An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen

It is very common to become caught in a conflict when two different desires clash with each other. One such case that frequently occurs is the struggle to attain personal success over the welfare of others. In the play An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen, the main character, Dr. Stockmann, is faced with such a dilemma as he must not only defend himself but also those around him. Dr. Stockmann tries to both …

…therefore Dr. Stockmann's own conflicting ideals are what caused the problems throughout the play. <Tab/>Often, one battles against conflicting principals that lie deep within oneself. However, it is common for neither goal to be fully attained because the two simply cannot work together. Dr. Stockmann's desire to gain status and keep the townspeople aware of the pollution simply could not coexist because of his inability to compromise on a solution.