An Enemy of the People

An Enemy of the People was written in reaction to Henrik Ibsen’s previous play, Ghosts (1881), which dealt with sexual vice, moral decay, and syphilis, and was met with mixed reviews. Indeed, Ghosts transformed Ibsen into a sort of populist foe.

AN ENEMY OF PEOPLE SUMMARY

The drama is set in a little village in Norway that has just gained notoriety because of the Kirsten Springs. The Springs were constructed by the municipality and are known for their promise of health and energy. Catherine Stockmann entertains several visitors at her house at the start of the play. Her brother-in-law, the mayor of the town and the Springs’ chairman of the board, drops by and waxes poetic about how the Springs are rejuvenating their community. Stockmann returns home not long after he left. Petra, his daughter and a schoolteacher in her twenties, delivers him a letter that has arrived in the mail.

Stockmann reads it privately before returning to his family, overjoyed. He reveals that he had long suspected that so many people were becoming ill recently and had covertly requested water testing at the Springs. The results of the testing were included in the letter, proving that minute germs from the tannery above the Springs had contaminated the water. His family is ecstatic for him, and he is convinced that once he informs his brother, the community would take action to rehabilitate the Springs. Hovstad, the editor of the People’s Daily Messenger, who is visiting the family, is enthusiastically supportive and promises to publish the piece in his publication.

Catherine’s father, Morten Kiil, pays a visit the next day. He informs Stockmann that he is aware of the news, but believes it is a great prank that Stockmann intends to play on his brother. Then come Hovstad and Aslaksen, the publisher of the newspaper and the Chairman of the Property Owners’ Association. Hovstad is ecstatic about dismantling the town’s established authority, while Aslaksen advises prudence but believes the people support Stockmann.

Peter stops by after the newspapermen have left to speak with his brother. He informs him firmly that he is furious with Stockmann for going behind his back and that the suggested proposal will bankrupt the municipality. Stockman is appalled by his brother’s actions and claims that Peter is just unhappy because he does not want to be held responsible because the Springs were allowed by his administration. Peter responds that a government requires moral authority, and he prevents Stockmann from disclosing the information to the public. Stockman claims that word is already getting out, and that he will utilize the media to spread the word. Peter gets enraged and insists that he keep his beliefs to himself and quit attempting to destroy the community. As the brothers’ fight heats up, Catherine and Petra enter. Following Peter’s departure, Catherine considers Stockmann’s responsibility to his family vs his responsibility to maintain the truth.

The following day, Hovstad, Aslaksen, and Billing, a journalist, meet at the office of the newspaper. Stockmann’s work has aroused their interest, and they are eager to print it. Petra pays a visit to Hovstad and informs him that she does not believe the newspaper has morals since it wishes to publish a translated novel about good people being rewarded and wicked people being punished. Hovstad tries to ingratiate himself with her, but inadvertently insults her father, so she departs.

When Peter goes to the office, he manages to sow doubt and persuade the guys not to run the report since it would result in a hefty tax that will be detrimental to the community. When Peter hears Stockmann approaching, he flees.

When Stockmann walks into the office, he wonders why the men are so cautious about the piece. He knows what has happened when he notices Peter’s cane on a table. When Catherine and Petra go into the office, Catherine accuses Hovstad of making her husband sick. Peter emerges from his hiding place, and he and Stockmann resume their feud. Stockman believes he will march down the street, if necessary, now that his story has been rejected by the publication.

At the captain’s residence in Act II, Stockmann meets with Captain Horster, a travelling sea captain. Horster has consented to host Stockmann’s speech. People begin to arrive and take their seats one by one. An intoxicated person is rude. Stockmann appears to be unpopular in the community, especially when he enters the stage. It is proposed that a moderator be appointed, and Aslaksen is chosen.

Peter is the first to speak, accusing his brother of intending to ruin the community and portraying him as the adversary. In a time of peril, he claims, his right to free expression is limited. He also relates the account of the community before the Springs arrived, and how everyone would be wealthy in the future. Finally, he asks that Stockmann not be allowed to read his report.

Stockman is irritated, but he stands and agrees not to mention the Springs. For a little moment, the heckling stops, and he continues. He criticizes the public’s ignorance as well as the majority’s dictatorship. He implores everyone to consider the possibility of becoming ill.

The mob is enraged and hostile, and Stockmann’s words are meaningless. He is referred to as a people’s enemy, and he is kicked out of the room. Captain Horster says the family is welcome to join him on his ship to America.

The family encounters the town’s animus in Act III. Petra is fired when rocks are hurled through their windows, they are evicted from their house, and they are thrown out. They intend to travel to America, but Catherine is concerned that nothing will change.

Peter approaches Stockmann and attempts to persuade him to admit that he was wrong, but Stockmann refuses. Morten Kiil appears to be buying up stock in the Springs, so Peter suspects his brother of a plan. Stockmann is completely unaware of what is going on, but Peter believes he is.

Kiil appears later and verifies this, as he was the one who contaminated the Springs in the first place with his tannery. Stockmann must cleanse his name, he demands. Stockmann is enraged and refuses, and the two men exchange insults.

Horster pays a visit to the family and informs them that he will not be able to take them on board his ship since the owner fired him as captain owing to his ties to Stockmann.

When the Stockmann boys return home, Morten says that he was beaten because another youngster labelled his father a traitor, and he retaliated. Stockmann is enraged by this. He makes the decision that the family will not flee; instead, they would remain and fight for what is right. They will teach their children at home, and Stockmann will play the role of the people’s adversary. They will be powerful and triumphant because they have truth on their side.

AN ENEMY OF PEOPLE THEME

Self-Interest

All of Dr. Stockmann’s opponents share a deep commitment to their own self-interest, even when it comes at the price of the collective good, which is invariably the case. Peter Stockmann, Dr. Stockmann’s brother, is the mayor, and he is not civic-minded in the least. He is preoccupied with his own fame, power, and feeling of personal goodness. Aslaksen, Billing, and Hovstad, all liberal newspapermen, are all corrupt. What makes people corruptible is that their self-interest takes precedence over their commitment to truth and care for others. Morten Kiil tries to undermine Dr. Stockmann’s efforts and corrupt Dr. Stockmann’s dignity because he is outraged that his good name, and that of his father before him, would be tarnished by the fact that his tannery is to blame for the toxicity of the water.

Social Responsibility

Dr. Stockmann is a personification of the societal obligation that his opponents have substituted with self-interest. In some respects, he is a vain man. He looks forward to the respect he expects to receive as a result of his finding that the water is poisonous. But such vanity is not the same as self-interest. Truth and proper conduct are Dr. Stockmann’s allegiances. His pride stems from the fact that he was successful in making a discovery. Petra, his daughter, is equally driven by a strong sense of social duty in all of her acts and emotions. Captain Horster’s most distinguishing feature is his benevolence. Mrs. Stockmann overcomes her worry of her husband’s activities having negative effects for her family because she is devoted to him and believes he is correct.

Conformity

Conformism, according to Ibsen, is the drive that allows social injustice to flourish. One by one, Dr. Stockmann’s neighbor’s decline to communicate with him, claiming that it is not because they want to, but because they “dare” not. The glazier will not repair his windows just because he is afraid to defy popular opinion. Petra’s school superintendent, it appears, considers herself as progressive as Petra, yet she claims she cannot insult the people. As a result, she molds her ideas and behavior to the low demands of popular opinion, suppressing anything that contradicts them. The villagers appear to cope with their conflicted devotion by conforming. This schism is the result of a disagreement between what is morally correct and what societal pressure requires. They comply to policies they do not agree with but are afraid to reject out of loyalty to a limited self-interest and the need to avoid ostracism or harsher punishment.

Democracy

As the tale progresses, the importance of democracy becomes a primary problem, overshadowing all other concerns—pollution, corruption, greed, and envy. After being labelled as the people’s adversary, Dr. Stockmann begins to question the wisdom of the people and the good of a government run by the people. The majority of people use the word Stockmann utilises. He comes to the conclusion that the majority is always incorrect, and that the few individuals who can see beyond the majority are the ones who know the truth and can point others in the right direction. Cowardice, which compels ordinary people to acquiesce to popular opinion, and those few persons who can influence public mood, such as the mayor, are the two factors that Ibsen demonstrates may defeat democracy.

AN ENEMY OF PEOPLE ANALYSIS

Dr. Stockmann makes a breakthrough that he believes will benefit the town. He pushes for adjustments to the baths, but the town is against him. Not only were his scientific experiments a waste of time, and the townsfolk would suffer as a result, but his right to free expression and self-respect are also being threatened. The only reason the leaders have turned on him, he concludes, is because they are terrified of the people. As a result, he lashes out against the populace. He is driven by both his rage and actual realizations about the town’s corruption.

Ibsen has a two-fold critique of democracy. First, he demonstrates the majority’s tyranny. The majority is a tyrant in the sense that society’s leaders are scared to do what is right because they are at the mercy of the people. Despite the fact that Hovstad intended to print the doctor’s report on the baths, he was terrified of upsetting his subscribers. The mayor is unable to make any adjustments to the baths since the people may discover that he made a mistake in the initial design and vote him out. The majority is terrified of taking risks, and the doctor claims that it lacks the intelligence to do what is right.

While Ibsen depicts the majority’s tyranny, he also demonstrates how leaders may control the majority. When Aslaksen and the mayor seize control of the town meeting, they are manipulating and using the majority. It’s probable that Hovstad used the threat of his subscribers’ fury as an excuse to avoid printing the item himself. He and his subscribers, more than likely, would have been against the doctor. Those in positions of authority, such as Hovstad and the mayor, instantly predict what the majority wants and strive to please them. 

CONCLUSION

An Enemy of the People, in conclusion, presents two main messages. It is, first and foremost, a critique of democracy. Second, it’s the narrative of one man’s bravery and self-respect in the face of adversity.