Vietnamese Proverb

"Better to die than to live on with a bad reputation" - Vietnamese Proverb 

               Besides the topic of female oppression and sexism, I felt that the theme of upholding reputation and appearance is another important aspect of A Doll's House. The Vietnamese Proverb above epitomizes Torvald from A Doll's House because throughout the entire play his main concern was simply his reputation and the way he and his family looked to the public. Internal issues within the family were put on the back burner by outer appearance which took clear precedent. It is evident how much Torvald cares about his reputation when he finds out about what Nora has done and says, "I must try and appease [Krogstad] someway or the matter must be hushed up at any cost".Torvald is willing to do literally anything "at any cost" just so that he remains looking polished to others. 

              Although Torvald may seem extreme in his statement of hushing Krogstad up "at any cost" I believe that he represents a fair number of people in this world. I would be a liar if I said I don't care what people think about me because that statement is the biggest lie I've heard, and I've heard it a lot. In all honesty, whenever someone says it everyone regards that person so highly, thinking about how great it is that they're able to have such freedom and strength to just let people think what they think because it doesn't matter. At least for me, that's the worst thing I've ever heard. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying shed light on Torvald deepening the black hole that is his relationship with Nora, but I do understand where he's coming from. It is important to be seen somewhat "polished" and good to others, but only if these things are true and reflect actual aspects of your life. 

             We should not be so fake, like Torvald, to let other people's ideas about us influence our relationships and affect the way we act to differ from that which is our true selves. However, we most certainly should take into account that others judge us and it is important to uphold a positive reputation. It does not hurt to have others thinking well of you and being the best person you can be so that their thoughts persist. Still, if you let the presence of a public modify you as a person in a negative way because you're forced to treat your family or friends differently to obtain this perfect and polished reputation, than you're doing it all wrong. Krogstad and people that place reputation above loved ones and honest, healthy relationships are by no means examples to follow.