generals make to take prisoners of war and strip them of their humanity. Therefore, Endo's novel is multilayered and complex. The lessons Endo tries to teach through the moral turpitude of The Sea and Poison remain salient today, especially in light of the growing conflicts of interest in a for-profit American healthcare system.
The Sea and Poison is as realistic as it is dystopic. Dr. Suguro is an oddly familiar character, who resembles any number of doctors who and researchers who have struggled with the system of science and medicine. Suguro hides behind the cloak of authority, much as soldiers can during wartime. In Japanese society especially, authority has a strong bearing on a person's actions and perceived moral responsibility....
A person who follows orders is not held morally accountable, because obeying authority is viewed as an ethical duty. American culture is not as forgiving of the "following orders" excuse, which is why Endo's novel enjoys remarkable crossover appeal between his Japanese and American readership. On some level, Suguro knows that what he is doing is wrong, and that there can be no justification for it. This suggests the potential for a universal system of morals that transcends cultural relativism and situational ethics. Wartime ethics are theoretically no different from any other ethics; war is inherently wrong from a moral standpoint, just as performing medical procedures on prisoners of war is also wrong from a moral standpoint. Endo's novel reveals the differences between a deontological system that values obedience and social order; versus one that values and respects the sanctity of life. It becomes important to clarify moral goals, and to understand how each person contributes to moral degeneracy. The issue of personal responsibility for moral decisions is raised particularly well in this novel.
Doctors like Toda are portrayed as viewing human life as being disposable. Their lack of morality is frightening, and…
