An Enemy of the People-Henrik Ibsen
Last blog post, first and only play! "Enemy of the People" is a fascinating work that examines how people perceive truth, especially as it is presented by whistleblowers/those who go against the status quo.
The play is centered around Dr. Thomas Stockmann, a Medical Officer who has overseen the development of the baths in his small Swedish town. The baths are set to employ many people and become a major source of growth. When he realizes that the water in the baths is contaminated and hurting those who touch it, he assumes the town will applaud him for his discovery. However, he finds many opponents to revealing the truth, including his own brother, who worries about the economic viability of the town and discredits Thomas on the basis of his own personal faults. Eventually, he finds many major sects of the town, including the press and common people, turning against him as well, and he must decide whether to stick with his convictions or dissent.
This summary may make it seem like everyone around Thomas is being impossibly irrational, but similar situations have and continue to play out in the public sphere. People who have been public whistleblowers face heavy scrutiny just for speaking out against established institutions, even when the information they reveal really matters to people. Even in my personal life, I've encountered people who refuse to accept the truth when it doesn't align with their religious, political, or moral convictions. Why does this happen? The play depicts many reasons: people support the continuation of the baths because of selfish self-interest, playing to the interests of the public, or protection for their families. I think a big player in the decision to ignore the truth is also the increased social acceptability and easier path that come with passivity. It takes a lot of guts to go against the crowd and very little to follow it.
I would recommend this play for anyone looking for a quick read (I finished this in one night!) and who may enjoy connecting the behaviors of the characters to modern behaviors, especially some that are playing out currently in our political sphere. And this is the first book I've found a free (legal) copy of online, so feel free to get some reading done here.
Tell me about your favorite plays, or anything on your mind, down below! It's been a great semester of blogging/hearing feedback from my classmates. Thank you all :)
The play is centered around Dr. Thomas Stockmann, a Medical Officer who has overseen the development of the baths in his small Swedish town. The baths are set to employ many people and become a major source of growth. When he realizes that the water in the baths is contaminated and hurting those who touch it, he assumes the town will applaud him for his discovery. However, he finds many opponents to revealing the truth, including his own brother, who worries about the economic viability of the town and discredits Thomas on the basis of his own personal faults. Eventually, he finds many major sects of the town, including the press and common people, turning against him as well, and he must decide whether to stick with his convictions or dissent.
This summary may make it seem like everyone around Thomas is being impossibly irrational, but similar situations have and continue to play out in the public sphere. People who have been public whistleblowers face heavy scrutiny just for speaking out against established institutions, even when the information they reveal really matters to people. Even in my personal life, I've encountered people who refuse to accept the truth when it doesn't align with their religious, political, or moral convictions. Why does this happen? The play depicts many reasons: people support the continuation of the baths because of selfish self-interest, playing to the interests of the public, or protection for their families. I think a big player in the decision to ignore the truth is also the increased social acceptability and easier path that come with passivity. It takes a lot of guts to go against the crowd and very little to follow it.
I would recommend this play for anyone looking for a quick read (I finished this in one night!) and who may enjoy connecting the behaviors of the characters to modern behaviors, especially some that are playing out currently in our political sphere. And this is the first book I've found a free (legal) copy of online, so feel free to get some reading done here.
Tell me about your favorite plays, or anything on your mind, down below! It's been a great semester of blogging/hearing feedback from my classmates. Thank you all :)
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