An Enemy of the People
of it. You have a restless, pugnacious, rebellious disposition. And
then there is that disastrous propensity of yours to want to write
about every sort of possible and impossible thing. The moment an idea
comes into your head, you must needs go and write a newspaper article
or a whole pamphlet about it.
Dr. Stockmann. Well, but is it not the duty of a citizen to let the
public share in any new ideas he may have?
Peter Stockmann. Oh, the public doesn't require any new ideas. The
public is best served by the good, old established ideas it already has.
Dr. Stockmann. And that is your honest opinion?
Peter Stockmann. Yes, and for once I must talk frankly to you. Hitherto
I have tried to avoid doing so, because I know how irritable you are;
but now I must tell you the truth, Thomas. You have no conception what
an amount of harm you do yourself by your impetuosity. You complain of
the authorities, you even complain of the government—you are always
pulling them to pieces; you insist that you have been neglected and
persecuted. But what else can such a cantankerous man as you expect?
Dr. Stockmann. What next! Cantankerous, am I?
Peter Stockmann. Yes, Thomas, you are an extremely cantankerous man to
work with—I know that to my cost. You disregard everything that you
ought to have consideration for. You seem completely to forget that it
is me you have to thank for your appointment here as medical officer to
the Baths.
Dr. Stockmann. I was entitled to it as a matter of course!—I and
nobody else! I was the first person to see that the town could be made
into a flourishing watering-place, and I was the only one who saw it at
that time. I had to fight single-handed in support of the idea for many
years; and I wrote and wrote—
Peter Stockmann. Undoubtedly. But things were not ripe for the scheme
then—though, of course, you could not judge of that in your
out-of-the-way corner up north. But as soon as the opportune moment
came I—and the others—took the matter into our hands.
Dr. Stockmann. Yes, and made this mess of all my beautiful plan. It is
pretty obvious now what clever fellows you were!
Peter Stockmann. To my mind the whole thing only seems to mean that you
are seeking another outlet for your combativeness. You want to pick a
quarrel with your superiors—an old habit of yours. You cannot put up
with any authority over you. You look askance at anyone who occupies a
superior official position; you regard him as a personal enemy, and
then any stick is good enough to beat him with. But now I have called
your attention to the fact that the town's interests are at stake—and,
incidentally, my own too. And therefore, I must tell you, Thomas, that
you will find me inexorable with regard to what I am about to require
you to do.
Dr. Stockmann. And what is that?
Peter Stockmann. As you have been so indiscreet as to speak of this
delicate matter to outsiders, despite the fact that you ought to have
treated it as entirely official and confidential, it is obviously
impossible to hush it up now. All sorts of rumours will get about
directly, and everybody who has a grudge against us will take care to
embellish these rumours. So it will be necessary for you to refute them
publicly.
Dr. Stockmann. I! How? I don't understand.
Peter Stockmann. What we shall expect is that, after making further
investigations, you will come to the conclusion that the matter is not
by any means as dangerous or as critical as you imagined in the first
instance.
Dr. Stockmann. Oho!—so that is what you expect!
Peter Stockmann. And, what is more, we shall expect you to make public
profession of your confidence in the Committee and in their readiness
to consider fully and conscientiously what steps may be necessary to
remedy any possible defects.
Dr. Stockmann. But you will never be able to do that by patching and
tinkering at it—never! Take my word for it, Peter; I mean what I say,
as deliberately and emphatically as possible.
Peter Stockmann. As an officer under the Committee, you have no right
to any individual opinion.
Dr. Stockmann (amazed). No right?
Peter Stockmann. In your official capacity, no. As a private person, it
is quite another matter. But as a subordinate member of the staff of
the Baths, you have no right to express any opinion which runs contrary
to that of your superiors.
Dr. Stockmann. This is too much! I, a doctor, a man of science, have no
right to—!
Peter Stockmann. The matter in hand is not simply a scientific one. It
is a complicated matter, and has its economic as well as its technical
side.
Dr. Stockmann. I don't care what it is! I intend to be free to express
my opinion on any subject under the sun.
Peter Stockmann. As you please—but not on any subject concerning the
Baths. That we forbid.
Dr. Stockmann (shouting). You forbid—! You! A pack of—
Peter Stockmann. I forbid it—I, your chief; and if I forbid it, you
have to obey.
Dr. Stockmann (controlling himself). Peter—if you were not my brother—
Petra (throwing open the door). Father, you shan't stand this!
Mrs. Stockmann (coming in after her). Petra, Petra!
Peter Stockmann. Oh, so you have been eavesdropping.
Mrs. Stockmann. You were talking so loud, we couldn't help it!
Petra. Yes, I was listening.
Peter Stockmann. Well, after all, I am very glad—
Dr. Stockmann (going up to him). You were saying something about
forbidding and obeying?
Peter Stockmann. You obliged me to take that tone with you.
Dr. Stockmann. And so I am to give myself the lie, publicly?
Peter Stockmann. We consider it absolutely necessary that you should
make some such public statement as I have asked for.
Dr. Stockmann. And if I do not—obey?
Peter Stockmann. Then we shall publish a statement ourselves to
reassure the public.
Dr. Stockmann. Very well; but in that case I shall use my pen against
you. I stick to what I have said; I will show that I am right and that
you are wrong. And what will you do then?
Peter Stockmann. Then I shall not be able to prevent your being
dismissed.
Dr. Stockmann. What—?
Petra. Father—dismissed!
Mrs. Stockmann. Dismissed!
Peter Stockmann. Dismissed from the staff of the Baths. I shall be
obliged to propose that you shall immediately be given notice, and
shall not be allowed any further participation in the Baths' affairs.
Dr. Stockmann. You would dare to do that!
Peter Stockmann. It is you that are playing the daring game.
Petra. Uncle, that is a shameful way to treat a man like father!
Mrs. Stockmann. Do hold your tongue, Petra!
Peter Stockmann (looking at PETRA). Oh, so we volunteer our opinions
already, do we? Of course. (To MRS. STOCKMANN.) Katherine, I imagine
you are the most sensible person in this house. Use any influence you
may have over your husband, and make him see what this will entail for
his family as well as—
Dr. Stockmann. My family is my own concern and nobody else's!
Peter Stockmann. —for his own family, as I was saying, as well as for
the town he lives in.
Dr. Stockmann. It is I who have the real good of the town at heart! I
want to lay bare the defects that sooner or later must come to the
light of day. I will show whether I love my native town.
Peter Stockmann. You, who in your blind obstinacy want to cut off the
most important source of the town's welfare?
Dr. Stockmann. The source is poisoned, man! Are you mad? We are making
our living by retailing filth and corruption! The whole of our
flourishing municipal life derives its sustenance from a lie!
Peter Stockmann. All imagination—or something even worse. The man who
can throw out such offensive insinuations about his native town must be
an enemy to our community.
Dr. Stockmann (going up to him). Do you dare to—!
Mrs. Stockmann (throwing herself between them). Thomas!
Petra (catching her father by the arm). Don't lose your temper, father!
Peter Stockmann. I will not expose myself to violence. Now you have had
a warning; so reflect on what you owe to yourself and your family.
Goodbye. (Goes out.)
Dr. Stockmann (walking up and down). Am I to put up with such treatment
as this? In my own house, Katherine! What do you think of that!
Mrs. Stockmann. Indeed it is both shameful and absurd, Thomas—
Petra. If only I could give uncle a piece of my mind—
Dr. Stockmann. It is my own fault. I ought to have flown out at him
long ago!—shown my teeth!—bitten! To hear him call me an enemy to our
community! Me! I shall not take that lying down, upon my soul!
Mrs. Stockmann. But, dear Thomas, your brother has power on his side.
Dr. Stockmann. Yes, but I have right on mine, I tell you.
Mrs. Stockmann. Oh yes, right—right. What is the use of having right
on your side if you have not got might?
Petra. Oh, mother!—how can you say such a thing!
Dr. Stockmann. Do you imagine that in a free country it is no use
having right on your side? You are absurd, Katherine. Besides, haven't
I got the liberal-minded, independent press to lead the way, and the
compact majority behind me? That is might enough, I should think!
Mrs. Stockmann. But, good heavens, Thomas, you don't mean to?
Dr. Stockmann. Don't mean to what?
Mrs. Stockmann. To set yourself up in opposition to your brother.
Dr. Stockmann. In God's name, what else do you suppose I should do but
take my stand on right and truth?
Petra. Yes, I was just going to say that.
Mrs. Stockmann. But it won't do you any earthly good. If they won't do
it, they won't.
Dr. Stockmann. Oho, Katherine! Just give me time, and you will see how
I will carry the war into their camp.
Mrs. Stockmann. Yes, you carry the war into their camp, and you get
your dismissal—that is what you will do.
Dr. Stockmann. In any case I shall have done my duty towards the
public—towards the community, I, who am called its enemy!
Mrs. Stockmann. But towards your family, Thomas? Towards your own home!
Do you think that is doing your duty towards those you have to provide
for?
Petra. Ah, don't think always first of us, mother.
Mrs. Stockmann. Oh, it is easy for you to talk; you are able to shift
for yourself, if need be. But remember the boys, Thomas; and think a
little of yourself too, and of me—
Dr. Stockmann. I think you are out of your senses, Katherine! If I were
to be such a miserable coward as to go on my knees to Peter and his
damned crew, do you suppose I should ever know an hour's peace of mind
all my life afterwards?
Mrs. Stockmann. I don't know anything about that; but God preserve us
from the peace of mind we shall have, all the same, if you go on
defying him! You will find yourself again without the means of
subsistence, with no income to count upon. I should think we had had
enough of that in the old days. Remember that, Thomas; think what that
means.
Dr. Stockmann (collecting himself with a struggle and clenching his
fists). And this is what this slavery can bring upon a free, honourable
man! Isn't it horrible, Katherine?
Mrs. Stockmann. Yes, it is sinful to treat you so, it is perfectly
true. But, good heavens, one has to put up with so much injustice in
this world. There are the boys, Thomas! Look at them! What is to become
of them? Oh, no, no, you can never have the heart—. (EJLIF and MORTEN
have come in, while she was speaking, with their school books in their
hands.)
Dr. Stockmann. The boys— I (Recovers himself suddenly.) No, even if
the whole world goes to pieces, I will never bow my neck to this yokel
(Goes towards his room.)
Mrs. Stockmann (following him). Thomas—what are you going to do!
Dr. Stockmann (at his door). I mean to have the right to look my sons
in the face when they are grown men. (Goes into his room.)
Mrs. Stockmann (bursting into tears). God help us all!