THE RATTRAP

SELMA LAGERLOF

KEYNOTE:
Emotions of love and acceptance can reform others
“The Rattrap” brings up the idea that the latent spark of human goodness is inherent in each one of us
and it can be stirred back through love, trust and understanding.

GIST OF THE LESSON:

1. The peddler (hawker) was a vagabond (homeless) who sold rattraps with a little thievery and
begging on the side to make both ends meet. He had no worldly possession to call his own,
not even a name.
2. It amused him to think of the world as a rattrap and all the material possessions as baits
(riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing, exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and
pork), as the world, he felt, was never kind to him. Moreover, he prided himself in the fact
that he was out of it.

3. He takes shelter at a crofter’s cottage. The crofter welcomed him, gave him dinner, shared his
pipe, played mjolis with him and also confided in him about his income of 30 kronors and
showed him where he had kept it.
4. Next morning, the Peddler steals the money and to evade arrest turns off the public highway
and enters into the woods but gets lost in the jungle. It does not take him long to realize that
he has been caught in a rattrap and that the money was the bait. He had let himself be fooled
by a bait and had been caught.

5. Finally, he reaches Ramsjo Ironworks, where he takes shelter for the night. The blacksmith
and his assistant ignore him but their master mistakes him to be an old acquaintance, Captain
von Stahle and invites him home. Though the Peddler does not correct the ironmaster, hoping
to get some money out of him, he declines his invitation.
6. The ironmaster soon sends his daughter who persuades him to come home with her for
Christmas and even assures him that he can leave at his will. Noticing his frightened
demeanour, she thinks that either the peddler has stolen something or has escaped from jail.
7. The Peddler is scrubbed, bathed, given a haircut, a shave and a suit of old clothes of the
ironmaster. In the morning light, the iron master realizes his mistake that he is not the
Captain. He wants to call the Sheriff. The peddler is agitated and breaks out that it was
Ironmaster who had forced him to come to his place and also the world is rattrap and he too is
sure to be caught in it. He offers to change the clothes and leave. The ironmaster is amused
 but orders him out. The compassionate Edla, however, convinces her father to let him spend
the Christmas day with them.
8. The Peddler spends the whole of Christmas Eve eating and sleeping. The next day at church,
Edla and her father come to know that the Peddler is a thief who has stolen thirty kronors
from the poor crofter. They rush back home fearing a theft at their place also. But back home,
the peddler had already gone and had left a letter addressed to Edla, signed as Captain Von
Stahle along with a rattrap as a gift from him. In the rattrap were the three ten kroner notes of
the crofter.

CHARACTER – THE PEDLAR

The protagonist and central character of the story is an unnamed man who lives as a tramp wandering
the countryside and selling rattraps, which he makes out of wire in his spare time. Because he does
not make enough money from this to survive, the rattrap peddler also engages in petty thievery and
begging — though even with this he still wears only rags and is constantly on the verge of starvation.
Devoid of any sheltering place, he can spend his night any where he desires. Mostly he comes across
sour faces and is a victim of cruel circumstances.

At the start of the story, the peddler is cynical and opportunistic. He has difficulties in life, and takes
whatever he can get and trusts no one. He even steals money from the crofter after the old man
offers him his hospitality. Indeed, it seems that the peddler’s only pleasure in life comes from
thinking of the world as one large, cruel rattrap, and ruminating on other people he knows who have
been ensnared. After experiencing true kindness from Elda Wilmansson, however, the peddler seems
to change his mind set. He returns the stolen money and declares that he wants to “be nice,” having
been freed from the “rattrap” of life by Edla’s compassion and generosity.

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Why was the tramp amused by the idea of the world being a rattrap?
The world had never been kind to the peddler. So he was full of bitterness against the world. He had
become a cynic and he enjoyed visualizing the world as a rattrap ready to let in anybody who was
tempted by the baits it had to offer. He knew that many people had been ensnared and the others were
still circling around the bait.
What made the peddler think that he had indeed fallen into a rat trap?
After grabbing the money from the crofter, the peddler was cautious enough to avoid the public
highway. He got into the woods but finally realized that it was a big and confusing forest. The end of
the forest was nowhere in sight. He felt he had come to a dead end as he had been walking around the
same part of the forest. That’s when he recalled his thoughts about the world being a rattrap and he
realized that he had indeed fallen into a rattrap.

Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him?
A compassionate girl, a true Christian, Edla could not bear the thought of a poor wretch being turned
out of the house on the eve of Christmas. She is pained at the idea that there is not a single place in
the whole country where he is welcome and can feel at home. Wherever he turns he is chased away.
He always remains afraid of being arrested and cross-examined. So she wanted that the peddler
should “enjoy a day of peace with us here – just once in the whole year.”

Why did the peddler decline the invitation?

The pedlar did not disclose his real identity and did not make an effort to clear the ironmaster’s
misconception. This is because he thought he might get some money in the bargain. But he had to
decline the invitation also because of the fear of getting caught as he had stolen the 30 kronor from
that old crofter. To go up to the manor house would be like “throwing, himself voluntary into the
lion’s den”.

LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS

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?

The character of both ironmaster and his daughter were totally different from each other.
The iron master was a proud man. When he saw the peddler, he mistook him as an old regimental
comrade and tried to help him out of his sense of pride. When he realized that he had been mistaken,
he called the peddler to be dishonest and also warned him of calling the sheriff. Not only this, he
worried about his silver spoons when he comes to know that peddler was a thief.
On the other hand, the ironmaster’s daughter was a kind lady, who really wanted to help the peddler.
She had a keen sense of observation – she felt that either the peddler had stolen something or had
escaped from jail. She persuaded her father to let the peddler stay on for Christmas. She treated him
with respect and it was her kind nature which changed the peddler and made him a good person.
How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight human predicament?
(HINTS) - Metaphor of a rattrap reveals man‘s helplessness, restlessness and powerlessness in the
face of difficult situations that pursuit of joys and luxuries lands him in – bait – yields to the
temptations -The peddler thinks of the world to be a rattrap - setting baits for people- when he stole
the crofter‘s money- loses his way in the forest- world as a rattrap had trapped him in- when
ironmaster realizes his mistaken identity- the peddler tells him that the world is a rattrap- one day he
would also be caught in it- none escapes

What made the peddler finally change his ways?

Love, understanding and acceptance made the peddler finally change his ways A mere thief was
transformed into an upright individual who not only left behind the thirty kronor he had stolen for the
rightful owner, but he also left a Christmas gift for Edla who was the person responsible for
transforming the peddler.
It is not that Edla had treated him extraordinarily but the basic goodness shown towards him was
quite effective as that was missing in his life. For the first time, he was made to feel like a human and
not a thief. The feeling was so special to feel that it tempted him to remain so forever. It was just the
simple human behaviour and kindness shown by Edla that compelled the peddler to change his ways.

How does the peddler interpret the acts of kindness and hospitality shown by the crofter, the
ironmaster and his daughter?
The peddler was a rattrap seller and led a life of misery. He was homeless and didn’t have enough
money to survive. So, he had to depend upon begging and thievery.
He was once offered shelter by an old crofter. He wanted company and showed kindness towards the
peddler by sharing his porridge and tobacco. In return, the peddler betrayed him and stole his money.
When the ironmaster mistook him to be his old regimental comrade, he did not disclose his true
identity in the hope of getting a few kronor. However, when the ironmaster pestered him he felt a
sense of entrapment, having stolen the money from the crofter’s and so declined the invitation. He
feels that to accept the invitation would be alike voluntarily throwing himself into the lion’s den. He
only wants to stay for a night in the forge and slip out in the morning. Again, when the ironmaster
realized his mistake the peddler acted in an ungrateful manner and gave him a “sermon” about the
whole world being a rattrap.
Next, the ironmaster’s daughter, Edla visited him and insisted him to spend the Christmas with them.
Also, she insisted her father to let him stay for Christmas Eve even after it was revealed that he was
not Captain Von Stahle. Edla’s warmth, sympathy, and hospitality transformed him in the end. He
elevating him to the status of a captain makes him redeem himself from a petty thief. The rat tramp
repaid her faith in him by leaving behind the stolen kronor to be returned to the crofter. He also left
behind a small rattrap as a Christmas gift and thanked her whole-heartedly.

The story also focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others. Explain.
All the characters in the story suffer from loneliness.
First of all, the tramp appears to lead a sad, monotonous existence, left to his own musings. He is
always greeted by soul faces and cold words. He trudges along the journey of life in a listless manner
with no hopes of redemption.
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. He is only too happy to get someone to talk to in the absence of his
loneliness, that’s the reason why he is generous and hospitable as a host.
As the plot moves further, there comes the ironmaster and his daughter, Edla, who have no company
for Christmas. The ironmaster’s wife is dead and his sons have settled abroad. The ironmaster takes
the tramp home by mistaking him to be his old comrade home and he, with his daughter, is happy to
play perfect hosts for his friend. Thus, all of them have a strong desire for bonding and comradeship.

The story is both entertaining and philosophical. Discuss.

The story is both entertaining and philosophical. This statement is quite true. The fast-paced narrative
in the third person, generous use of dialogues by the author and different characters belonging to
different mindsets and locales in addition to the irony, make the story interesting.
In the beginning, the crofter’s invitation to the tramp surprises us. What’s more surprising is the
tramp’s attitude of walking away with the thirty kronor. The peddler comes across as a poor, pathetic
soul but we never thought he is dishonest too! 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 accepting Edla’s invitation in one go makes the story gripping.
The reader is pleasantly surprised when the ironmaster realizes that there is the problem of mistaken
identities. Tables turn when Edla’s sympathetic attitude and dignity towards the peddler transform
him. One feels really overwhelmed and relieved when the peddler realizes Edla’s virtues of
generosity and sympathy, by leaving behind the letter, owing thanks to her.
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 – The whole world with its
lands and seas, its cities and villages is a big rattrap. It has ever existed to set baits for people. It
offers riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing, exactly as the rattrap offers cheese and
pork, and as soon as anyone lets himself be tempted to touch the bait, it closes in on him, and then
everything comes to an end. There are people who fall into this trap never to come out of it again.
However, the fortunate ones are those like the tramp who break free from the circle of temptations
and discover their latent goodness. The story teaches us that being human beings we are not above
temptations. We should not be judgemental because we ourselves are not infallible.