An Enemy of the People

An enemy of the people is a play about Dr. Stockmann a physician who discovers that the local water source, which happens to be the biggest source of his towns income is becoming polluted and has been polluted ever since it was built. Because of the fact that it was polluted people there and people who live there have been sick ever since. The play written by Henrick Isben is actually a play about the power and control of the masses(i.e. government) over the individual with a radical idea of truth. The whole play is a struggle, a deep dark struggle sometimes played off with comedy to keep the mood light, about Dr. Stockmann and his brother the mayor of the town fighting with one another over what to do. Dr. Stockmann rightfully wants to tell the people about the problem and get it fixed, however, his beaurocratic brother sees this as a big loss of money and doesn't want to invest in fixing it nor wants the people to know about it. The issue here is that there are many things in are society that we see everyday, injustices if you will that need to be fixed, starving children and people, pollution, all sorts of things and when we see these things we see a way to fix them but What if we don't have the power to do so? What if living for the one thing that you want to see change the world cost you everything? It cost Dr. Stockmann everything to follow his truth and undying desire to fix this thing, his family was in danger, they lost there jobs, there house, there money and all sorts of things as there family was cast out by the good law abiding members of society all because of one mans radical ideas. When he asked about the people who crucified Christ it really hit the audience because everyone in that moment was silence as they thought about it. What if we are the radicals of today? What if our ideas of what social change, and giving back to people and seeing this world changed are looked at as radical in the eyes of the higher powers of society and no matter how hard we try, no matter how hard we push we never see that change come about? What if it cost us everything to see this world change? To see that Kid and family on the streets get a chance to have a great life instead of a life of despair and depression. What if we gave it all so that one person's life can be changed? Would we? This play was a very powerful play and an eye opening play about how living what God has put in your heart can cost you everything. But I believe as Dr. Stockmann clearly portrays that it is better to follow that deep seeded never ending desire then to bow down to those who want to crush you. Keep pushing on..