An Enemy of the People: An Adaptation of the Play by Henrik Ibsen
46 pages • 1-hour read
Arthur MillerAn Enemy of the People: An Adaptation of the Play by Henrik Ibsen
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Themes
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of illness, emotional abuse, and bullying.
The Dangers of the Uninformed Masses
Early in the play, Dr. Stockmann believes that the town will be grateful for his findings. As he discusses the potential fallout from his report, Aslaksen reminds him that it’s “always good to have the majority on your side” (25). Believing the matter of the poisoned water to be a simple, straightforward issue, Dr. Stockmann doesn’t realize how swiftly people can turn when they believe their interests are at stake. The town’s reaction soon reveals the dangers of the uninformed masses.
Other people in the town claim to have the interests of the majority at heart, yet they have no idea of what the majority actually wants or how truly democratic—or not—the town’s community may be. Billing and Hovstad consider themselves radicals, with Hovstad criticizing the minority of wealthy business owners who he believes are running the town, calling out “that smug cabal” as a deplorable example of minority rule (23). Hovstad believes that, following a radical, progressive uprising, the majority will seize control of society and create something more egalitarian. His work at the newspaper speaks to his belief in the needs of the many over the few, yet his dwindling sales figures and the constant need for financial support offer an early hint that Hovstad’s belief in the majority is misguided. When his own economic interests are on the line, he, too, sides with the majority and serves his own self-interest before the needs of the people. Thus, even the young radicals find themselves suddenly aligned with the cynical, reactionary reality of majority rule.
Dr. Stockmann strikes an increasingly lonely figure as he advocates for the publication of his report in spite of massive public outcry. The majority fear that his report may cost them money; they fear that the mistakes made in building the baths may lead to higher taxes, and they’re willing to persuade themselves into believing that the report is wrong and that people won’t get sick. The majority rules in favor of censorship and against Dr. Stockmann, who rallies “against the age-old lie that the majority is always right” (61). Unnamed citizens shout out against him, and the windows of his home are smashed, indicating that “the masses” can behave just as tyrannically as small elites when they lose sight of democratic principles and truth.
Dr. Stockmann’s ostracization thus becomes a cautionary tale in the dangers of majority rule, illustrating how self-interest can prompt people into willful ignorance that contravenes their stated ideals. From anonymous citizens to presumed radicals like Hovstad, the majority serves as an enemy against the truth.
The Moral Limits of Compromise
The plot of An Enemy of the People is predicated on the tension of compromise. Dr. Stockmann believes that publishing his report is the right thing to do, even if it will economically harm the people of the town. The town’s outraged response, however, forces Dr. Stockmann into a moral dilemma, as he now must take personal risks to uphold his position. As he faces increased pressure to give in, the protagonist wrestles with the moral limits of compromise.
Dr. Stockmann faces calls even from his nearest and dearest allies to urge compromise from him. Catherine is dedicated to supporting her husband, yet even she urges compromise as the brutal reality of the situation comes into focus. She suggests that Dr. Stockmann must “learn to live with [injustice]” because he’s risking his family’s future (35). Dr. Stockmann’s father-in-law tries to force him to compromise by threatening his reputation and his children’s inheritance. Peter, who is Dr. Stockmann’s brother as well as the town’s mayor, threatens him with professional ruin and social ostracization if he doesn’t recant his findings. The limits of Dr. Stockmann’s morality are tested, yet he stands firm.
Dr. Stockmann’s refusal to compromise his principles contrasts with the ability of the other characters to compromise their values to protect their own interests. Billing and Hovstad abandon their radicalism when they realize that publishing the report could mean losing their financial backing from the very elite they claim to oppose ideologically. Peter privately admits that he doesn’t doubt the contents of the report but nevertheless refuses to publicly admit that he made a mistake with the baths’ water supply and that it will be costly to fix it. The townspeople themselves show an uncomfortable willingness to compromise their principles: Instead of caring for how the baths could cause real harm to visitors, they instead double down on rejecting the report, thinking only of how they would have to pay higher taxes and lose income in the meantime.
Kiil is amused that the townspeople would “love to murder” Dr. Stockmann (74), not only because his report threatens their economic interests but also because his refusal to compromise his morals casts them in a bad light. He is targeted by the townspeople precisely because they resent their own shallow morality getting exposed by his firmly held principles. To them, Dr. Stockmann must be made to compromise, lest they be forced to reckon with their own failings.
Family Loyalty Strained by Power and Status
The Stockmann brothers find themselves on different sides of the central dispute in the play. Dr. Stockmann and Peter are very different people: Dr. Stockmann is generous and jovial, while the miserly and restrained Peter marvels at this “extraordinary” way of living and jealously guards his power as mayor. Their clash over the issue of the contaminated water reveals how family loyalty can become strained by power and status.
While Dr. Stockmann is well regarded in the community, he’s not a permanent fixture. Until recently, he struggled in “that crooked corner of the north” (7), a chastening experience. Peter, meanwhile, rose through the ranks and was elected mayor of the town. He embodies the institutional power of the position, and he cherishes the importance it gives him, with other characters addressing him as “your honor.” As Dr. Stockmann notes, much of Peter’s time as mayor has been dedicated to the baths. He has used his position to advocate for the building of the baths as a financial boon to the town, meaning that he’s both economically and reputationally invested in the success of the baths. The idea that they were built in a way that might lead to sickness is an affront to Peter’s public reputation as well as his view of himself. His loyalty to his brother wavers because he’s more committed to the power and status of the role of mayor than he is to his own brother.
Peter betrays his brother by persuading the rest of the town to turn against him. He manipulates the newspaper into not publishing the story, tries to silence Dr. Stockmann by preventing him from making his findings public in any major venue, and openly slanders his brother by claiming that he’s motivated by radicalism or self-interest instead of genuine concern for public health. Peter shows his own lack of loyalty by choosing to maintain his power and reputation over the truth and his brother’s own safety. He is disloyal and infects others with disloyalty, just as the baths infect people with bacteria.
Kiil is similarly concerned with his own status and shows even less loyalty toward his own family. He owns the tannery that pours poison into the water of the baths. If people were to discover this, he fears that they would criticize him. Kiil’s reputation is “exceedingly important” to him, so he can’t countenance the idea that his status in the community would be affected by the truth. Kiil is the pessimistic endpoint for the play’s discussion of family loyalty, showing how even someone already as distrusted and as poorly regarded as Kiil will still betray his kin to cling to their self-interest.
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