An Enemy of the People Post 3

Strawberry Springs in Denver, CO.

I understand the severely harmful effect that the polluted water could have on the resort destination, Kirsten Springs.  I have traveled to Strawberry Springs, a non-sulfur, hot springs in Colorado.  The hot springs not only brings money to the owner of the resort, but it also spurs other businesses which service tourists who dine, sleep, and shop as well as engage in other forms of entertainment in the hot springs town.  Kirsten Springs is the soul of the town.  A minor pollution problem should not ruin a small town’s hope of becoming a resort destination, “to make their mark on the map,” as Peter Stockmann, the mayor, emphasizes.  Beginning my adventure in reading this book, I started out with the mentality that I was going to feel sorry for Dr. Stockmann and his family.  However, with the closing act, my mindset changed.  During the Third Act, Morten Kiil admits that it is his tannery that is polluting the water, and he wants to preserve his family’s name.   Living on a family farm, I too understand the importance of protecting the family’s monies and its reputation.  However, although Kiil tries to prevent Dr. Stockmann from being selfish and tries to prove his brother wrong by threatening Dr. Stockmann with giving his daughter’s (Catherine’s) inheritance to a charity if Dr. Stockmann doesn’t reconsider his claim that the spring water is polluted, I think that Kiil’s tactic is appropriate.  Since the stocks are technically Kiil’s property, Kiil doesn’t have to leave any inheritance for his daughter anyway.   If Kiil’s son-in-law wants access to his wife’s inheritance then he should obey Kiil’s demands.  Morten Kiil is justified in threatening that he will only give the shares to Dr. Stockmann’s wife, Kiil’s daughter, Catherine, if Dr. Stockmann reconsiders his report.  I agree with Kiil who attempts to convince Dr. Stockmann to take another test because there could have been something strange with the water that day. 

Morten Kiil suggests that Dr. Stockmann should take another water contamination test. 

 I also believe that another possibility is that the contamination is coming from diseases that other people caught from other places just like the people from Norway who got sick after being in the springs.  I also think that it is feasible that another different possibility is causing human sickness: people could have consumed poisoned food that they could have eaten at a restaurant, prior to entering the springs.  I think that Dr. Stockmann needs to consider Kiil’s suggestion that if the water is truly polluted that the town could use disinfectants to kill the bacteria that made the people get sick. 

A type of disinfectant that Dr. Stockmann could have used.

 Even Hovstad, through the newspaper’s publicity, offers to protect Dr. Stockmann’s family, and I think that Dr. Stockmann should keep a more open mind about the support that these people are trying to offer him.  I think that with these possible explanations for the spa problem, Dr. Stockmann would not be giving up the truth by restarting the test but possibly getting the real truth of the current state of the water.  I believe that once Dr. Stockmann gets the results that he will realize that he has overreacted and that he is desperately trying to get revenge on his brother for not building the Health Institute where he suggested in the beginning.  I do commend Dr. Stockmann for his bravery in telling the truth and not giving in to the bribery and threatening pressure from Kiil to throw away Dr. Stockmann’s wife’s inheritance; however I think that Dr. Stockmann should be more open to ideas which would help him have a wider perspective on the hot spring’s water system.  If Dr. Stockmann conducts more tests, he could save his reputation, as well as his family's financial well being.  In addition, the extortion from the community who fired Dr. Stockmann, fired his daughter Petra, vandalized his home, and tormented his children would eventually stop.  Dr. Stockmann doesn’t need to lose his sense of integrity as an individual, but needs to consider other possibilities.

An Enemy of the People Post 2



Jerry Renault and Dr. Stockmann stand up against the pressure of conformity and stay true to their beliefs.

Having the opportunity to speak freely without the threat of political pressure to conform to the majority is a major point of analysis in An Enemy of the People.  This theme also reminds me of a similar theme in The Chocolate War in which the main character, Jerry Renault, refuses to sell despite the pressure for the school gang that is sanctioned by the school administration.  Dr. Stockmann is similar to Jerry Renault and stands up as an individual fighting for what he believes in rather than conforming to the pressure of politics and money.  I believe that telling both truth and lies have consequences.  In An Enemy of the People, there are so many types of “conflicts of interest.”  For example, the mayor serves as the chairman of the committee that manages the baths; the doctor secures his job as the “Medical Officer for the Town Baths” from his brother, the mayor; the newspaper is financially sustained by subscribers who advertise in the paper whose businesses depend on the baths; and the government is invested in the economic impact of the tourists who not only vacation at the baths but fuel other businesses in the town.  In fear of the implications that might arise from sharing the truth about the possibly poisonous nature of the spa water, the politicians, businessmen, and newspaper fight to suppress the truth in fear of the threat of financial ruin for the town’s economy and each individual’s personal financial loss. 

The politicians, businessmen, and newspaper fight to suppress the truth about the contaminated state of the water.

I admire the spirit and conviction of Dr. Stockmann who prioritizes the truth.  I think that is why I enjoy the study of mathematics. 

I enjoy the subject of mathematics, the answer can never be partially true.

The subject is literally black or white, right or wrong.  There is no compromise of conviction: there is a right answer.  For a person who can put blinders on and focus only on the truth without considering the implications of the truth, there is a personal liberation in which one can follow one’s heart, one’s passion for sharing knowledge.  To speak freely as an individual without the worry of the political pressure of the democratic majority is a right I choose to seek.

An Enemy of the People Post 1

Dr. Stockmann's moral dilemma between justice and his money to support his family.

Just as Dr. Stockmann is faced with the moral and material dilemma of choosing between what he believes is morally “right” versus what is “financially” right for his family, I understand the difficult choice that he has to make.  Very similarly, I understand that my father who owns and manages Vincent Farms, a vegetable produce farm operation, must face these types of decisions on a daily basis.  With consumers today expecting produce to be perfect: watermelons free of blemishes and sweet corn free of worms; my father has to determine how much pesticide and herbicide he must use to create the product that he will sell. 

The Governor of Delaware talking to me (camouflage hat with white polo t-shirt) and visiting our family produce farm to examine our quality of vegetables.  My dad is the man in the blue VF collared shirt with his camouflage hat who is pleased with the evaluation.

Selling his products lead to the financial rewards that allow him to sustain our family’s standard of living.  We are able to live in a nice farmhouse, have lots of vehicles, and enjoy many vacations.  However, he is always faced with the constant watchful eye of the Department of Natural Resources that scrutinizes use of chemicals and the runoff that can possibly harm and damage our land and animals.  Ultimately, I wonder what the long-term, un-researched effect of the regular human consumption of fresh produce with pesticides and herbicides really is.  Will man someday realize that the small build-up of these chemicals in our body contributes to the cancer and other various diseases that are so widespread today?  Similarly, Stockmann has to weigh his personal conviction to publicly report the poisonous contamination of the spring water for the higher good of the health of everyone against the personal harm such a report would cause his family who would become victims of retaliation. 

Peter Stockmann attempts to force Dr. Stockmann to keep the information of the contaminated water from not being publicly released.

It really is a fine balance between long-term health implications and immediate financial profitability.

Dr. Stockmann believes that his family should stand strong against the harassment from the public.