In Enemy Of The People, however, Ibsen doesn't really take a political stance- I think he felt attacked from all sides- which allows people from all over the spectrum to assume that the play is talking about them and their pet issue... case in point: Arthur Miller and McCarthyism. Also, since the issue in Enemy is springs at a spa which have been contaminated by runoff from a factory, the ecowarrior types are convinced that the play is about man destroying the earth and attacking anyone who tries to stop him from doing so. But of course, this isn't what the play is about at all; the polluted water is merely a driver of the plot, a catalyst for issues that Enemy is actually addressing. And these issues include corruption of the press, doing what is politically expedient vs what is right, the limits of democracy, the value of standing up for what is true even when it's personally costly, and if there is such a thing as universal truth, or if truth is relative and has a shelf life. I'll examine each of these questions in Part VI of my review of The Enemy Of The People.
Having given a rundown of the plot of An Enemy of the People, I'll now discuss my thoughts on this play. I've already talked about Arthur Miller's conviction that this was all an allegory for persecution of communists- heck, what wasn't for him? The dude was a bit of a one-note Johnny. Speaking of communism, in 2018 a touring German theatrical company performed An Enemy Of The People in Beijing, supposed to be its first stop in a run through various Chinese cities. It proved popular with its audience, with people openly siding with Dr. Stockmann and shouting out criticism of the Chinese government. You can probably guess how this ended up; the company was forced by the regime to censor (remove) certain parts of the play. This escalated rather than diffused tensions, with audience members shouting out for "personal freedom!" during the doctored production. The Chinese authorities then told the theater company that, if they wished to continue their tour, they would have to rewrite Ibsen's play along the guidelines supplied to them by the regime. So that was the end of that. It's a pity that Miller isn't still around to appreciate the irony of it all. Though I doubt he would see the humour in it. As for Henrik Ibsen's motivation for writing the original play well, frankly it was probably payback. As mentioned, Ibsen was a progressive for the time period and many of his earlier works- such as Ghost, which dealt with the taboo topic of syphilis inflicted on a family by an unfaithful husband- denounced the often hypocritical social mores of his contemporaries. This caused a lot of criticism and condemnation of his plays, resulting in a disgruntled Ibsen striking back at his critics with the best weapon he had to hand: his pen. Most read The Enemy Of The People as Ibsen perhaps (over)dramatizing these artistic conflicts, portraying himself as Dr. Stockmann versus the baying mob. I mean, sure he got a lot of flack, no doubt- and stupidly, Norwegian authorities wouldn't allow Ghost to be performed in their country for two decades. But he was also very successful as a playwright, his plays reaching a wide audience even during his lifetime. As for Enemy defending communism specifically, I don't see it though I suppose it's possible; Ibsen personally expressed anarchist/communist sympathies on occasion, though I've never seen any record of him giving up his own private property or money to live like a dirty hippie... typical leftist artist. See also: John Lennon. In Enemy Of The People, however, Ibsen doesn't really take a political stance- I think he felt attacked from all sides- which allows people from all over the spectrum to assume that the play is talking about them and their pet issue... case in point: Arthur Miller and McCarthyism. Also, since the issue in Enemy is springs at a spa which have been contaminated by runoff from a factory, the ecowarrior types are convinced that the play is about man destroying the earth and attacking anyone who tries to stop him from doing so. But of course, this isn't what the play is about at all; the polluted water is merely a driver of the plot, a catalyst for issues that Enemy is actually addressing. And these issues include corruption of the press, doing what is politically expedient vs what is right, the limits of democracy, the value of standing up for what is true even when it's personally costly, and if there is such a thing as universal truth, or if truth is relative and has a shelf life. I'll examine each of these questions in Part VI of my review of The Enemy Of The People.
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