An Enemy of the People Themes

In An Enemy of the People, Dr. Stockmann, a small-town doctor in Norway, faces the consequences of negative public opinion after discovering water contamination in the town’s newly-constructed public baths. The town prides itself on its democratic principles, but in fact the excessive power of public opinion means that Dr. Stockmann is ostracized and abused simply for making an unpleasant discovery. At the same time, it becomes increasingly clear that the town’s…

In An Enemy of the People, a small-town doctor attempts to warn the public about water contamination in a newly constructed health spa through the People’s Messenger, the town’s liberal newspaper. Dr. Stockmann is at first close to the Messenger’s editors, Hovstad and Billing, and views the newspaper as a beacon of transparency and progress in his traditional town. It’s soon clear that this belief is mistaken, however—Hovstad and Billing slant…

In An Enemy of the People, Dr. Stockmann has to decide whether to obey the town authorities who want him to suppress findings of water contamination, or follow his own instincts regardless of their desires. Through the character of Peter Stockmann, who invokes reverence for the government as a way to stifle progress and increase his own power, the play argues against blindly respecting authority without questioning its aims. But while Dr. Stockmann…

An Enemy of the People describes Dr. Stockmann’s failed attempt to address water contamination in his small town, raising the question of who should have the power to effect or stifle social change. The play critiques the town’s upper class, showing that leaders fail to act on Dr. Stockmann’s findings because doing so would require them to forfeit some of their money and power. But it also casts doubt on ordinary citizens’ ability to…