Ethical and moral dilemma

The play An enemy of the people, is written by Henrik Ibsen. It condemns the corruption and unethical character among political leaders. The main character Dr. Stockmann struggles alone to do the right thing in the whole town. All the people in the town go against him, yet he is trying to help them. This play is based on a serious issue affecting most societies, but it is full of humor. The playwright has used this play as his voice to address its main theme. When it was headed for publishing, the Ibsen told informed the publisher that he was not sure about its genre. It was full of humor, but its main theme was a serious issue (Ibsen, 12).

Dr. Thomas Stockmann

Dr. Stockmann is one of the presiding offices of the baths. He is hopeful these baths will benefit the community by attracting tourists. This character is idealistic and dedicated to serving the people of his town. He was keen enough to note the baths were being polluted by the wastes from the tannery. The contamination spread diseases, especially to the tourists. He swiftly made a proposal to suggest the solution to the Mayor. The dilemma and conflict has been developed through the character of Dr. Stockmann. His proposal is declined by the Mayor, and this is where the conflict begins.

Dr. Stockmann is an example of the minority group in a society, who fight for accountability and transparency in authorities. When Stockman tries telling the truth to the people and hesitates to believe, he is declared an enemy of the people (Miller, 121). The mayor threatens him by telling saying he will be charged with insubordination from the rest of the people. His passion for morals and ethical practices denies him the freedom of speech and expression. People in power tend to suppression other citizens who do contrary to their interests. It is common for leaders to persuade citizens to support their policies even when people know they are against their welfare. For instance, the people supported closure of the baths, yet they were the major beneficiaries. Public revenue had been used to build the baths, yet the people did not consider the loss, which would be incurred if the baths were closed down.

Peter Stockmann

He is the mayor of the town and initially, they combine efforts with his brother Dr. Thomas to start the bath project. The mayor is mostly interested with his political power and does not want to accept that one day he will retire from his position. He feels insecure when his brother tells him how the upcoming generation is bringing changes to the town and the rest of the world. He cannot help thinking this is a threat to his power (Miller, Ibsen & Guare, 31). The mayor and the rest of the authorities do not consider the pollution of baths as a serious issue. They argue the solution from Dr. Stockmann will be too costly to the town. This disagreement depicts unethical actions since he is required to solve the pollution problem.

Catherine Stockmann

Catherine is Dr. Stockmann’s wife who also believes in morals and ethical practices. He supports his husband and is loyal, but she puts her family first. She tries to persuade Dr. Stockmann to stop the follow up on the baths, but Petra protests in favor of his father. She always told her husband to prioritize his family and do away with issues, which would jeopardize the welfare of his family. Unfortunately, Dr. Stockmann is staunch on his crusade on ethical and social responsibility. Catherine plays a role of people who prefer reasoning according to realism. If the whole town were against an idea, she would prefer to abandon it too because it would not be possible to defeat the majority.

Question 1

Solving Dr. Stockmann’s trilemma would be a difficult task and a process. All people, including his wife are against his ideologies. Only his daughter supports him, and it becomes worse for them when they are both fired from their work because of their stand. Such a conflict could be started by talking to a few people and opening up their understanding (Carnegie, 51).

. Some people follow malicious leaders blindly because they do not understand their rights. For example, the public money had been used in this project yet the people did not understand the loss

Spreading the word of truth to a few people would enable them share with the rest of the people in town. After the majorities understand the real situation of the issue, they would force the authority to take the necessary measures. Dr. Thomas has a duty to his family and society and family but both parties conflict in their demands. Only Catherine is opposing his husband’s ideology but if Dr. Thomas would convince her, Catherine would support her (Ibsen, 154). Dr. Thomas’s duty to his profession surpasses his duty to his employer. This is because the mayor is self-centered and unethical. Therefore, Dr. Thomas should obey his professional code of ethics and do what is right for the public.

Dr. Stockmann is a hero to his hometown. Although the people do not support him, he is still willing to help them identify bad leadership fro the town mayor and solve the problem of the baths. Dr. Stockmann is not only ethical but also social responsible. He is concerned about the environment of his town, and this made him write and present his proposal to the mayor. His professional duty is to save lives, and through his proposal, the pollution would stop, and people would be safe from water borne diseases. The safety of the baths would continue to attract tourists who would bring revenue to the town. The town’s economy would be uplifted as well the living standards (Carnegie, 133). According to this play, it is possible to have a duty to the society, but society is against it. This happens if people do not understand the significance of the duty. The title of this play is ironical to the story since the main character is a savior of the people.

Works cited

Carnegie, Dale. How to Win Friends and Influence People. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009. Print.

Henrik, Ibsen. Enemy of the People. S.l.: Dodo Press, 2005. Print.

Miller, Arthur, Collected Plays, 1944-1961. New York, NY: Library of America, 2006. Print.

Miller, Arthur, Ibsen, Henrik, and Guare, John. An Enemy of the People: An Adaptation of the Play by Henrik Ibsen. New York, N.Y: Penguin Books, 2010. Print.