An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen
Dover Thrift Edition
Act I
1. What do Hovstad and Mayor Stockmann discuss?
2. What does Mayor Stockmann accuse Dr. Stockmann of?
3. What does Dr. Stockmann receive?
4. What does Morten say he wouldn't mind being?
5. According to Petra, what are the teachers at school forced to teach?
6. What does Dr. Stockmann tell Hovstad and Billing about?
7. What does everyone agree that Dr. Stockmann will be regarded as?
Act II
1. Why is Morten Kiil pleased with Dr. Stockmann?
2. Why does Hovstad insist on publicizing the information about the Baths?
3. How does Aslaksen insist they procede regarding the article?
Why? How are he and Hovstad different?
Dr. Stockmann says they can print the report if___?
4. What information about the situation does Mayor Stockmann present to Dr. Stockmann?
5. What is Dr. Stockmann's response to Mayor Stockmann's wanting to hush up the situation at the Baths?
6. What does Mayor Stockmann insist that Dr. Stockmann do now?
7. What threat does Mayor Stockmann make to Dr. Stockmann?
8. What does Dr. Stockmann look at that lets him know he cannot do what Mayor Stockmann wants?
What does Dr. Stockmann say?
Whe did Atticus in To Kill a Mockingbird say something similar?
Act III
1. What will Hovstad and Billing do with the conflict between Dr. Stockmann and Mayor Stockmann?
2. What does Dr. Stockmann say people have tried to do to him today?
3. What does Aslaksen say about local authorities? Why is he "timid" with them, but not with state or local government authorities?
4. Why do Billing and Hovstad need Aslaksen?
5. What kind of articles do Hovstad and Billing have in the paper even though they know it's wrong to have them there?
What are they hoping to accomplish by doing this? In your opinion, is this a good idea? Explain.
6. How does Petra come to feel towards Hovstad? Why? What does she vow?
7. What does Mayor Stockmann persuade Hovstad and Aslaksen to believe?
8. What accusation does Hovstad throw at Dr. Stockmann?
9. According to Aslaksen, what controls the newspaper?
10. What does Hovstad agree to publish? What is this article taking the place of?
11. Will Katherine stand by her husband?
Review Questions:
1. Mayor Stockmann states that the public has no need of new ideas and is better off without them.
a) Give your opinion of this statement. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
b) Give some modern-day examples of some "ideas" that certain people believe others are "better off without."
2. At the end of Act III, Dr. Stockmann has decided that he'll go ahead on his own with his claims about the Baths. This will mean the loss of his job. Do you think Dr. Stockmann's decision is a wise one? What are the advantages to it? Do these outweigh the probable loss of his job? Explain!
Act IV
1. Why does the public believe that Dr. Stockmann is wrong?
2. What isn't Dr. Stockmann allowed to speak about?
3. What does Dr. Stockmann say in his a long, rambling speech about the majority versus the "intellectually superior" people?
Do you agree with him? Explain.
4. What is Dr. Stockmann declared after he says that he would rather see the town ruined than base its existence on lies?
5. Where does Dr. Stockmann plan to go, and with whom?
6. What contrast between himself and Christ does Dr. Stockmann make?
7. What is the situation as Horster accompanies the Stockmanns home?
Review Questions:
1. During his speech in Horster's house, Dr. Stockmann states that, "The most dangerous enemy of truth and freedom is the majority." Hovstad, on the other hand, claims, "The majority is always right."
Which man do you think comes closer to the truth? Explain why you think this, and describe some modern-day situations to support your answer.
2. Dr. Stockmann claims that people who are intellectually superior" should be in charge of running things, and not the common, ignorant ones.
a) In what ways is his theory valid?
b) In what ways could his theory lead to problems?
3. Dr. Stockmann refers to Hovstad as a "free-thinker." Hovstad seems to take this as an accusation, as if Dr. Stockmann had just called him a child molester or something. Dr. Stockmann then goes on to describe himself, proudly, as a "free-thinker."
a) What is meant by the term "free-thinker"?
b) In your opinion, is it a good or a bad thing to be a "free-thinker"? Why? Explain!
4. Hovstad claims that a newspaper publisher's duty is to serve the interests of the majority of his readers.
a) Do you agree that this is what a newspaper should do? Why?
b) Is The People's Messenger truly serving the majority's best interests at this point? Explain.
5. Dr. Stockman has a very poor opinion of the majority, of those who are not "free-thinkers."
a) Is Mayor Stockmann also underestimating the intelligence of the majority? Explain.
b) If Dr. Stockmann 's claims are ignored and he is simply run out of town, what will happen eventually?
6. Dr. Stockmann speaks of "culture." What is "culture"?
7. a) What does Dr. Stockmann mean by "Broad-mindedness is almost precisely the same thing as morality"?
b) How is this true in the play?
c) In America today, is broad-mindedness equated with morality and conservativism with immorality? EXPLAIN!!
8. Explain what is meant by the ideas that "vice and corruption and every kind of intellectual depravity are the result of culture" and "culture demoralizes." (Both statements mean the same thing; I'm asking what they both mean.)
9. Where can we see an example in modern society of someone's believing that "culture demoralizes"?
10. Dr. Stockmann claims that "stupidity, poverty, and ugly conditions of life are the true evils" (as opposed to culture being evil). What is your opinion of this statement?
Act V
1. What things now happen to the Stockmanns?
2. How is Miss Busk similar to Miss Gates (Scout's teacher) in To Kill a Mockingbird ?
How is she different?
3. What complaint does Dr. Stockmann make about the people?
4. To what does Dr. Stockmann compare political parties? What does he mean by this?
5. What does Mayor Stockmann do to Dr. Stockmann? What offer does he make?
6. In what way does Dr. Stockmann tell Mayor Stockmann that "a free man has no right" to behave?
7. What does Mayor Stockmann accuse Dr. Stockmann of to discredit him?
8. What does Morten Kiil try to force Dr. Stockmann to do?
9. What motivates Hovstad and Billing to offer their support?
10. What does Dr. Stockmann send out?
11. What are Dr. Stockmann's plans now?
12. According to Dr. Stockmann, who is "the strongest man in the world" ?
What characters from other works that we have read would qualify under this definition?