Betrayal In An Enemy Of The People By Henrik Ibsen

Betrayal In the book An Enemy of The People by Henrik Ibsen, the author portrays the theme of betrayal to the reader. An Enemy of The People is a book about a small town, that used to be plagued by poverty, but after the success of the Baths has miraculously become prosperous. Dr. Stockmann is a Medical Officer on the Board of the Baths and discovers that a tannery run by his father-in-law is polluting the water and making people ill. The author explores the use of betrayal as a theme by showing the breaking of bonds between Dr. Stockmann, the main character, and his friends and family. The use of theme shows that sometimes those who are closest to you are the most likely to betray you. Throughout the book Ibsen portrays the theme of betrayal

Dr. Stockmann speaks with his close family and friends about the condition of the Baths. Morten Kiil, Dr. Stockmann’s father-in-law, is speaking to Dr. Stockmann about how he bought shares in the Baths with Dr. Stockmann’s Wife’s inheritance. “To think you could do such a preposterous thing! Risking Katherine’s money in this way, and putting me in a horribly painful dilemma! When I look at you I see the devil himself” (Ibsen 76). Dr. Stockmann’s use of the words “preposterous” and “dilemma” show that he is caught off guard by Morten’s lack of support for Dr. Stockmann’s cause and that he hasn’t quite grasped the entirety of Morten’s trickery. Dr. Stockmann is speaking to his wife about how the townspeople are treating him. “Are you suggesting that I should stay here, where they have pilloried me as an enemy of the people- branded me- broken my windows!” (68). Dr. Stockmann’s choice of the words “pilloried” and “branded” show that the townspeople do not support Dr. Stockmann and that they believe that Dr. Stockmann has betrayed him. Through Dr. Stockmann’s word choice, the author effectively conveys the theme of betrayal to the

As the story progresses, the characters start to show their genuine personalities. This is evidenced when The People’s Messenger’s authors change their support from against Dr. Stockmann to for him as long as Dr. Stockmann pays them. “If I don’t come to the rescue of The People’s Messenger, you will certainly take an evil view of the affair” (79). This reinforces the theme of betrayal within the book by showing how the authors of The People’s Messenger change their alliances according to who is willing to pay them. Similarly, while Dr. Stockmann is talking to his brother, his brother abruptly changes his stance on the Baths. “I should like to propose that the meeting should not permit the Medical Officer either to read or to comment on his proposed lecture” (54). This displays how Peter Stockmann betrays Dr. Stockmann, the Medical Officer of the Baths, by attempting to convince the people of the town that Dr. Stockmann is trying to deceive them. By telling the people at the meeting that Dr. Stockmann should not be listened to, shows that Peter is not how he seemed in the beginning of the book. This is shown when Peter is invited into the Stockmann’s house for some food. “I! No, thank you. Good gracious-hot meat at night!” (2). Mrs. Stockmann inviting Peter into her home shows a stark difference between how he his behaviour changes throughout the book. The use of characterization in