“Enemy of the People” (Norway. En folkefiende is a play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, written in 1882.
Dr. Thomas Stockman is a respected resident of a seaside town in southern Norway that has just discovered healing waters, in which Stockman played an important role in the study. His brother Peter is Mayor (Vogt), Police Chief and Chairman of the Resort Board. The resort is extremely important for residents, as the influx of tourists promises to become a source of prosperity for the entire city. A lot of money has been invested in the construction of the spa. However, some time after starting her work, Stockman discovers that sewage waste enters the healing waters, as a result of which tourists who come for treatment fall ill with serious illnesses. He considers this discovery his main achievement, develops a project for an expensive sewer reconstruction and sends a report to his brother.
To Stockman's surprise, all city officials, including his brother, are either unaware of the danger or don't want to respond to it, because closing the resort or starting work would be a disaster for the city. During one of the arguments, Peter calls Thomas “an enemy of society.” When Stockman realizes that his attempts will fail, he arranges a meeting of city residents at which he proclaims that the most dangerous “enemies of truth and freedom are the united majority.” Soon, everyone turns their backs on Stockman and his family, even his friends who had previously supported him. He himself is fired, and teachers refuse to teach his children. In the final, Stockman comes to the conclusion that on all important issues, the majority will always be wrong. He tells his family that “the strongest person in the world is the one who is most alone.”
“Enemy of the People” is one of Ibsen's most “social” plays. The image of Stockman is one of Ibsen's most unequivocal protagonists, and the author is clearly on his side. Stockman is opposed to cowardly and selfish citizens. As long as he acts in accordance with generally accepted values, he holds a high position in society, but as soon as Stockman becomes a whistleblower, society immediately announces a boycott. In later plays, Ibsen paid more attention to the characters' inner world, so their images appeared more contradictory.
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