An Enemy Of The People By Dr. Stockman

In An Enemy of the People, the Mayor’s relationship with the majority, where he desires short-term economic stability, indoctrinates him into believing that the pollution in the town’s baths is nonexistent. In the beginning of the play, Dr. Stockman uncovers that chemicals from Morton Kiil’s tanneries have seeped into the water table and have polluted the town’s baths. Confident he can fix this problem; he informs his brother, the Mayor, as well as other key figures within the town. While the tests clearly show that pollution exists in the baths, the Mayor completely disregards his brother’s findings, valuing short-term economic stability over family, the health of bath users and the environment. When speaking directly to his brother, he exclaims “There are other

Don’t you suppose they would immediately strain every nerve to divert the entire stream of strangers to themselves? Unquestionably they would; and then where should we be? We should probably have to abandon the whole thing, which has cost us so much money—and then you would have ruined your native town.” This is a defining moment that splits the Mayor from being a responsible leader into one who acts with self-interest. While this split pervades through the end of the play, it can be easily remedied with two of Fromm’s four basic elements of love, which are care and respect. While the Mayor is focused on the town’s short-term economic success, he lacks care for its future and what will result from the contamination. The Mayor’s actions can best be compared to those of several CEOs today. Do what’s best for the company (town) to inflate its value in the short term, leave the position at its economic peak, and then look like the hero as the company (town) crumbles. As Fromm explains, “Love is the active concern for the life and growth that which we love. Where this active concern is lacking, there is no