English Asl Term 2

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.
THEME
The human beings are prone to fall into the trap of

material benefits. It is the human tendency to redeem
oneself from dishonest ways. Hence, the whole world is
called a big rattrap which tempts the people towards
its materialistic benefits, and brings about their doom
and never ending predicament.
It also highlights the themes like human loneliness,

status and treatment meted out to have-nots and
callous attitude of society and government towards
such people.
One of the themes is that man is inherently good by
nature. The society and environment make them bad.
Human goodness and kindness can bring about the
change in their attitude.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Rat Trap” written by Selma Lagerlof is a short story

about an old disheartened beggar and thief who is
taken in and shown generosity by a young woman, her
kindness changes his bitter attitude about 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 warmth of compassion extends its rays around the

world, engraving mankind with its characteristic.
Selma Legerlof supports the theory of compassion in
her modern day short story “The Rat Trap” which
depicts the powerful and positive impacts of such care.
In the story, cynicism grips the protagonist rat trap
peddler until the old man and the blacksmith’s
daughter infect the protagonist with their altruism.
Thus, the peddler’s inner soul experiences a rapid
transformation form an ugly duckling to a dazzling
swan.
Legerlof’s first scene of compassion is from the old
man’s hospitality. Despite the fact that he did not know
the peddler, the old man still opened his arms and
acted charitable by providing food and shelter. This
action is not typical in the today’s world; a majority of
us would turn a blind eye. However, although the old
man showed a sign of compassion, it was not
appreciated—the protagonist stole from the old man.
As the peddler ponders on the road of guilt, he soon
receives a second action of care from a little girl.
Compassion is illustrated when the blacksmith’s
daughter takes pity on the protagonist. Although she
knew the fact that he was not Captain von Stahle, whom
he claimed to be, the girl said, ” I think he ought to stay
with us today. I don’t want him to go.” The girl’s
compassionate words cracked the foundation of the
protagonist’s cynical world. Throughout the story, the
protagonist only believed in the dismal side of human
nature, survival of the fittest, and viewed the world as a
battlefield. His whole belief system was shattered
when he received the girl’s pity and an opportunity to
enjoy his first “true” Christmas.
Lagerlof’s “The Rat Trap” strongly validates the concept
that compassion revolves around humankind. She
provides evidence when the old man and the
blacksmith’s daughter show compassion towards the
protagonist. As a result, the girl acted as the North Star,
guiding the protagonist out of the trap of cynicism.
Another lesson the mendicant learns throughout the

course of the story is to be considerate of others. At the
end of the novel, he makes amends with the old man by
returning his money and writing Edla a thank you note.
He understands what he did to the man was wrong and
that was not returning the kindness and trust given to
him. He apologized for lying to the girl and her father
and leaves her a present, a rat trap and the stolen
money(thirty croner bills) of the old man to be
returned.
What do we learn from the story rattrap?
Answer : The theme of the story 'The Rattrap' is that
most human beings are prone to fall into the trap of
material benefit. 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. What is the moral of the story the rattrap?
The protagonist, through his lens of cynicism, looks at
the world as a rat trap, where materialistic things pull
us into it and trap us. ... The moral of The Rattrap class
12 is that it is important to show others love, kindness
and respect because it changes their lives in ways we
cannot imagine

English Asl Term 2

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Justification of Title

“The Rattrap” is an appropriate title as it is the story of

The human beings are prone to fall into the trap of

It also highlights the themes like human loneliness,

The Rat Trap” written by Selma Lagerlof is a short story

The warmth of compassion extends its rays around the

Another lesson the mendicant learns throughout the

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