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The Rattrap by Selma Lagerlof

The Rattrap is a story about a rattrap seller who belongs
to the lower socio-economic section of the society and
leads a life of poverty. His earnings were meagre and
therefore, sometimes he indulged in begging and petty
thievery in order to sustain himself. He lived a life of
solitude (loneliness) as he had no friends, relatives or
even acquaintances. One day, he was struck with the idea
that “the whole world with its lands and seas, its cities
and villages, is nothing but a big rattrap”. He felt that
this world is like a huge rattrap that offers us baits like
comfort, riches, joy, food, shelter, clothing etc. but the
moment we try to achieve these baits, we get trapped in
this world forever. The inability of the human beings to
accomplish all these baits lead the human beings into grief
and dissatisfaction.
Every day, the peddler (a person who sells stolen goods)
had to search for shelter as he had no permanent place of
residence. One dark evening, he came across a little gray
cottage by the roadside and he knocked at the door of the
cottage to seek shelter for the night. An old crofter opened
the door and readily offered food and shelter to the
peddler. The old crofter had no wife or children and he
tried to seek accompaniment in the peddler. He played
mjolis (A card game played in Sweden) with the peddler.
He told the peddler about his past when he worked at
Ramsjo Ironworks, his gradual inability to do day labour
and his present source of sustaining himself financially,
that is, his cow that could give milk for the creamery (a
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shop where dairy products are sold) every day. The old
crofter told the peddler that last month, he received all of
thirty kronor (the basic monetary unit of Sweden) in
payment for selling his cow’s milk. Since the peddler
apparently seemed astonished after getting acquainted
with this news, the old crofter literally showed him three
wrinkled ten-kronor notes. This action of the old crofter
made it explicit that he dearly began to trust the peddler
within a very short span of time. In the process, the
peddler came to know that the old-crofter keeps the thirty-
kronor notes in a pouch that is hung on a nail in the
window frame.
The peddler bid goodbye to the old crofter the next day but
he went back to the cottage half an hour later in the
absence of the crofter and stole the thirty-kronor notes
from the pouch by smashing the window pane. Hence, the
peddler broke the trust of the old crofter. After stealing the
money, the peddler decided to walk through the woods,
instead of the public highway, in order to not get caught.
However, after sometime, he lost his way in the woods
and literally felt that he got caught in the rattrap, that is,
the forest as he got lured by the bait, that is, the stolen
money. He felt as if the forest is an impenetrable
(impossible to pass through) prison without any scope of
escape.
Later, the peddler found a way to a forge (a working area
with a fire for heating metal until it is soft enough to be
beaten into different shapes) to take shelter there. There,
he met an ironmaster who mistook him as an old friend,
that is, Nils Olof Von Stahle. Although the peddler had a
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shabby appearance at that time, yet the ironmaster

insisted that he is his old comrade and invited him to his
home. The peddler was reluctant in accepting the
invitation but the ironmaster constantly kept requesting
him to celebrate Christmas with him and his oldest
daughter, Edla Willmansson. Nevertheless, the peddler
remained adamant and did not accept the invitation from
the ironmaster. The ironmaster left the forge and went
back to his home. He informed Edla about the whole
incident.
On being informed about the incident, Edla took
permission from her father to go to Captain Von Stahle
and invite him to the Christmas celebration herself. She
went to the forge and invited the peddler to her home in a
very friendly and compassionate manner. The peddler
finally accepted the invitation as he felt confident in her.
The ironmaster and his daughter hired a valet (a man's
personal male attendant, who is responsible for his clothes
and appearance) for the peddler. The valet had bathed the
peddler, cut his hair, and shaved him. The peddler got
dressed in good clothes and his whole personality had
undergone a major transformation.
However, once the peddler was groomed by the valet, the
ironmaster realized that he was not Captain Von Stahle
and he mistook the peddler as his old friend. This enraged
(making someone angry) the ironmaster and he
threatened the peddler to either leave his house or to face
the sheriff (cop/officer of the law). Although the peddler
asserted that he never tried to conceal (hide) his identity,
yet the ironmaster was too infuriated (angry) to listen to
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him. Edla intervened in the ordeal and requested her

father to let the peddler “enjoy a day of peace with
them, just once in the whole year”. Her father finally
approved his daughter’s decision and the peddler stayed
with them, they ate the Christmas fish and porridge
together and the peddler slept peacefully.
Next day, the ironmaster and his daughter, Edla went to
the church and learnt that one of the old crofters of the
ironworks had been robbed by a man who went around
selling rattraps. This news disheartened Edla. On the
contrary, the ironmaster got infuriated at this news and
suspected that the peddler must have stolen things from
his house as well.
Contrary to the ironmaster’s expectations, on returning
back to their home both Edla and the ironmaster came to
know by the valet that the peddler had already left, he did
not steal anything and he left a Christmas present for
Edla. On opening the improperly wrapped package, Edla
got delighted to find a rattrap with thirty-kronor notes and a
letter inside it. The letter was addressed to Edla in which
the peddler expressed his gratitude for her as she showed
compassion to him even after knowing that he was just a
vagabond. The peddler also requested Edla to give back
the thirty-kronor notes to their rightful owner, that is, the
old crofter and he signed the letter as Captain Von Stahle
as it is only the captain’s identity that enabled the peddler
to seek redemption (the action of saving or being saved
from sin, error, or evil) from his wrongdoings.
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Thematic Concerns:-
1. The Rattrap as a Metaphorical
Representation of Human Plight:-
Selma Lagerlof has metaphorically
portrayed the world as a rattrap. The
world offers a wide array of baits to the
human beings. These baits of the world
include riches, joy, shelter, food,
clothing just like the rattrap offers
cheese and pork as baits. But the
moment one touches these baits, one
finds oneself entangled in the clutches
of misery and disappointment. With
reference to the human world, these
baits cause suffering to humankind
because of two reasons. Either they
compel human beings to commit wrong
in order to achieve these baits or even if
human beings achieve these baits by
adopting the correct path, yet these
baits leave human beings wanting for
more, thereby overpowering human
beings with dissatisfaction.
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2. Compassion as a Source of
Transformation:-
Through the story, Selma Lagerlof has
also advocated the fact that compassion
and kindness could bring transformation
even in the hearts and souls of the most
corrupt human beings. In the story, the
vagabond often resorted to thievery for
his existence but it was the compassion
of Edla towards him that ultimately
transformed him from a thief to a
thoughtful person. Consequently, he
returned the stolen money to Edla and
requested her to hand over that money
to its rightful owner, that is, the old
crofter. Thus, Edla’s compassion
towards the peddler awakened the
goodness within him and made him a
better man.
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3. The Inherent Need of Human

Beings to Socialize in order to
overcome their Solitude:-
The writer of the story has also
highlighted the fact that human beings
have a tendency of bonding with others
in order to overcome their loneliness. It
was due to this inherent human
tendency that the old crofter welcomed
the peddler to his home and shared food
and his personal stories with him. Again,
it was because of his loneliness that the
ironmaster invited the peddler to his
home for Christmas celebration. Since,
the ironmaster’s wife, Elizabeth was
dead and his sons lived abroad, the only
company that he had at home was his
oldest daughter, Edla. That is why, he
tried to socialize with the peddler whom
he mistook as his old comrade, Captain
Von Stahle.
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4. Class and Hierarchical Divisions

as Oppressive forces in the Society:-
Through the story, Selma Lagerlof has
highlighted the fact that human beings
are often driven by the class and
hierarchical divisions in the society. For
instance, the ironmaster was very
concerned and soft-hearted towards the
peddler till he perceived him as his old
regimental comrade, that is, Captain
Von Stahle. But the moment he came to
know about his true identity, he got
infuriated and even threatened to call a
sheriff to get him arrested. However,
Selma Lagerlof made an exception
through the characterization of Edla who
remained indifferent to the class
divisions and continued being
compassionate towards him irrespective
of his societal status.
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