An Enemy of the People
Thomas! If you still make out that these animals and other nasty things
of that sort come from my tannery, it will be exactly as if you were to
flay broad strips of skin from Katherine's body, and Petra's, and the
boys'; and no decent man would do that—unless he were mad.
Dr. Stockmann (walking up and down). Yes, but I am mad; I am mad!
Morten Kiil. You cannot be so absurdly mad as all that, when it is a
question of your wife and children.
Dr. Stockmann (standing still in front of him). Why couldn't you
consult me about it, before you went and bought all that trash?
Morten Kiil. What is done cannot be undone.
Dr. Stockmann (walks about uneasily). If only I were not so certain
about it—! But I am absolutely convinced that I am right.
Morten Kiil (weighing the pocket-book in his hand). If you stick to
your mad idea, this won't be worth much, you know. (Puts the
pocket-book in his pocket.)
Dr. Stockmann. But, hang it all! It might be possible for science to
discover some prophylactic, I should think—or some antidote of some
kind—
Morten Kiil. To kill these animals, do you mean?
Dr. Stockmann. Yes, or to make them innocuous.
Morten Kiil. Couldn't you try some rat's-bane?
Dr. Stockmann. Don't talk nonsense! They all say it is only
imagination, you know. Well, let it go at that! Let them have their own
way about it! Haven't the ignorant, narrow-minded curs reviled me as an
enemy of the people?—and haven't they been ready to tear the clothes
off my back too?
Morten Kiil. And broken all your windows to pieces!
Dr. Stockmann. And then there is my duty to my family. I must talk it
over with Katherine; she is great on those things.
Morten Kiil. That is right; be guided by a reasonable woman's advice.
Dr. Stockmann (advancing towards him). To think you could do such a
preposterous thing! Risking Katherine's money in this way, and putting
me in such a horribly painful dilemma! When I look at you, I think I
see the devil himself—.
Morten Kiil. Then I had better go. But I must have an answer from you
before two o'clock—yes or no. If it is no, the shares go to a charity,
and that this very day.
Dr. Stockmann. And what does Katherine get?
Morten Kiil. Not a halfpenny. (The door leading to the hall opens, and
HOVSTAD and ASLAKSEN make their appearance.) Look at those two!
Dr. Stockmann (staring at them). What the devil!—have YOU actually the
face to come into my house?
Hovstad. Certainly.
Aslaksen. We have something to say to you, you see.
Morten Kiil (in a whisper). Yes or no—before two o'clock.
Aslaksen (glancing at HOVSTAD). Aha! (MORTEN KIIL goes out.)
Dr. Stockmann. Well, what do you want with me? Be brief.
Hovstad. I can quite understand that you are annoyed with us for our
attitude at the meeting yesterday.
Dr. Stockmann. Attitude, do you call it? Yes, it was a charming
attitude! I call it weak, womanish—damnably shameful!
Hovstad. Call it what you like, we could not do otherwise.
Dr. Stockmann. You DARED not do otherwise—isn't that it?
Hovstad. Well, if you like to put it that way.
Aslaksen. But why did you not let us have word of it beforehand?—just
a hint to Mr. Hovstad or to me?
Dr. Stockmann. A hint? Of what?
Aslaksen. Of what was behind it all.
Dr. Stockmann. I don't understand you in the least—
Aslaksen (with a confidential nod). Oh yes, you do, Dr. Stockmann.
Hovstad. It is no good making a mystery of it any longer.
Dr. Stockmann (looking first at one of them and then at the other).
What the devil do you both mean?
Aslaksen. May I ask if your father-in-law is not going round the town
buying up all the shares in the Baths?
Dr. Stockmann. Yes, he has been buying Baths shares today; but—
Aslaksen. It would have been more prudent to get someone else to do
it—someone less nearly related to you.
Hovstad. And you should not have let your name appear in the affair.
There was no need for anyone to know that the attack on the Baths came
from you. You ought to have consulted me, Dr. Stockmann.
Dr. Stockmann (looks in front of him; then a light seems to dawn on him
and he says in amazement.) Are such things conceivable? Are such things
possible?
Aslaksen (with a smile). Evidently they are. But it is better to use a
little finesse, you know.
Hovstad. And it is much better to have several persons in a thing of
that sort; because the responsibility of each individual is lessened,
when there are others with him.
Dr. Stockmann (composedly). Come to the point, gentlemen. What do you
want?
Aslaksen. Perhaps Mr. Hovstad had better—
Hovstad. No, you tell him, Aslaksen.
Aslaksen. Well, the fact is that, now we know the bearings of the whole
affair, we think we might venture to put the "People's Messenger" at
your disposal.
Dr. Stockmann. Do you dare do that now? What about public opinion? Are
you not afraid of a storm breaking upon our heads?
Hovstad. We will try to weather it.
Aslaksen. And you must be ready to go off quickly on a new tack,
Doctor. As soon as your invective has done its work—
Dr. Stockmann. Do you mean, as soon as my father-in-law and I have got
hold of the shares at a low figure?
Hovstad. Your reasons for wishing to get the control of the Baths are
mainly scientific, I take it.
Dr. Stockmann. Of course; it was for scientific reasons that I
persuaded the old "Badger" to stand in with me in the matter. So we
will tinker at the conduit-pipes a little, and dig up a little bit of
the shore, and it shan't cost the town a sixpence. That will be all
right—eh?
Hovstad. I think so—if you have the "People's Messenger" behind you.
Aslaksen. The Press is a power in a free community. Doctor.
Dr. Stockmann. Quite so. And so is public opinion. And you, Mr.
Aslaksen—I suppose you will be answerable for the Householders'
Association?
Aslaksen. Yes, and for the Temperance Society. You may rely on that.
Dr. Stockmann. But, gentlemen—I really am ashamed to ask the
question—but, what return do you—?
Hovstad. We should prefer to help you without any return whatever,
believe me. But the "People's Messenger" is in rather a shaky
condition; it doesn't go really well; and I should be very unwilling to
suspend the paper now, when there is so much work to do here in the
political way.
Dr. Stockmann. Quite so; that would be a great trial to such a friend
of the people as you are. (Flares up.) But I am an enemy of the people,
remember! (Walks about the room.) Where have I put my stick? Where the
devil is my stick?
Hovstad. What's that?
Aslaksen. Surely you never mean—
Dr. Stockmann (standing still.) And suppose I don't give you a single
penny of all I get out of it? Money is not very easy to get out of us
rich folk, please to remember!
Hovstad. And you please to remember that this affair of the shares can
be represented in two ways!
Dr. Stockmann. Yes, and you are just the man to do it. If I don't come
to the rescue of the "People's Messenger," you will certainly take an
evil view of the affair; you will hunt me down, I can well
imagine—pursue me—try to throttle me as a dog does a hare.
Hovstad. It is a natural law; every animal must fight for its own
livelihood.
Aslaksen. And get its food where it can, you know.
Dr. Stockmann (walking about the room). Then you go and look for yours
in the gutter; because I am going to show you which is the strongest
animal of us three! (Finds an umbrella and brandishes it above his
head.) Ah, now—!
Hovstad. You are surely not going to use violence!
Aslaksen. Take care what you are doing with that umbrella.
Dr. Stockmann. Out of the window with you, Mr. Hovstad!
Hovstad (edging to the door). Are you quite mad!
Dr. Stockmann. Out of the window, Mr. Aslaksen! Jump, I tell you! You
will have to do it, sooner or later.
Aslaksen (running round the writing-table). Moderation, Doctor—I am a
delicate man—I can stand so little—(calls out) help, help!
(MRS. STOCKMANN, PETRA and HORSTER come in from the sitting-room.)
Mrs. Stockmann. Good gracious, Thomas! What is happening?
Dr. Stockmann (brandishing the umbrella). Jump out, I tell you! Out
into the gutter!
Hovstad. An assault on an unoffending man! I call you to witness,
Captain Horster. (Hurries out through the hall.)
Aslaksen (irresolutely). If only I knew the way about here—. (Steals
out through the sitting-room.)
Mrs. Stockmann (holding her husband back). Control yourself, Thomas!
Dr. Stockmann (throwing down the umbrella). Upon my soul, they have
escaped after all.
Mrs. Stockmann. What did they want you to do?
Dr. Stockmann. I will tell you later on; I have something else to think
about now. (Goes to the table and writes something on a calling-card.)
Look there, Katherine; what is written there?
Mrs. Stockmann. Three big Noes; what does that mean.
Dr. Stockmann. I will tell you that too, later on. (Holds out the card
to PETRA.) There, Petra; tell sooty-face to run over to the "Badger's"
with that, as quick as she can. Hurry up! (PETRA takes the card and
goes out to the hall.)
Dr. Stockmann. Well, I think I have had a visit from every one of the
devil's messengers to-day! But now I am going to sharpen my pen till
they can feel its point; I shall dip it in venom and gall; I shall hurl
my inkpot at their heads!
Mrs. Stockmann. Yes, but we are going away, you know, Thomas.
(PETRA comes back.)
Dr. Stockmann. Well?
Petra. She has gone with it.
Dr. Stockmann. Good.—Going away, did you say? No, I'll be hanged if we
are going away! We are going to stay where we are, Katherine!
Petra. Stay here?
Mrs. Stockmann. Here, in the town?
Dr. Stockmann. Yes, here. This is the field of battle—this is where
the fight will be. This is where I shall triumph! As soon as I have had
my trousers sewn up I shall go out and look for another house. We must
have a roof over our heads for the winter.
Horster. That you shall have in my house.
Dr. Stockmann. Can I?
Horsier. Yes, quite well. I have plenty of room, and I am almost never
at home.
Mrs. Stockmann. How good of you, Captain Horster!
Petra. Thank you!
Dr. Stockmann (grasping his hand). Thank you, thank you! That is one
trouble over! Now I can set to work in earnest at once. There is an
endless amount of things to look through here, Katherine! Luckily I
shall have all my time at my disposal; because I have been dismissed
from the Baths, you know.
Mrs. Stockmann (with a sigh). Oh yes, I expected that.
Dr. Stockmann. And they want to take my practice away from me too. Let
them! I have got the poor people to fall back upon, anyway—those that
don't pay anything; and, after all, they need me most, too. But, by
Jove, they will have to listen to me; I shall preach to them in season
and out of season, as it says somewhere.
Mrs. Stockmann. But, dear Thomas, I should have thought events had
showed you what use it is to preach.
Dr. Stockmann. You are really ridiculous, Katherine. Do you want me to
let myself be beaten off the field by public opinion and the compact
majority and all that devilry? No, thank you! And what I want to do is
so simple and clear and straightforward. I only want to drum into the
heads of these curs the fact that the liberals are the most insidious
enemies of freedom—that party programmes strangle every young and
vigorous truth—that considerations of expediency turn morality and
justice upside down—and that they will end by making life here
unbearable. Don't you think, Captain Horster, that I ought to be able
to make people understand that?
Horster. Very likely; I don't know much about such things myself.
Dr. Stockmann. Well, look here—I will explain! It is the party leaders
that must be exterminated. A party leader is like a wolf, you see—like