The threat to the town is the same, even though the outcome
is different.
If the endings were the same the shark would become town
mascot, and the
mayor would sell "Bruce" T-shirts. Enemy is a political
tract, while Jaws is
a thriller with the shark as the serial killer. Dr. Stockman
of Enemy is
split to become the police chief, marine biologist, and shark
hunter. None
is kin to the mayor, however. Each has a characteristic of
Ibsen's
protagonist. The chief is concerned about public safety. The
biologist
considers the science. The shark hunter is obsessed, although
leaning more
toward Ahab than Stockman. Actually, early drafts of Jaws
closely followed
Ibsen, but the shark ate the manuscript.
Jerry Buck
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