Krista Hinton Blog Two Enemy of the People

Dr. Stockman's motivation in revealing the truth about the polluted springs could have been for both selfish and unselfish reasons. Releasing the truth about the polluted springs was an unselfish act because it obviously protected people from the potential danger they could have faced by going into the springs. The problem with that scenario was the reaction of the town to the news. No matter how much worse things seemed to have gotten, Dr. Stockman continued to stand by his claim; a seemingly noble act but not necessary in every battle. His family's livelihoods and even lives were at risk at the mercy of the town and he stood by his statement, no matter the cost. Morten Kiil, Dr. Stockman's father-in-law, asked him if he had tested the water again or thought of some sort of possible solution to be rid of the pollution. Dr. Stockman did neither of those things, or expressed any resolution to the issue. Kiil even addressed the speculation to the Dr. that perhaps it had been a stunt in retaliation to Dr. Stockman's brother. The fact that Dr. Stockman did admit to a level of doubt in his pollution findings and was not able to stand by them one hundred percent was what turned it into a selfish act. He put his family's livelihoods, reputations, and lives at stake for something that could not be completely proven (at least on multiple occasions), or that he tried to improve. His boast may have started out as an unselfish act for the good of the people, but he became an enemy of them when his selfishness took over and he stood by a statement that was nothing more than what it was: a statement. From this we can see that the truth is a lot more complicated than it seems.

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