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Overview
An Enemy of the People is a play published in 1882 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen
. It tells the story of Dr. Thomas Stockmann, who discovers that the water in the public baths of his small Norwegian town is contaminated. When he tries to publicize his findings, he is met with resistance and hostility from the townspeople, who are more concerned with protecting their economic interests than with the health and safety of their community. The play is a critique of society's tendency to suppress inconvenient truths and an exploration of the individual's struggle against collective ignorance and corruption.Read the free full text, the full play summary, a complete list of character descriptions, and explanations of important quotes from An Enemy of the People.
