On November 23, 2024, four of us explored Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. Ibsen begins his story in the residence of Dr. Tomas Stockmann when the doctor gets the letter he has been waiting impatiently to receive while his wife Katrine serves dinner to their guests. The laboratory results confirmed his suspicions that the water in the village spa is contaminated by waste that drains from his father-in-law’s tannery. As a man of science, the doctor feels that he should be honored for his discovery and secures an agreement with Horstad, the editor of the village’s newspaper, and Aslaksen, the printer and the head of the Home Owners Association, to publish the results. However, the mayor, the doctor’s brother, Peter, wants to hide the report because it would make the spa so unattractive that it would ruin the village’s economic prospects. With these economic arguments, the mayor persuaded Hovstad and Aslaksen to withdraw their support for publishing the report.
Enraged, Dr. Stockmann tries to bring the report to the attention of the rest of the village but the mayor closes the town hall for the assembly. However, Captain Horster agreed to let Dr. Stockmann use his house for the meeting. When the villagers gather, they persuade Aslaksen to chair the meeting and to preside over the vote to prevent the doctor from revealing the report. Defiantly, Dr. Stockmann changes the subject when he passionately speaks about social evolution, accusing some in the audience acted like mongrels, others who condemned new, truthful ideas because of the "colossal stupidity of the authorities," and the small-mindedness of "the compact liberal majority" of the people. The audience responded angrily, shouting, "He is an enemy of the people!". As the crowd was leaving, some threatened to break Stockmann's windows. Dr. Stockmann tells his father-in-law that his tannery leaks the poisons into the baths.
In the last act, Dr. Stockmann is sifting the stones that have broken the windows of his study. He seeks passage to the New World on Captain Horster’s ship, but the ship’s owner has fired the captain. Petra, the doctor’s daughter has been fired from her job as the teacher from the local school, and his two sons were also home after being ostracized by their classmates. The mayor comes to the house with a letter from the board of directors of the baths terminating the doctor’s spa medical directorship and with a resolution from the Home Owners Association stating that no villager should be a patient of Dr. Stockmann. The mayor suggests that his brother leave the village but Morten Kiils, the doctor’s father-in-law, tells Tomas that he used Katrine and Petra’s inheritance to buy shares of the spa. The value of the shares will depend on how the doctor handles the situation. Tomas decides to stay to fix the spa’s water supply and to start a new school to educate the waifs of the village along with his sons.
The absurdity of Dr. Stockmann’s situation reveals satiric elements of Ibsen's play, making it a comedy, but are there elements of tragedy? When the doctor declared himself a man of science, was it also his declaration of his hubris, putting him into a position where he could not compromise, leading to his downfall? Did being a man of science also make him an arrogant elitist putting him at odds with the common man? Perhaps Cassandra was placed in the same position when the Greek god Apollo gave her the gift of prophecy but cursed her so that no one would believe her predictions. Are there contemporary Apollos that blind others to the truth? Can news organizations create a virtual reality that influences people's actions, even if that virtual reality hides clear and present dangers? Is there always a price to pay to tell the truth? On the other hand, could Dr. Stockmann be more tactful and persuasive, changing Ibsen’s play into a parable about diplomacy and reconciliation? Could the doctor have created a teachable moment? For that matter, are we, as citizens, obligated to exercise our due diligence in evaluating news reports? Would we be better able to see the truth by learning how to ask questions with Socratic humility, and how to find answers to reveal the truths that others prefer to remain hidden?
We invite you to join our shared inquiry in reading A Doll’s House in A Doll's House and Other Plays by Henrik Ibsen, PT8854.D39 2016 on December 7, 2024, from 2 PM to 4 PM using Google Meet.
