The Rattrap—Selma Lagerlof

Question.1. In what sense was the world a big rattrap according to the peddler?

Answer. The peddler was a very poor man who earned his living by selling rattraps he made
himself from the materials he got by begging. His mind, thus, was always preoccupied with
rattraps. One day, he suddenly thought of the whole world was a big rattrap. He felt that the
shelter, food, clothes, riches and joys that the world provided were all baits set to entrap man
just as a rattrap offered cheese or meat to entrap rats. As soon as one was trapped, everything
came to an end.

Question.2. Why did the peddler derive pleasure from his idea of the world as a rattrap?

Answer. The world had never been kind to the poor peddler. Wherever he went, he was greeted
with sour faces and was turned or chased away. Therefore, he derived pleasure from thinking
ill of the world in this way. Moreover, he perhaps envied those whose lot was better than his,
and was rather amused to think that someday they too would be tempted by the bait and be
caught in the Rattrap.

Question.3. Why did the peddler knock on the cottage by the roadside? How was he
treated by the Owner Of the cottage?

Answer. The peddler knocked on the cottage by the roadside to seek shelter for the night. The
owner of the cottage was a crofter who lived there alone. He regarded the peddler as welcome
company and treated him quite hospitably. He not only put him up for the night, but also offered
him food and played cards with him.

Question.4. Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about
him?

Answer. Edla had always thought the peddler to be a poor, homeless tramp. Therefore, she
didn’t feel cheated when his true identity was revealed. Instead, she felt very bad for him and
his miserable condition, and pleaded on his behalf. She and her father had promised him
Christmas cheer, and she felt that it would be wrong to send him away.
Question.5. What conclusion did the ironmaster reach when he heard that the crofter had
been robbed by the peddler?

Answer. It was at the church that the ironmaster and his daughter heard that the crofter had
been robbed by a peddler, who, no doubt, was the one they had sheltered at the manor house.
The ironmaster at once concluded that the peddler would probably have stolen all his silverware
in their absence, and ran away.

Question.6. What was the content of the letter written by the peddler to Edla?

Answer. The peddler had written that since Edla had treated him like a captain, he wanted to
be nice to her in return. He did not want her to be embarrassed at Christmas by a thief. He had
requested that the crofter’s money that he had stolen be returned. He further wrote that the
rattrap was a Christmas present from a rat who would have been caught in the world’s rattrap,
if he had not been raised to the status of captain, which motivated him to reform himself.
Question.7. What were the contents of the package left by the peddler as Christmas gift
for Edla Willmansson?

Answer. The package left by the peddler as a Christmas gift for Edla Willmansson comprised
a small rattrap with three wrinkled ten kronor notes in it, which the peddler had robbed from
the crofter. It also contained a brief letter for Edla explaining the peddler’s conduct.

Question.8. Why did the peddler decline the invitation of the ironmaster?

Answer. The ironmaster has mistaken the peddler for an old regimental comrade and invited
him home. The peddler declined the invitation because he was carrying the money he had stolen
from the crofter. He knew that if the ironmaster discovered his identity, he would hand him
over to the police. Therefore, for him, going to the manor house was like walking into a lion’s
den.

Question.9. Who was the owner of Ramsjo iron mills? Why did he visit the mills at night?

Answer. The owner of the Ramsjo iron mills was an ex-army man and an ambitious and
prominent ironmaster. He was very particular about the quality of his products, and visited the
mills even at night to make sure that good iron was shipped out from his mills.

Question.10. How did the ironmaster react on seeing the stranger lying close to the
furnace?

Answer. When the ironmaster saw a stranger in rags lying close to the furnace, he went near
him and removed his slouch hat to get a better view of his face. Due to dim light in the forge
and the peddler’s dirty appearance, he mistook him to be Nils Olof, an old acquaintance of his
regiment. He was delighted to see him and invited him home for Christmas.

Question.11. Why did the stranger not tell the ironmaster that he was not Nils Olof?

Answer. The stranger did not tell the ironmaster that he was not Nils Olof because he thought
that if the gentleman believed that he was an old friend or acquaintance of his, then he might
take pity on him and help him with some money.

Question.12. Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?

Answer. The old crofter was lonely and leading a dreary existence as he had no wife or
children. He was happy to get someone to talk to and share his thoughts with, even though it
was a tramp. So, he welcomed the peddler who was quite a patient listener, and extended his
hospitality to him.

Question.13. Why was the peddler surprised when he knocked on the door of the cottage?

Answer. The peddler had never been treated kindly by the world. He was meted out cold
treatment wherever he went. He was pleasantly surprised when the crofter greeted him with
warmth and hospitality. Ordinarily, he always met ‘sour faces’ when he knocked for shelter
and food, and was usually turned away.

Question.14. Why did the peddler keep to the woods after leaving the crofter’s cottage?
How did he feel?
Answer. After stealing the money from the crofter’s, the peddler was cautious to. avoid the
public, highway lest he be identified and caught. He got into the woods but finally realised that
it was a big and confusing forest. The end of the forest was nowhere in sight and he felt lost.
That’s when he recalled his thoughts about the world being a rattrap and he realised that he had
indeed become a victim of a rattrap.

Question.15. What made the peddler finally change his ways?

Answer. The peddler believed in giving back to the world what he received from it. He was
always treated with contempt and hostility and so he never did anything good. However, Edla’s
kind and caring behaviour finally changed him. She had treated him with love and respect
befitting a captain, even after realising that he was a poor vagabond. The trust that Edla showed
in him made him change his ways and he decided to live with dignity and respect.

[Link] was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?

Answer. Edla felt very dejected when she came to know about the theft of the crofter’s money
by the peddler, but the gift left behind, which consisted of a small rattrap and three wrinkled
ten kronor notes, restored her faith in him. She felt happy because her trust in him had been
justified. Her kindness had finally changed the peddler and brought out his essential goodness.

Question.17. “Edla sat and hung her head even more dejectedly than usual.” Which two
reasons forced her to behave in that manner?

Answer. Edla had shown kindness to the peddler even after knowing that he was not a captain.
This was the reason why she felt all the more dejected when she came to know that the peddler
whom she had sheltered was actually a thief, who had recently robbed a crofter. Secondly, she
also felt bad because the peddler had disproved the faith which she had shown in him.

Question.18. Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle?
Answer. The peddler owed his transformation to the kind treatment meted out to him by
Edla. In spite of knowing the truth about him, she had honoured and treated him like a
captain. She had awakened the latent goodness in his heart. He wanted to repay Edla for her
kindness. His signing himself as Captain von Stahle shows that he wanted to retain the
dignity and respect accorded to him.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question.1. How did the peddler feel after robbing the crofter? What course did he
adopt and how did he react to the new situation? What does his reaction reveal?

Answer. The crofter had treated the peddler with hospitality, and had even reposed his trust in
the poor vagabond. Still the peddler robbed him and was quite pleased with his smartness.
However, the fear of getting caught haunted him. So, he avoided the public highway and turned
into the woods. It was a big and confusing forest, and due to the approaching darkness, the
peddler lost his way. He got exhausted moving around the same place, and was filled with
despair. He began to feel that the forest was like a big rattrap and the thirty kronor he had stolen
were like a bait set to tempt him.
His reaction reveals that he was feeling guilty for having stolen the crofter’s money. His heart
was filled with remorse and self-loathing for his act of weakness. However, his thoughts are
perhaps also a way of justifying his crime.

Question.2. The story, The Rattrap’ is both entertaining and philosophical. Do you agree
with this statement? Why/Why not?

Answer. The story, ‘The Rattrap’ is indeed, both entertaining and philosophical. The fast-
paced narrative in the third person, generous use of dialogue by the author and different
characters belonging to different mindsets and locales make the story interesting and
entertaining. Besides, the author has managed to keep up the suspense till the end.
The incidents in the forge, with the ironmaster coming at midnight, hold our attention. The
peddler’s incessant refusals to the ironmaster to accompany him, but his accepting Edla’s
invitation in one go, the ironmaster’s realisation of his mistake, and Edla’s sympathy and
generosity, all make the story quite gripping. While all the above events make the story
interesting, there is also an element of philosophy in the story.
Somewhere, the peddler’s theory of the world being a rattrap is true. One feels caught up like
a rat in the entrapments of the world. Some people fall into this trap never to come out of it
again. The story teaches us that, as human beings, we are not above temptations.
Question.3. The story focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others.
Explain.

Answer. All. the characters in the story suffer from loneliness and are dreary souls. First of all,
the tramp appears to lead a sad, monotonous existence, left to his own musings. He is always
greeted by sour faces and cold words.
The old crofter’s fate has been somewhat kinder to him. Bereft of his wife and children, he
lives all alone in a cottage by the roadside, and is rather happy to have visitors around.
We also have the ironmaster and his daughter, Edla, who have no company for Christmas. The
ironmaster’s wife is dead and his sons are settled abroad.
He, with his daughter, are happy to play hosts for his friend. Thus, all of them have a strong
desire for bonding and comradeship. The crofter is happy to be friends with the peddler,
although only for a night. It is the bonding with the ironmaster’s daughter that transforms the
peddler. The love, understanding and dignity that he gets from the girl makes him leave his
dishonest ways and redeem himself.

Question.4. Give examples from the story, The Rattrap’ to show how the ironmaster is
different from his daughter.

Answer. The character of the ironmaster was very different from that of his daughter. He was
an ambitious and arrogant man. When he saw the peddler, he mistook him for his old regimental
comrade, and invited him home, but this was more out of his sense of pride than out of
sympathy or generosity.
When the ironmaster realised that he had been mistaken, he called the peddler dishonest and
threatened to call the Sheriff. When he learnt that the peddler was a thief, he was ‘worried about
his own silverware.
On the other hand, Edla, the ironmaster’s daughter, was a kind and compassionate lady who
was really sympathetic and considerate towards the peddler right from the beginning. She
treated him with respect and dignity even after knowing that he was not a captain. It was her
generous attitude which finally changed the peddler, bringing out the essential goodness of his
nature.