The Rattrap

Selma Lagerlof
Justification of title
“The rattrap” is an appropriate title as it is the story of a rattrap peddler. The author has used the metaphor of a
rattrap to highlight the human predicament. Just as a rat is fooled by bait and gets trapped, most human beings
also fall into the trap of material benefits. The story revolves around the incident of a man getting trapped due
to his greed. Hence, the title is an apt one.

Theme
1. The human beings are prone to fall into the trap of material benefits.
2. It is the human tendency to redeem oneself from dishonest ways.
3. It also highlights the themes like human loneliness, status and treatment meted out to have-nots and callous
attitude of society towards such people.
4. One of the themes is that man is inherently good by nature. The society and environment make them bad.
One more theme which is evident from lesson is that human goodness and kindness can bring about the best
in any human being.
5. The story is based on the universal theme that the essential goodness in man can be awakened through
understanding and love.
6. The story revolves around the belief that the whole world is nothing but a big rattrap with all its temptations
used as baits.

Main Points

1. Rattrap Person (Vagabond/Stranger/Rattrap Seller/Peddler)

Used to make and sell rattraps of wire for living
Business not profitable, had to beg and steal
Even then he was very poor and always hungry

2. His Philosophy
Whole world is a rat trap
If offered riches, joys, shelter, food etc., as bait.
If tempted to bait, everything came to end

3. Shelter at the crofter’s house and falling into temptation

One evening the peddler reached the cottage of a crofter
Crofter -a lonely person and was happy to have someone
Was simple, generous, hospitable fellow
Offered him pudding, big slice from tobacco roll, played cards (Mjolis)
Told about his past, was a crofter, prosperous
Now, his cow supported, earned thirty kronors
Showed the rat trap man pouch having kroner
Next day, rat trap man stole the money

4. Rattrap peddler loses his way

Out of fear he stops using the public highway
Takes shortcut in the woods, loses way, walks endlessly in circles, gets tired
Realizes he himself has been caught in rat trap, falls to ground
Hears sound of hammer strokes, walks in that direction, reaches iron mill
Blacksmiths did not take much notice, sleeps near the furnace

5. Iron master and his daughter Edla

Owner of Ramsjo iron mill came and looks at him
Mistakes the peddler as an old acquaintance Captain Nils Olof
Invites him to home to spend Christmas
The peddler declines the offer,
Ironmaster sends his daughter to persuade the peddler.
Edla not a pretty girl but modest and shy
Talked to him with kindness, compassionately and in friendly manner
Instantly noticed, either he was a theif or had broken away from prison
Edla’s kindness and compassion makes the peddler accept the request

6. Secret revealed
In the morning, Ironmaster realizes mistake
Rat trap man makes no attempt to hide his reality
Edla requests father to allow him to stay
They had promised Christmas cheer

7. The rattrap peddler turns a new leaf

Quietly eats food, sleeps the whole day
Edla gifts him her father’s clothes
Invites him for next year’s Christmas also, if he wishes to
Next morning, father and daughter go to church
Got to know that crofter was robbed by the rattrap peddler
Ironmaster angry, Daughter sad, both came home
Valet tells the peddler left a gift for Edla
Gift was rattrap, in it was a letter and 30 kronors he had stolen
Wishes money to be returned to crofter
Confesses that he had made a mistake, got caught in his own rat trap
Thanks for treating him like a real captain

Important Quotes from the Lesson:

1. But even so, the business was not especially profitable, so he had to resort to both begging and petty
thievery to keep body and soul together.
2. The whole world with its lands and seas, its cities, and villages — was nothing but a big rattrap.
3. It had never existed for any other purpose than to set baits for people. It offered riches and joys, shelter
and food, heat and clothing, exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and pork…..
4. The world had, of course, never been very kind to him, so it gave him unwonted joy to think ill of it in
this way.
5. the owner, who was an old man without wife or child, was happy to get someone to talk to in his
loneliness.
6. As he walked along with the money in his pocket, he felt quite pleased with his smartness.
7. All at once he recalled his thoughts about the world and the rattrap.
8. Now his own turn had come. He had let himself be fooled by a bait and had been caught.
9. He looked the way people of his type usually did, with a long beard, dirty, ragged, and with a bunch of
rattraps dangling on his chest.
10. If the fine gentleman thought he was an old acquaintance, he might perhaps throw him a couple of
kronor. Therefore, he did not want to undeceive him all at once.
11. There is no one at home except my oldest daughter and myself.
12. We were just saying that it was too bad we didn’t have any company for Christmas.
13. She was not at all pretty, but seemed modest and quite shy.
14. She looked at him compassionately, with her heavy eyes
15. She noticed that the man was afraid.
16. ‘‘Either he has stolen something or else he has escaped from, jail’’, she thought.
17. “It is not my fault, sir,” he said. “I never pretended to be anything but a poor trader, and I pleaded and
begged to be allowed to stay in the forge.
 18. “This whole world is nothing but a big rattrap. All the good things that are offered to you are nothing
but cheese rinds and bits of pork, set out to drag a poor fellow into trouble.
19. That morning she had felt so happy when she thought how homelike and Christmassy she was going to
make things for the poor hungry wretch.
20. She could not get away from the idea all at once, and that was why she had interceded for the
vagabond.
21. “He walks and walks the whole year long, and there is probably not a single place in the whole country
where he is welcome and can feel at home.”
22. It seemed as though for many years he had not been able to sleep as quietly and safely as here at
Ramsjo.
23. If he wanted to spend next Christmas Eve in a place where he could rest in peace, and be sure that no
evil would befall him, he would be welcomed back again.
24. He only stared at the young girl in boundless amazement.
25. She found a small rattrap, and in it lay three wrinkled ten kronor notes.
26. In the rattrap lay also a letter written in large, jagged characters.
27. “Since you have been so nice to me all day long, as if I was a captain, I want to be nice to you, in
return, as if I was a real captain.
28. “The rattrap is a Christmas present from a rat who would have been caught in this world’s rattrap if he
had not been raised to captain.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

What did the peddler do to keep his body and soul together?
The peddler made and sold rattraps but his business was not really profitable so he had to resort to both
begging and petty thievery to keep his body and soul together.

Why did the peddler think that the world was a rattrap?
The peddler considered the whole world as a big rattrap, as its sole purpose is to set baits for people. The joys
and riches of this world tempt people and work as baits. As a rat is caught in a trap because of the cheese and
pork so are the humans caught in this world because of material greed.

Why did the peddler derive pleasure from his idea of the world as a rattrap?
The world had never been kind to the peddler so it gave him unwanted joy to think ill of it by considering it as
a rattrap.

What hospitality did the peddler receive from the crofter?

Instead of the sour faces which normally met the peddler, the crofter who was an old and lonely man received
the peddler most warmly and offered him generous hospitality. He gave him porridge for supper and the two
smoked tobacco and played cards. The crofter also shared his confidences (details of his 30 kronors) with the
peddler.

Which act of the crofter surprised the peddler? Why?

When the old crofter gladly offered him shelter and welcomed him generously, the peddler was surprised as
till then no one had treated him with kindness, he had lost all hope of being shown any kind of warmth. The
warm welcome and generous hospitality surprised the peddler.

Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?
The crofter was lonely. He lived alone in his cottage without a wife, a child or any companion. Since he
suffered from acute loneliness, he was glad when he got the peddler’s company. That is why he was so
talkative and friendly with the peddler.

Why did the peddler keep to the woods after leaving the crofter’s cottage? How did he feel?
The peddler left the highway and kept to the woods after leaving the crofter’s cottage because he wanted to
avoid being caught with the thirty kronors that he had stolen from the crofter’s house. As he walked through
the maze of forest and found no way, he realised that he has been caught in a trap of this world.

Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home?
The ironmaster mistook the peddler to be an old acquaintance Nils Olof, his old regimental comrade, so he
spoke kindly to the peddler and invited him to his house. As he and his daughter Edla did not have any
company for Christmas, he wanted the peddler to join them for Christmas celebrations at his house.

Why didn’t the stranger tell the ironmaster that he was not Nils Olof?
The rattrap peddler decided not to correct the ironmaster because he thought that the ironmaster may give him
a kronor or two as a help to an old friend.

What were the contents of the package left by the peddler as a Christmas gift for Edla Willmansson?
The package that the peddler left as a Christmas gift for Edla Willmansson contained a small rattrap. Inside
the rattrap was a letter in his large, jagged handwriting and in it also lay three wrinkled ten kronor notes.

Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?
Edla was happy to see the gift left by the peddler as he had respected her faith in him. She had shown kindness
toward him even after knowing his reality. By the gift he had shown her that he was indeed an honourable
man. She had awakened the latent goodness of his heart had changed his life.

Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle?

Edla had treated him nicely with the honour that was due to a Captain The peddler, signed himself as Captain
von Stahle to show Edla that he has changed and behaves likes a gentleman and captain.

What made the peddler finally change his ways?

The peddler was touched by Edla’s kind treatment. She treated him like a Captain, she trusted him and
believed that he can change, in spite of knowing his real identity. Edla’s warmth, sympathy and compassion
awakened the latent goodness of his heart and finally changed his ways.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

Describe how the story, ‘The Rattrap’ shows that basic human goodness can be brought out by
understanding, warmth, and gentle love.
The theme of the story ‘The Rattrap’ is that most human beings are prone to fall into the trap of material
gains. However, love and understanding can transform a person and bring out his essential human goodness.
The peddler had been treated very cruelly by the world. So even though the old crofter was kind and
hospitable to him, he betrayed his trust and stole thirty kronors from him. He was not impressed by the
ironmaster’s invitation also. But Edla Willmansson’s compassion and understanding brought about a
transformation in his nature. Her human qualities helped in raising him to be a gentleman. He was easily able
to overcome petty temptations. The peddler who always considered the whole world to be a rattrap finally felt
released from this rattrap due to the sympathetic, kind, loving and generous treatment of Edla Willmansson
that was able to bring out his basic human goodness.

The story ‘The Rattrap’ focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others. Explain.
The main focus of the story ‘The Rattrap’ is on human loneliness. All the characters, whether it is the peddler,
the crofter, the ironmaster or his daughter, suffer from loneliness. The peddler is a lonely man who has always
been shunned by society’s cold and unkind words. When he knocks at the door of the old crofter’s cottage, he
does not expect hospitality but the crofter welcomes him as he is too happy to get someone to talk to after
being alone for so long. By serving the peddler the crofter is in fact serving himself. He serves the peddler
with supper, gives him tobacco and plays ‘Mjolis’ with him. He is a very good host. The ironmaster and his
daughter too miss company and this makes them all the lonelier on the occasion of Christmas. So, the
ironmaster, who mistakes the peddler for his old regimental comrade, invites him to his manor house for
Christmas. The ironmaster’s daughter, Edla, extends this invitation again and tells the peddler he can leave
any time after Christmas. Thus, the need to bond is the main focus of the story ‘The Rattrap’.