The Argument between Peter and Thomas Stockmann
The two brothers, Thomas and Peter Stockmann, are in an argument on the state of the Water Baths in their town. Peter, having received a report from Thomas on the state of the Baths, is tainting the report, terming it as untrue. Both Peter and Thomas claim to be working for the good of the town (Ibsen 233). This essay will identify, who between, Peter and Thomas have town's interests at heart.
The Mayor's Agitation
The Mayor is agitated that Thomas conducted an investigation on the Baths without involving him. Thomas, being a Medical Officer and a committee member to the Baths, found the Baths being in a poor state with poisonous water and poorly laid water pipes. Dr. Stockmann had delivered the report to the Mayor's office before presenting it to the committee. The Mayor has now come to confront Thomas in his house. The conversation between the two depicts Thomas as having the town's interest at heart while Peter does not care and is only out to protect his job and reputation at the expense of the town's welfare. Peter is arguing that the water Baths system is laid correctly and any such proposal for restructuring and overhaul of conduits is costly and time-consuming. "The water supply for the Baths is now an established fact, and in consequence must be treated as such" (Ibsen 235).
Peter's Accusations and Thomas' Defense
Peter accuses Thomas of exaggerating the state of the Baths and that his report would tarnish the name of their town's Baths leading to loss of revenues as visitors to the Baths will move to neighboring towns with similar Baths. Thomas is insisting that the condition of the baths is poor and would worsen come summer, leading to a future crisis but Peter is not convinced and only suggest that the committee will at its wisdom propose maintenance and repairs. Thomas is against these minor repairs and blames Peter for the current state of the Baths. Peter wants Dr. Stockmann not to give the report to the committee and to make sure that the general public does not hear about the report. Peter argues saying, "the public doesn't require any new ideas. The public is best served by the good, old established ideas it already has" (Ibsen 236).
Thomas' Resistance and Peter's Threats
Thomas is adamant and wants change, saying that the press already knows of the dangerous and poisonous state of the Baths. The Mayor is demanding that Thomas remedy the impact his report would have by publicly denouncing the report. Thomas refuses to abide by the Mayors directives articulating that doing so would be a crime against the community. Peter threatens Thomas with consequences such as terming him an enemy of the community and being dismissed from the job. Peter also wants Thomas to publicly declare his support for the committee in remedying the state of the Baths so as to protect the source of revenue to the town and save the image of the municipal led by Mayor Peter Stockmann. Thomas cannot agree to that and believes the Baths are already hazardous and poisonous to the visitors.
Conclusion
The conversation between Peter and Thomas Stockmann show that Thomas wants the good for the town and nothing else. On the other hand, Peter does not want the public to know the state of the Baths and does not want them closed for proper restructuring. The Mayor is so adamant to fight the noble idea of Thomas and goes to the extent of threatening him with job dismissal and referring to him as the enemy of the community.
Work cited
Ibsen, Henrik. An Enemy of the People. Dover Drift, 1882, pp. 233-240
