An Enemy Of The Masses Essay

Betrayal of The Masses In the play An Enemy of The People by Henrik Ibsen, the author portrays how those who are closest to you are the most likely to betray you. An Enemy of The People is a play about a small town that used to be plagued by poverty, but after the success of the Baths has miraculously become prosperous. Dr. Stockmann is a Medical Officer on the Board of the Baths and discovers that a tannery, run by his father-in-law is polluting the water and making people ill. The author explores the use of theme by showing the breaking of bonds between Dr. Stockmann, the main character, and his friends and family. Throughout the book Ibsen portrays the theme, those that you hold dear are the most likely to deceive you, to the readers through the use of diction, characterization, and detail. Through the use of diction, Henrik Ibsen is able to thoughtfully convey theme to the reader. While Morten Kiil,

Henrik Ibsen uses many details in some parts of the book, or a lack thereof, to emphasize how Dr. Stockmann is betrayed by those closest to him. For instance, when Dr. Stockmann’s house is attacked, the author goes into great detail. The author describes, “In the right-hand wall are two windows, of which all of the panes are broken. The DOCTOR’s desk, littered with books and papers, stands in the middle of the room, which is in disorder” (67). Ibsen’s attention to detail in this scene reinforces the theme in the text by giving more attention to the detail in this scene than in others. In contrast, the author describes the scene, “The door into the dining-room is shut. It is morning” (16). This displays how Ibsen does not have large amounts of detail in scenes which do not pertain to prevalent themes in the text. Throughout the book Henrik Ibsen consistently reiterates the theme, those who are closest to you are most likely to betray you, through the use of varying degrees of