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An Enemy of the People (Dover Thrift Editions) |
Author: Henrik Ibsen
Published: 1999-02-02 |
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 One of Ibsen's most militant plays!
Ibsen is often revered as the father of modern drama, and his influence has been compared to that of Shakespeare's influence in 16th century England. This particular play is a treatise on Ibsen's ideology. In it Ibsen is putting forth his very liberal ideas and he does not spare anyone. Both liberals and conservatives are blasted in this play that points out clearly that any individual does not stand a chance if he tries to go public with his ideas, especially if those ideas go against the majority opinion. Yes, it is a militant play, but it is also a comedy that shows real pathos and warm humour.
 An Enemy of the People
Dr. Stockman is portrayed as the protagonist who champions himself as the herioc individual who makes a bleak discovery about the community. He thunders to announce the new discovery against the wishes of his opposition Mayor Peter Stockman. Dr. Stockman is characterized as the man of nobility at the beginning of the play and as the plot begins to unfold the townspeople denounce him as an enemy of the people. Mrs. Stockman's character is portrayed as submissive. Will she patiently await the distruction of her entire family? Will Dr. Stockman sacrifice his personal beliefs for the welfare of his family?
Ibsen on the conflict between idealism and practicality
Henrik Ibsen is the father of modern drama and his 1882 drama "An Enemy of the People" ("En folkefiende") was one of his more controversial works. In the play Dr. Stockmann discovers that the new baths built in his town are infected with a deadly disease that requires they should be closed until they can be repaired. However, the mayor of the town (the Burgomaster), who is Stockmann's brother Peter, rejects the report and refuses to close the baths because it will bring about the financial ruin of the town. When Dr. Stockmann tries to make his case to the people of the town, the mayor counters by pointing out how expensive it would be to repair the baths and dismisses the doctor for having wild, fanciful ideas. At the public meeting Dr. Stockmann is declared "an enemy of the people" by the Burgomaster.
To really appreciate this particular Ibsen play you have to look at it in the context of his previous dramas, because they all represent a conflict between the playwright and his critics. In 1879 Ibsen's play "A Doll's House" ("Et dukkehjem") was produced, wherein the character of Nora pretends to be a silly little wife in order to flatter her husband, who is revealed to be a hypocritical fraud. The idea that a woman would leave her husband and children was seen as being outrageous and basically obscene. Ibsen upset his audience and critics even more in his next play, "Ghosts" ("Gengangere"), an 1881 drama that again attacks conventional morality and hypocrisy. The topic is of congenital venereal disease but the true subject is moral contamination. Mrs. Alving has buried her husband, a degenerate who has left behind a son dying from syphilis and an illegitimate daughter who is probably going to end up being a prostitute. The play ends with Mrs. Alving having to decide if she should poison her son to put him out of his misery or let his agonies persist.
Again, Ibsen was attacked for outraging conventional morality. The following year after "Ghosts" the playwright responded with "An Enemy of the People" and the character that is most identified with representing Ibsen on stage in Dr. Stockmann. The allegory is quite plain when the play is considered within the context of Ibsen's work during this period, although while Stockmann is portrayed as a victim there is a sense of destructiveness to his behavior. At the end of the play Stockman has decided to leave the town, but then changes his mind to stay and fight for those things he believes are right.
As is the case with most of Ibsen's classic works, "An Enemy of the People" speaks to larger issues than those in conflict in the play. The debate is over the bad water pipes at the new baths, but the true conflict is over the clash of private and public morality. Dr. Stockmann is by far the most idealistic of Ibsen's characters, and that fact that he is opposed by his own brother, the Burgomaster, harkens back to Genesis and the fight between Cain and Able. As was the case with "Ghosts," there is an ambiguous ending where what happens next can be seen as going either way given your own inclinations as a member of the audience.
Both of the Stockman brothers are flawed. Dr. Stockman's idealism is at odds with the practical realities of the world in which he lives while the Burgomaster ignores ethical concerns. Ultimately, Ibsen is not forcing us to choose between the two but rather to reject both in terms of some middle ground. The Burgomaster is certainly old school, believing those in authority get to make all the decisions and that the people must subordinate themselves to the society. But he was the one who made the mistake of putting the new water pipes in the wrong place, so even his claims that he is looking out for the welfare of the community are dishonest. Dr. Stockman argues for individual freedom and the right of free expression, but his attempt to fix the problem ignores any effort at persuasion or building public support. He also seems to take pleasure in be able to show that his brother made a mistake. Still, in the end we have to favor the doctor over the mayor because his integrity is clearly stronger, while still recognizing that his idealism is tragically flawed.
I Cannot Lie - I Didn't Understand It...
Have you ever watched a movie or play, and at the end of it you say, "I don't get it"? ---> But everyone around you says it was the greatest thing they have ever seen... well, I will not pretend to be a pseudo-intellectual. Ibsen was way over my head with this book.Superficially the book was extremely interesting from the standpoint of: will one man be willing to stand up to a city when he knows what is right? In our story, the protagonist has discovered that the Norwegian baths are filled with a poisonous organism. However, when he voices this, the entire town goes against him because it will cost them economically, and they put the pressure on him to refute that which he knows is correct. From that standpoint - the book is excellent... and we are held to find the outcome. Where it lost me personally was when Ibsen went on his political diatribe. He further alienated me via his pages of discussion on liberalism in a manner that seemed conservative to me. Nevertheless, I enjoyed these speeches as well, and they admittedly felt more contemporary Republican than Liberal Democrat. In the end, I would have to recommend this book, but say "Feel free to not understand." It is okay to embrace that not everything is clear, and at times his points are lost on minds as dull as mine. Embrace your ignorance, and enjoy it for what it is
Science versus politics
"An Enemy of the People," by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, has been published as part of the Dover Thrift Edition series (that's the version I read for purposes of this review). The Dover edition is a republication of an anonymous translation. The back cover data notes that the play was first staged in 1883."Enemy" tells the story of Dr. Thomas Stockmann, a medical officer for his town's public baths. When he discovers that the baths are contaminated and pose a health hazard, he is led into conflict with his brother Peter, who is the town's mayor. The tension increases as the drama moves towards its conclusion. "Enemy" is an intriguing piece of literature. While reading it I was struck by how similar the story is to that of the classic film "Jaws": in both stories, a political leader is at odds with an idealistic public servant who is concerned about a danger involving public waters! The play contains much thought-provoking dialogue. Ibsen looks at the interrelationships among politicians, the press, science, and the general public. His characters question issues of truth, authority, and majority rule. Dr. Stockmann begins as a noble character, but I thought he becomes too over-the-top and in some scenes is reduced to a shrill, dogmatic cartoon (especially when he delivers a bizarre rant about poodles and hens). I honestly wasn't sure what Ibsen was trying to accomplish in some of the doctor's more outrageous dialogue. Still, "Enemy" remains a compelling piece of art. For an intriguing companion text, try "Inherit the Wind," by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, which has some similar themes and motifs.
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