An Enemy of the People

The next morning, Thomas examines his study, finding that members of the crowd have thrown several rocks through his windows as he slept. Katherine brings him an eviction letter from the landlord. This surprises her, but Thomas surmises that he had no choice in the face of public pressure. They discuss moving out of town; Thomas thinks they should sail to the New World with Horster, who is taking his ship there in a few days. Katherine resists leaving their home country, but Thomas believes that any small town in Norway will have a similarly closed-minded community. He admits that the New World is probably not much better, and he muses idly about buying a small island where they can live in isolation.

Petra surprises them when she returns home early, saying that she has been fired from the school. She says that Mrs. Bunk, her boss, did not want to let her go but succumbed to pressure from others. The school received several anonymous letters declaring Petra a radical, which forced Mrs. Bunk’s hand, although she explains that when she and Mrs. Bunk are alone together, they have similarly open-minded views. Horster arrives, announcing that he has also been fired.