THE RATTRAP- Selma Lagerlof

About the author

[Link] Lagerlof (1858-1940) was a Swedish writer whose stories have been translated into many languages.
2. She was the first woman writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909 in appreciation of the lofty idealism,
vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings.
3. A universal theme runs through all her stories- a belief that the essential goodness in a human being can be
awakened through understanding and love.
[Link] story is set in the middle of the mines of Sweden which are rich in iron ore. The story is narrated in the
manner of a fairy tale.
5. It gives us the message that the emotions of love and acceptance can reform others.
THE BACKGROUND OF THE STORY-
1. Sweden began shifting from an agricultural to an industrial economy in the second half of the nineteenth
century.
2. Varmland, in western Sweden, was a well- forested region, rich in iron ore. So, it became an important
centre of Sweden’s iron, lumber and paper industries.
3. Many farm families were displaced by the growing industry, and some were reduced to lives of extreme
poverty.
4. These sweeping changes are evident in “The Rattrap” which takes place in Varmland towards the end of the
nineteenth century.
5. The main character of the story is an iron worker who lost his job to machines. He is a travelling rattrap
salesman.
6. The story has entertaining, historical as well as philosophical merit.

Chapter Highlights-
[Link] Rattrap is a story about a rattrap seller who lead a very poor life as his earnings were very low. He has to resort
to thievery and begging to make both ends meet.
[Link] was alone in this whole world and led a miserable life. So he started knitting up various kinds of thoughts. One
of these thoughts was of supposing the whole world as a big rattrap. His views were that the world offered us
various types of baits in the form of comforts of life. This in return trapped us into the rattrap of the world and lead
us to various types of miseries.
[Link] night, the peddler had to search for shelter as he had no home. One evening he was offered shelter by an old
crofter. The next morning he stole the crofter’s money which he had earned by selling his cow’s milk. To safeguard
himself, the peddler chose the path through the forest which was secluded, but soon found himself trapped in the
forest as he wasn’t able to find the way out of the dense forest.
4. Later on, he found a way to a forge and took shelter there. Something unusual happened. The ironmaster mistook
him as an old friend and invited him to his house. The poor peddler rejected the offer due to the fear of being
caught. Soon he was invited by the ironmaster‘s daughter. The next morning he was somehow stopped by the
ironmaster’s daughter for Christmas Eve even after being caught that he was a peddler and not Captain Stalhe.
[Link] next day after Christmas, when the iron master and his daughter visited the church, they came to know that
the man was a thief who had stolen money from the old crofter. The iron master and his daughter repented for
sheltering a thief and wondered at what all things he would have stolen by that time.
[Link] came a twist as instead of stealing, the peddler gifted the ironmaster’s daughter a rattrap. She found a letter
of thanks and the stolen money inside the rattrap. The peddler thanked Edla for her kindness and requested her to
return the stolen money to the crofter.
[Link] story gives us the message that goodness in a human being can be awakened at any time with your own good
deeds.
COMPREHENSION- SATQs-40-50 words:

Why did the peddler think that the world was a rattrap? (All India 2009)
Answer:
The peddler considered the whole world as a big rattrap. Its sole purpose being to set
baits for people. The joys and riches of this world are nothing but tempting baits and
anyone who is tempted by them was captured by the rattrap which completely closed
in on him.

Why did the peddler derive pleasure from his idea of the world as a rattrap?
(Delhi 2014)
Answer:
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. It became his cherished pastime to think of people
he knew who had let themselves be caught in the dangerous snare and of others who
were still circling around the bait in the rattrap.

How was the peddler treated at the crofter’s cottage? (Comptt. All India 2010)
Answer:
At the crofter’s cottage the peddler was welcomed warmly and received generous
hospitality. The crofter was an old and lonely man and the prospect of getting the
peddler’s company overjoyed him. So, he poured all his warmth and friendly courtesy
on the peddler.

Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler? (Delhi 2011)
Answer:
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 extremely happy 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? (All India 2011)
Answer:
The peddler discarded the public 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. He walked through mazes of forest paths but
landed nowhere. When he realized he had been trapped he felt extremely tired and
sank to the ground in despair.

Did the stranger agree to go to the ironmaster’s house? Why or why not?
(Comptt. Delhi 2011)
Answer:
Initially the stranger declined the ironmaster’s invitation. He had the stolen thirty
kronors with him and thought it was like going into the lion’s den. But then he
accepted the ironmaster’s invitation because Edla’s sympathy and compassion
allayed his fears and her friendly manner made him to have confidence in her.

How did the ironmaster react on seeing the stranger lying close to the
furnace? (All India 2012)
Answer:
When the iron master saw the stranger lying close to the furnace he walked up to him
and looked him over carefully. Mistaking him for an old acquaintance, a comrade from
his regiment, he got very excited and invited him to come to his cottage.

Why didn’t the stranger tell the ironmaster that he was not Nils Olof? (All
India 2016)
Answer:
When the ironmaster mistook the stranger for Captain Nils Olof, an old regimental
comrade, the stranger decided not to correct him as he hoped to get a couple of
kronors from the ironmaster. So he did not want to undeceive him all at once.

Why did Edla plead with her father not to send the vagabond away? (All India
2014)
Answer:
Edla pleaded with her father not to send the vagabond away as it was Christmas eve
and she wanted to keep the spirit of Christmas alive. She wanted to provide the
vagabond with a day of comfort and solace. She justified that they had invited him
against his will and since he was lonely she wanted to do something special for him on
Christmas eve.

What conclusion did the ironmaster reach when he heard that the crofter
had been robbed by the peddler? (Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
When the ironmaster heard that the crofter had been robbed by a man who went
around selling rat-traps, he sarcastically remarked to his daughter that she had let a
fine man into the house and was wondering as to how many silver spoons were left in
their cupboard by that time.

What were the contents of the package left by the peddler as a Christmas
gift for Edla Willmanson? (Comptt. All India 2014)
Answer:
The package that the peddler left as a Christmas gift for Edla Willmanson contained a
small rattrap which had a letter he had written in large, jagged characters and in it
also lay three wrinkled ten kronor notes.

What brought about a change in the life of the peddler? (Comptt. All India
2015)
Answer:
Edla’s warmth, sympathy and compassion brought about a change in the life of the
peddler. He was touched by the kind treatment Edla gave him despite knowing his
real identity. The latent goodness of his heart was awakened and he actually behaved
like a true Captain.

LATQs-100-120 words

Describe how the story, ‘The Rattrap’ shows that basic human goodness can
be brought out by understanding and love. (Delhi 2006)
Answer:
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 Willmanson’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
Willmanson that was able to bring out his basic human goodness.