Loving ‘An Enemy of the People’

One hundred twenty-one years after it was first published, Henrik Ibsen’s classic book An Enemy of the People remains truthful and challenging. I love it because Ibsen wrote it like a parable where he poured out his wrath on political hypocrisy, ignorant majority rule and giving in to lies and deceit in the name of socio-economic concerns. In fact, if the enemy in this play is a real person, he will gain my respect and I will be his friend. Surely, we’ll be branded as antisocials but eventually the truth will set us free.

Although one of the thinnest of Ibsen’s masterpieces, its lessons are invaluable. It tells us that the majority is not always right and truth is always victorious. In this regard, it is a must-read for mature readers, most especially the voters because the play’s lessons will remind and encourage them to choose the best and truthful leaders. I also recommend it to the presidential candidates in the upcoming elections if they want to serve with effectiveness, integrity and firmness for the future of our children and nation.

The play’s protagonist, Dr. Thomas Stockmann, medical officer of a coastal town in Southern Norway, finds out after thorough scientific investigation that the public baths, the town’s civic pride and joy, are full of harmful bacteria, dangerous to health both internally and externally. In other words, a cesspool that has to be closed for two years for rehabilitation. As a way of presenting his scientific findings to the public, he seeks the help of his friends and supporters.

However, Peter Stockmann – who’s the town mayor, chief of police, chairman of the board of the baths and the doctor’s elder brother – opposes the plan because he wants to save his political career and prevent other problems from happening. He explains that if they close the baths, money from visitors and tourists will stop coming in and jobs will be lost. A lot of money will be needed to fix the baths. Of course, the shareholders will not be happy, as well as the townspeople who will pay for it, too. The worse case scenario might be a riot, political turmoil and who knows what else. But this reality principle and predictions will just delay the problems from happening because whether they like it or not, the truth will come out.

Using threats and influence, the sly mayor convinces everybody to withdraw their support for the doctor. Getting mad at their conspiracy, hypocrisy, stupidity and cowardice, Dr. Stockmann calls for a public meeting. Along with his loyal wife Katherine, children Petra, Ejlif and Morten and true friend Captain Horster, the doctor bravely stands by the truth during the meeting and angrily reveals his contempt for the town leaders, the press, the majority and society as a whole. The doctor is proclaimed an enemy of the state, idiots throw stones at his house, he loses his job, his family is persecuted and his hypocritical brother tells him to leave town.

Surprisingly, the story doesn’t end in tragedy. The doctor and his family turn out to be very rich and don’t have to go. His wealthy father-in-law Morten Kiil, who owns a tannery, buys the shares of the baths. So the doctor stays and fixes the problems. His father-in-law tells him: What’s done can’t be undone, it’s got to be faced. The doctor, on the other hand, proclaimed that educating the young will eliminate the rotten problems of their society in the future and the strongest man is the one who stands alone.

What makes this book close to my heart is the fact that I see our society suffering from the same problems presented in it. Some of our leaders prioritize politicking and their own agenda instead of service to the nation; the media is frequently guilty of giving in to what the people want instead of giving them what they need to know, all in the name of profit; we have many uneducated citizens because of poverty; people are complaining that our water supply is getting dirty and scarce; and many of our rivers are polluted.

Going against the majority is, of course, very dangerous. It’s like a leopard fighting a pack of shrilly, treacherous hyenas. By doing a Dr. Stockmann, the dissenter will most likely lose his good reputation, job, family and friends, blackballed by the majority and their leaders and rich members as well who will use power, money and manipulative ways to protect their vested interests and avoid humiliation and correction. But no matter what, one must still go to the side of the truth because like the story of Jesus Christ, in the end, truth shall prevail.