THE RATTRAP

by
SELMA LAGERLOF
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf was
a Swedish author and teacher.
She published her first novel,
Gösta Berling's Saga, at the age
of 33. She was the first woman to
win the Nobel Prize in Literature,
which she was awarded in 1909.
Born: 20 November 1858,
Mårbacka, Sweden
Died: 16 March 1940, Mårbacka
, Sweden
Nationality: Swedish
Full name: Selma Ottilia Lovisa
Lagerlöf
• Setting
• This story is set amidst the mines of Sweden, rich in iron ore which
figure large in the history of that country. The story is told somewhat in
the manner of a fairy tale.
• Characters
1.A peddlar with rattraps.
[Link] Oldman: A crofter
[Link] Smith in the Ramsjo Iron Mill in Sweden
[Link] in the Mill: blacksmiths
[Link] mill owner
[Link] Willmansson – daughter of the Iron Mill owner.
• 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.
 Introduction &Themes
The story is about an old disheartened peddler who
is taken in and shown generosity by a young woman.
Her generosity and kindness change his bitter
attitude towards life. The peddler is a man who has
fallen upon misfortune and now resorts to selling
rattraps, begging, and thievery. He is very pessimistic
about the world around him and sees the world as
merely a “rat trap”. He believes that society tempts us
with riches and fine things, and when we accept, we
are caught in the trap and are left with nothing.

The story conveys a universal message that the

essential goodness in a human being can be
awakened through love, respect, kindness and
understanding. It highlights the human predicament.
Material benefits are the traps that most human
beings are prone to fall into. Human beings do have a
tendency to redeem themselves from dishonest ways
as does the peddler at the end of the story.
• The story conveys a universal message that the essential goodness in
a human being can be awakened through love, respect, kindness and
understanding. It highlights the human predicament. Material
benefits are the traps that most human beings are prone to fall into.
Human beings do have a tendency to redeem themselves from
dishonest ways as does the peddler at the end of the story.
• What are the themes discussed in the story ?

• The story conveys a universal theme and also a message that that the essential goodness
in a human being can be awakened through love, respect, kindness and understanding. It
highlights the human predicament. Material benefits are the traps that most human beings
are prone to fall into. Human beings do have a tendency to redeem themselves from
dishonest ways as does the peddler at the end of the story.
• Connected to the themes of kindness and trust, “The Rattrap” also
explores the basic human need for companionship and community, and
shows the negative effects of loneliness, whether as a result of poverty,
cynicism, or unkindness.
• At the start of the story, the peddler leads an incredibly lonely existence,
and this affects him in extremely negative ways, causing him unhappiness
and bitterness, and driving him to steal from and lie to others. Through the
peddler’s transformative interactions with the old man, the ironmaster,
and Edla Willmansson, however, the story shows the importance of
human companionship, and suggests that a society should bring people
together rather than isolating them or turning them against each other.
• The story focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with
others. Explain.
(Delhi 2010)

• 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, is 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.
• Give examples from the story, The Rattrap’ to show how the
ironmaster is different from his daughter. (Delhi 2009)
or
Compare and contrast the character of the ironmaster with that of his
daughter.
(Delhi 2008)
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.
• The story, The Rattrap’ is both entertaining and philosophical. Do you
agree with this statement? Why/Why not? (Foreign 2011)

• 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 realization 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 entrappings 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.