With any salad, one is left with a clean and natural aftertaste from the leafy greens involved in this composition of a dish. The broccoli salad comes to represent the flowing progression of Krogstad as a character in the eyes of those surrounding him.
At first taste, this salad hits a consumer with the strong, bitter flavor of lemon juice, salt, and anchovies (represented by the number 1). In massive quantities, these two ingredients are usually looked down upon in dishes because of the overwhelmingly upsetting flavor that it leaves in the mouth. In any case, these usually give off a malicious first impression, simply from hearing the title on a menu or in a recipe book, which may turn someone away from trying it. I wouldn't want to try a dish with such a name. Just as the salad may be avoided on first sight, Krogstad is given poor image from the start of the first act of A Doll's House. Some people, as they go out in the world, possess a unique charm that sets them above from the rest. Unfortunately, this wasn't Krogstad's case: his sour taste had driven love out of his life in the first act. As a fellow employee in the bank at which they work, Torvald finds it rather awkward and difficult to conduct business with him. Having been close friends with Krogstad since college, the two of them have grown further apart over the years, which makes it hard for him to work alongside such a sketchy and strange character.
Of course, how has such a negative character contributed to the conflict of A Doll's House? Well, this is represented by the red pepper flakes in number 2. Some ingredients in dishes have a slow, gradual increase in intensity as one continues to eat. Well, these measly granules of pepper truly pack a punch as soon as the mouth goes through the cycle of chewing several times. Some consumers, like me, can handle the power of this heat, while others may just want to stay out of the kitchen to avoid it. Either way, it happens: whether wanted or not. Handling this heat is pass or fail. In Nora and Torvald's case, this heat comes in the form of a gradual increase of tension in their marriage. The second that Krogstad has Nora forge her signature on a check, he ignites the flame on the trail of gunpowder leading up to the collapse of the two lovebirds' marriage. He pushes Nora to take a horrific guilt trip for not telling her husband about her burdensome secret. As soon as Nora couldn't handle the heat of her own red pepper flakes, she fights it. She takes her swig of cold water to ease the pain by fighting against Torvald discovering the forgery letter in the mail and dancing wildly to the tarantella as a distraction. Sadly, Nora wasn't able to handle the heat, leading to the shattering of their marriage and her escape from the confines of the home.
Krogstad isn't truly a bad person, per say. There is a sort of realism to him that many of the other characters fail to possess that he executes finely: and this is represented through the broccoli in number 3. After the first act of the play, Krogstad's character blossoms, which is exactly what happens to broccoli as it grows. After several months of maturation, the head of broccoli sprouts like a flower out of the head of a cabbage. This particular vegetable represents the hidden personality of Krogstad coming out of its tough shell. Although the flower that sprouts may not be the most captivating to gaze it, the natural essence of it is the property that sets it apart from the rest. When looking at a potential mate, there is nothing more reassuring than knowing that the person radiate their natural and truthful behavior in the presence of others. As a vegetable, the broccoli represents the raw truth. As Krogstad matures as a character, he starts to stick to his life goal of rising up in the workplace and building up a natural, honest love with Mrs. Linden, his former admirer. He pulls himself together and starts to understand that they both are two loveless souls in an empty world; through life experiences, they are meant to support one another for eternity.
The earthiness of the broccoli leaves the final impression for the consumer and eventually shadows over the other elements of this salad. This change in perspective from an onlooker shows how Krogstad has altered as the play progresses.
The main course is on its way!
Chef Michael
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