Inter Science College

The Rattrap ( Flamingo) Class XII

Notes by Shubhangi Mishra

Introduction

The Rattrap is a short story written by Selma Lagerlöf

about a man who is a vagabond and a poor rattrap
seller. The story is set amidst the mines of Sweden rich
in iron ore.

Theme
A belief that the essential goodness in a human being
can be awakened through understanding and love.
The story reflects the idea that everyone is capable of
change and that even the smallest act of kindness can
have a big impact on someone else’s life.

Characters

The Rattrap Peddler

The Rattrap peddler was a vagabond who plodded along

the country to sell rattraps made of wire. He made those
rattraps himself from the material he got by begging into
stores. He wore rags, had sunken cheeks, and his eyes
gleamed with hunger. He had to resort to begging and
petty thievery to be alive. He believed that the whole world
is a big rattrap. It gave him unwonted joy to think ill of the
world because it had never been kind to him. The old man
was very generous to him but he did not respect the
confidence reposed in him by the crofter. By the end he
changed his ways.

Edla Williamson

Edla Williamson was the daughter of the ironmaster who

owned the Ramsjo Ironmill those days. She was not at all
pretty but seemed modest and quite shy. She was young
and exceptionally kind. She had a great power of
persuasion as she convinced the peddler to come to the
manor house. She interceded for the vagabond which
made him change his ways.

Ironmaster

The Ironmaster was the owner of Ramsjo Ironworks. He

thought the man selling rattraps was an old friend from the
army. He himself was retired from the army. His wife was
dead and his boys lived abroad. He lived alone with his
oldest daughter. He was a kind and gentle man.
The Crofter

The crofter was an old man who worked on the land at

Ramsjo Ironworks in his days of prosperity. He had no wife
or children. He was no longer able to do day labour so he
owned a cow which supported him. He was very
generous. He welcomed the peddler in his cottage, made
porridge and shared his tobacco ith him.

Think as you read

Q1. From where did the peddler get the idea of the world
being a rattrap?
Ans: The peddler had been thinking of his rattraps when
suddenly he was struck by the idea that the whole world
was nothing but a big rattrap. It existed only to set baits for
people. It offered riches and joys, shelter and food, heat
and clothing in the same manner as the rattrap offered
cheese and pork. As soon as someone let himself be
tempted to touch the bait, it closed in on him, and then
everything came to an end.

Q2. Why was he amused by this idea?

Ans: The peddler had a sad and monotonous life. The
world had never been kind to him. So, during his gloomy
ploddings, it became his favourite pastime to watch
people let themselves be caught in the dangerous snare
and how others were still circling around the bait. It gave
him unwonted joy to think ill of it in this way.

Q3. Did the peddler expect the kind of hospitality that he

received from the crofter?
Ans: No, the peddler did not expect this kind of hospitality
that he received from the crofter.

Q4. Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the
peddler ?
Ans: The crofter was so talkative and friendly with the
peddler because he was leading a lonely life in the
cottage. He was an old man without a wife or child. So, he
was happy to get someone to talk to in his loneliness.

Q5. Why did he show the thirty kronor to the peddler ?

Ans: The crofter was making his livelihood by selling milk
in his old age. He told the peddler that last month he had
received thirty kronor in payment. Thinking that the
stranger might not believe this, he showed the wrinkled
three ten-kronor bills to him from a leather pouch.

Q6. Did the peddler respect the confidence reposed in him

by the crofter ?
Ans: No, the peddler did not respect the confidence
reposed in him by the crofter.
Q7. What made the peddler think that he had indeed fallen
into a rattrap ?
Ans: After stealing the crofter’s money, the rattrap peddler
turned off the road, into the forest. But he got entrapped.
He tried to walk in a definite direction, but the paths
twisted back and forth in a strange [Link] walked and
walked without coming to the end. Finally, he realised that
he had only been walking around the same part of the
forest. Then he recalled his thoughts about the world and
the rattrap. Now his own turn had come. The rattrap
peddler thus thought that he had indeed fallen into a
rattrap from which he might not be able to escape.

Q8. Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler

and invite him home ?
Ans: The ironmaster thought that the peddler was an old
acquaintance who had resigned from the regiment.
That's why the ironmaster spoke kindly to him and invited
him to have his company for Christmas.

Q9. Why did the peddler decline the invitation ?

Ans: The peddler declined the invitation because he had
lied to the ironmaster about being Nils Olof and also stolen
thirty kronors from the house of the crofter. So the peddler
thought that going up to the manor house would be like
throwing himself voluntarily into the lion’s den.
Q10. What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s
invitation ?
Ans: The peddler accepted Edla Willmansson’s invitation
because in a very compassionate and friendly manner she
had won the confidence of the peddler.

Q11. What doubts did Edla have about the peddler ?

Ans: Edla had doubts about the peddler that either he had
stolen something or else he had escaped from jail. She felt
nothing about him which showed that he had once been
an educated man.

Q12. When did the ironmaster realise his mistake ?

Ans: The ironmaster realised his mistake when the valet
had bathed the peddler, cut his hair, shaved him and he
was dressed in a good-looking suit. He realised that the
peddler was not his old regimental comrade. In broad
daylight, it was impossible to mistake him for an old
acquaintance.

Q13. What did the peddler say in his defence when it was
clear that he was not the person the ironmaster had
thought he was ?
Ans: The peddler defended himself by saying that it was
not his fault. He told the ironmaster that he never
pretended to be anything but a poor trader. He said further
that he had pleaded and begged to be allowed to stay in
the forge. Then he offered to put on his rags and go away.

Q14. Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after
she knew the truth about him ?
Ans: Edla entertained the peddler even after she knew the
truth. She said that the stranger walked and walked the
whole year long, and there is probably not a single place
in the whole country where he is welcomed and can feel at
home.
She said that he was always afraid of being arrested and
cross-examined. She said that she would like to have him
enjoy a day of peace with them in their house-just one in
the whole year. She thought that they should not chase
away a human being whom they had asked to come to
their house.

Q15. Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the
peddler?
Ans: Edla was happy to see the gift left by the peddler
because the peddler did not prove himself to be a thief
and had not taken anything with him at all. He had left
behind a little package which Elda was to be kind enough
to accept as a Christmas present. He had also kept thirty
kronor he had stolen from the crofter’s house.
Q16. Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain Von
Stahle ?
Ans: The peddler signed himself as Captain Von Stahle
because Edla was very nice to him as if he was a captain
so he also wanted to be nice to Edla in return as if he was
a real captain. It made the peddler change his ways. He
would have been caught in the world's rattrap if he had not
been raised to captain.

Understanding the text

Q1. How does the peddler interpret the acts of kindness

and hospitality shown by the crofter, the ironmaster and
his daughter ?
Ans: The crofter showed his kindness and hospitality
towards the peddler which he had not expected.
But the rattrap peddler stole his thirty kronors. Thus he
betrayed the confidence reposed in him by the crofter.

The ironmaster, thinking him as an old acquaintance

Captain Von Stahle, showed kindness to him and invited
him to spend the Christmas evening with him. But the
peddler thought that if the ironmaster thought that he was
an old acquaintance, he might give him a couple of kronor.
That is why he did not reveal his true identity.
Edla was very compassionate and friendly with the
peddler. Even after knowing the truth about the peddler
she interceded for him and convinced his father to allow
him to spend Christmas Eve with them. The peddler
wondered why she did it. But he interpreted it as her
nobleness, kindness and generosity and decided to
change his ways.

Q2. What are the instances in the story that show that the
character of the ironmaster is different from that of his
daughter in many ways ?

Ans: There are various instances in the story that show

that the character of the ironmaster is different from his
daughter in many ways. The ironmaster, mistook the
peddler as an old acquaintance, insisted on inviting him to
his house to spend Christmas eve. The peddler time and
again declined his invitation.
Then the ironmaster sent his daughter hoping that she
would have better powers of persuasion than him. With
her; compassionate and friendly behaviour, she was able
to win the confidence of the peddler, who agreed to go to
her home.

But when the peddler came all well groomed, the

ironmaster realised that he was not Nils Olof. The
ironmaster threatened to call the sheriff and asked him to
get out of his house immediately. But his daughter said
that he ought to stay with them today. She was more
sympathetic to “the poor hungry wretch” than her father.
She thought that he should enjoy a day of peace with
them, just one in the whole year. She asked him to keep
his father’s suit as a-Christmas gift. Thus her behaviour
changed the peddler who left with her the money stolen by
him.

Q3. The story has many instances of unexpected

reactions from the characters to others’ behaviour. Pick
out instances of these surprises.

Ans: The story “The Rattrap’ has many instances of

unexpected reactions from the characters to others’
behaviour. First when the peddler knocked on the door to
ask for shelter for the night. Usually he was refused. But
unexpectedly the owner of the house welcomed him
cheerfully. He showered his best hospitality by serving
food, playing cards with him and taking care of him in all
the possible manner.

Thereafter, the peddler took shelter at Ramjso Ironmill, the

ironmaster mistook him as an old regimental comrade.
Unexpectedly, the ironmaster came and insisted him to
spend the Christmas evening at his home.
When the peddler declined his offer, quite unexpectedly
Edla, the ironmaster’s daughter, came there and
persuaded him to go to their house.

The ironmaster realized that he had mistaken the

stranger’s identity and asked him to leave his house
immediately. But again unexpectedly Edla in a
compassionate manner convinced her father to let him
stay for Christmas in the house.

Q4. What made the peddler finally change his ways ?

Ans: It was the compassionate, kind, generous and

friendly behaviour of Edla Willmansson, which finally made
him change his ways.

The ironmaster had invited him to his house thinking that

he was an old regimental comrade. When he realised that
the peddler was not his old acquaintance, but a stranger,
he asked him to leave his house immediately. But Edla,
showing sympathy and pity on him, persuaded her father
to allow him to spend Christmas with them. Thus her
behaviour aroused his conscience. and he gave her a
rattrap as a gift and requested her to return the thirty
kronors of the crofter, which he had stolen.
Q5. How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to
highlight the human predicament ?

Ans: In the story 'The Rattrap’, the peddler goes around

selling small rattraps of wire. Thinking of his rattraps, he
was struck by the idea that the whole world around him
was nothing but a big rattrap. He thought that the world
had never existed for any other purpose than to set baits
for people.

The world offered riches and joys, shelter and food, heat
and clothing, exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and
pork. As soon as anyone let himself be tempted to touch
the bait, it closed in on him, and then everything came to
an end. This is how the metaphor of the rattrap serves to
highlight the human predicament. The more we are allured
by the worldly things, the more we are entrapped by them.
And then there is no way out.

Q6. The peddler comes out as a person with a subtle

sense of humour. How does this serve in lightening the
seriousness of the theme of the story and also endear him
to us ?
Ans: The peddler has a subtle sense of humour. His sense
of humour serves in lightening the seriousness of the
theme of the story. It also endears him to us as it evokes
our sympathy with him.
He compares the world about him with a rattrap, which
sets bait for the people. As the world had never been kind
to him, so it gave him unwonted joy to think ill of it in this
way. It was his favourite pastime to think of the people he
knew who had let themselves be caught in the dangerous
snare, and of others who were still circling around the bait.
As he walked along with the stolen money of crofter, he
felt quite pleased with his smartness.

He did not reveal his real identity to the ironmaster

because he thought that thinking of him as an old
acquaintance, the ironmaster might perhaps throw him a
couple of kronor. While riding up to the manor house he
thought that he was sitting in the trap and would never get
out of it. When the ironmaster realised that he was not his
old acquaintance and threatened to call the sheriff, he told
him that the whole world is nothing but a big rattrap and
the ironmaster began to laugh. His letter written to Edla
also shows his sense of humour.