An Enemy Of The People by Henrik Ibsen

935 Words2 Pages

Dr. Thomas Stockmann: Hero or Enemy ?

Dr. Thomas Stockmann is the Medical Officer of the Baths in the play ''enemy of the people'' by Henrik Iben; and the brother of the Burgomaster (mayor) of the town. Jovial by nature, the doctor enjoys the company of "bright, cheerful, freedom loving young fellows" who share his idealism and ability to think freely.

Throughout the play, Stockman shows himself to be a conscientious person and a caring father.

He surely is the strongest character in this play with the most powerful motivation, which is truth and that only. Dr. Stockmann is determined to reveal to the public the health problems they are encountering with the contaminated baths, and is sure that they will thank him for that and appoint him as a hero for the caring of their welfare.

The doctor makes excessive attempts to make the fact known and he will not budge on his stance to protect the general public, even though it is against the will of the mayor, his brother, and the authorities.

Will the truth triumph over falsehood and the willingness of an individual to stand up against corrupt bureaucrats?

Dr. Stockmann bravely decides to fight but he doesn't realize the weight of the task he is undertaking,

His discovery that could lead him to be the hero of the town could as well make him the ‘'enemy of the people," if he doesn't handle the matter with extra care.

Dr. Stockmann originally came up with the plans for the baths. When the Burgomaster and the Town Council became involved, the doctor's plans were not followed and short cuts were taken. In fact, the Burgomaster insisted that the baths and the pipes be placed exactly in their present location.

The doctor grew suspicious about problems with the baths when he saw several sick patients. Through his own initiative, he tests the water and discovers that the baths, which supply much of the town's livelihood, are contaminated and became a "pestiferous hole,'' because of the faulty lying of the water pipes approaches the Burgomaster, who is also the Chairman of the Baths Committee. He reports the contamination and insists that the pipes be re-laid properly. He threatens to have his article about the baths printed in the local newspaper if corrective again is not immediately begun.

The Burgomaster insists that re-laying the pipes is out of the question because of the expense

Show More
Related

  • Every Dictator's Nightmare, by Wole Soyinka

    1270 Words  | 3 Pages

    Wole Soyinka's essay "Every Dictator's Nightmare" in the April 18, 1999 edition of the New York Times magazine seems almost prescient in light of the events currently occurring geopolitically. The recent events occurred in Egypt are certainly representative of the themes present in Soyinka's essay; “the idea that certain fundamental rights are inherent to all humanity" (476). Soyinka, the 1986 noble peace prizewinner for literature, portrays not only his well-formed persona in his essay, but also his well formed thoughts, devoid of literary naiveté common in so many of today’s writers. The essay portrays societies as corrupted, but with some elements of innate nobility. The existence of societies is guaranteed by the realization that every individual has undeniable basic rights. Soyinka also presents an overview of the enslavement of individual cultures; to the forces of religion, dictatorship, economic pressures, forced labor, and ideology; presenting the reader strong examples of the world's failure to respect individual human rights throughout history. In his essay, Soyinka’s explores the employment of irony and contradiction, in explaining the paradoxes that have riddled the historical search for just societies.

    Read More

  • Crow Lake

    972 Words  | 2 Pages

    The element of setting is used to create a definite atmosphere, and therefore, helping to create a desired mood .In Kate’s childhood, she and Matt visited the ponds regularly. They used to go “through the woods with their luxuriant growth of poison ivy, along the tracks, past the dusty boxcars lines up receive their loads of sugar beets, down the steep sandy path to the ponds themselves” (Lawson 4). Lawson has used powerful imagery to further describe the ponds. The settings of the ponds are a central part of the story. The ponds are a symbol of the tight relationship between Matt and Kate. They had spent “hundreds of hours there” (Lawson 15). Ponds were like a home to her. In the prologue, Kate stated that “there is no image of my childhood that I carry with me more clearly than that” (Lawson 4). The ponds also symbolizes Kate’s childhood. Matt and Kate were able to overcome the tragedy of their parent’s death by visiting the ponds, but however, they did not survive Matt’s “disloyalty”. The ponds later developed into the scene of the crime. Kate mentions in the book “By the following September the ponds themselves would have been desecrated twice over, as far as I was concerned, and for some years after that I did not visit them at all” (Lawson 218). Therefore, the ponds are of great significance in Crow Lake. The setting has developed from a warm, sweet, memorable place to a scene of crime in crow Lake.

    Read More

  • The Frivolity of Evil by Theodore Dalrymple

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    The article "The Frivolity of Evil" by Theodore Dalrymple analyzes the causes of human misery. His work as a psychiatrist in Great Britains slums afforded him a great vantage point to analyze this topic "nearer to the fundamental of human existence." He concluded that the citizens of Great Britian willingly participated in precipitating their own misery. Their are three recurring theme in his article the lack of moral responsibility, extreme individualism and lack of cultural expectations. Dalrymple begins his article by showing the mind frame of a prisoner released from prison, who had the idea that he had paid his debt to society. In order to get his point across Dalrymple compares the prisoners situation to his very own, the 14 years he spent as a psychiatrist in the slums of Great Britain. He had a choice to choose a different neighborhood just like the prisoner had a choice not to commit the crime. His argument in this article is that our misery stems from the choices we make about how we choose to live our lives. He was also able to cement his arguments by comparing and contrasting the political and social differences between Great Britain and those of Liberia, North Korea and Central America. Dalrymple observed that the people in other countries had their choices taken way from them the crimes and brutality committed in these countries where not their own making. However, in Great Britain the life of violence and poverty was "unforced and spontaneous." Dalrymple argues that the evils in his country are a product of a society that promotes individualism and accepts the right of its citizens to pursue pleasures for their own self interest.

    Read More

  • Free College Essays - Character Analysis in The Portable Phonograph

    611 Words  | 2 Pages

    older of the men, Doctor Jenkins, is the leader and his character is full of

    Read More

  • The Wars by Timothy Findley

    726 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people say that the metal of a man is found in his ability to keep his ideals in spite of anything that life can through at you. If a man is found to have done these things he can be called a hero. Through a lifelong need to accept responsibility for all living things, Robert Ross defines his heroism by keeping faith with his ideals despite the betrayal, despair and tragedy he suffers throughout the course of The Wars by Timothy Findley.

    Read More

  • War and Massacre, by Thomas Nagel

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “War and Massacre” by Thomas Nagel, Nagel argues that there are limits on what can be done to an enemy even its for the sake of overall good. He believes that such an idea is grounded on the principles of Absolutism, where morality is determined by the action itself (deontology). This is contrary to the view of Utilitarianism, which relies on the premise that Morality is determined by its consequences (Consequentialism). Although could one in fact generate such a moral structure around war? Do the ends justify the means in War? Through identifying with a real-life example, I will look to expand on Nagel’s account where an action taken by a country in war would be prohibited even if it were for the overall good.

    Read More

  • Nazi Death Camps in the Night by Elie Wiesel

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    Night is an non fiction, dramatic book that tells the horrors of the nazi death camps all around Europe. The book is an autobiographical account of what happened, so the main character is the author. The author is Elie Wiesel who was only 14 year old when Nazi Germany came through his town of Sighet, Transylvania. This is story is set between the years of 1944 and 1945. Elie and his family of 4 are optimistic when Germany begins to take power. Germany invades Hungary, then arrives in Elie’s town. The Nazi’s begin to take over the Jews by limiting their freedom. Jews are eventually deported. The Jewish people are crowded into wagons where they are shipped to Auschwitz. He is separated from his mother and sister. Over the course of the book, Elie and his father are sent to two different concentration camps. Their final concentration camp is Buchenwald. His father ends up dieing before the allied troops liberated Budapest in 1945. Elie is left with the memories of death and violence.

    Read More

  • The Most Evil In The Slavery, By Harriot Stow

    1067 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most evil in the world at that time and what Harriot Stow tells readers about the evil that is slavery. The regards to the slavery the evil is that it affects everyone. The way she details the events in the story shows the struggle of slavery but also the way family life was affected by it. Not because it was just cruel but that to the white slave owners would act as if it was completely normal. That is what the evil is the fact that it is nothing to them just a part of their lives.

    Read More

  • Poverty In The Bathtub: Theme Of Life In The Bathtub

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    325). Wink faced an unknown medical issue in the film, and his problems were usually handled with alcohol or remedies from Mrs. Bathsheba; therefore, leading the audience to wonder if he had adequate medical attention would he be in his condition. As the movie continues and the government enforces a mandatory evacuation of The Bathtub, Wink faces a huge dilemma as Hushpuppy witnesses her dad lash out at the doctors while they are quarantined at this government facility. Hushpuppy soon witnesses her father slip away into a state he never wanted to be in; therefore, leading the young independent girl into a whirlpool of thoughts and emotions and causing the whole group of citizens from The Bathtub to take a chance to get back home. Wink did not want to be plugged in the wall in his final days, so the others from The Bathtub took him home to his final resting place; however, the adverse reaction to the health care provided to Wink, suggests to the audience that he was not receptive to the help or it was too late to recover. According to James Kirby’s study community characteristics influence access to health care and with the citizens of The Bathtub their access to health care was limited due to their lifestyle choices. When the

    Read More

  • Water Method Man by John Irving

    1135 Words  | 3 Pages

    `From the very start of the novel, Fred Trumper's crooked urinary tract is mentioned. It is no coincidence that Fred's life is as mixed up as his urinary tract. His urinary problem, much like his lifestyle, only leads to more problems. "Seven times in the last five years I have suffered this unnamable disorder. Once it was the clap, but that's another story" (Irving 12). One problem only leads to another, but the real problem occurs when trying to solve each situation. Fred Trumper always takes the temporary method of fixation rather than the slightly more tedious but effective permanent means. The water method is a perfect example of Trumper's ignorance towards solving situations. The water method would temporarily help Fred's symptoms, but the main problem, his crooked urinary tract, is never corrected.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Heroism In The Plague By Albert Camus

    793 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...ainst the plague, show it who’s boss. This is good because it shows his persistence and how good his moral character is. Dr. Rieux’s absurd personality is a main contributor as his role as an absurd hero in The Plague.

    Read More

  • The Treatment of Whistleblowers

    1888 Words  | 4 Pages

    It used to be that whistleblowers were applauded, and they still are in the private sector, but it seems as if government whistleblowers are criticized and many are even criminally charged. There is certainly a different take on their activities. In fact, some advocates counsel federal employees not to come forward with information because if they do, their lives will be destroyed (Shulman, 2007). What often happens is that they will never be able to work in their careers again in the same capacity (Shulman, 2007). Many whistleblowers not only lose their jobs, but they lose their families and friends, and much of their money ends up going to attorneys (Shulman, 2007). Indeed, in today’s day and age, there is a surge of whistleblowers prosecutions, and it is quite worrisome (Burghardt, 2011). Are the rights of citizens being eroded in order to protect bureaucratic secrets? Many case studies in this area support the notion that thing have gone awry. First, we shall look at the concept of whistleblowers

    Read More

  • An Enemy of the People

    721 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Mayor in the play had to ignore the truth because of money. Money played a big role in which motivated the Mayor to ignore the situation of the Baths and also ending up in a conflict with Doctor Stockmann. Since the town gained it major income from the Baths, the Mayor didn’t want to expose the public of the truth. When he says, “Oh, the public has no need for new ideas. The public gets on best with the good old recognized ideas it already has” (Ibsen, 94), he’s being very greedy and saying that it’s better to hide the truth because the people will get mad and try to fix the problem. However, fixing the problem costs a lot of money and the Mayor’s extremely concerned with money and reputation. He didn’t want to put time and money in fixing the pipe in the Baths so he just chose to hide the truth and threaten the public with the increase of tax. Therefore, since the Mayor’s position is a leading, responsible one, he buries the truth in order to protect the success of the Baths.

    Read More

  • Corruption in Hamlet by William Shakespeare

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...e for more. Although the presence of this cancer-like corruption may seem inevitable, it can be combated through the use of the virtues of truth, self-control, and, most importantly, love, as demonstrated by the character of Horatio, the only main character survivor at the conclusion of the play.

    Read More

  • War And Peace By Leo Tolstoy

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    Then novel War and Peace was written by a famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy in 1865. The novel describes the war with Napoleon in which many countries were involved such as Russia, Austrian, Prussia, Spain, Sweden, and Britain. The novel mainly focuses on Russia. It reflects the different views and participation in the war of Russian aristocracy and peasants and also shows Tolstoy’s negative viewpoint on the war.

    Read More

More about An Enemy Of The People by Henrik Ibsen

Open Document