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The Rattrap - Classnotes

Selma Lagerlof, a Swedish author and Nobel Prize winner, sets her story in the iron-rich mines of Sweden, focusing on a vagabond who transforms through the kindness of a young woman after stealing from a crofter. The narrative explores themes of materialism and redemption, highlighting the peddler's journey from dishonesty to self-discovery. Key questions delve into the characters' motivations and the significance of hospitality and identity in the peddler's transformation.

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3 views2 pages

The Rattrap - Classnotes

Selma Lagerlof, a Swedish author and Nobel Prize winner, sets her story in the iron-rich mines of Sweden, focusing on a vagabond who transforms through the kindness of a young woman after stealing from a crofter. The narrative explores themes of materialism and redemption, highlighting the peddler's journey from dishonesty to self-discovery. Key questions delve into the characters' motivations and the significance of hospitality and identity in the peddler's transformation.

Uploaded by

Camel Gamer
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

About the Author: Selma Lagerlof (1858-1940) was a Swedish author and

teacher. She won the Nobel Prize in literature in 1909.


Setting: The story is set amidst the mines of Sweden, which are rich in iron
ore.

Core Plot: A vagabond who sells rattraps steals money from a kind crofter,
gets lost in a forest, and is ultimately transformed when the essential goodness
within him is awakened by the understanding and love of a young woman.

Theme: The chapter is about the trap of material benefit that most human
beings are prone to fall into.

The human tendency to redeem oneself from dishonest ways.


Key Vocabulary & Textual Expressions
●​ Keep body and soul together: To manage to stay alive with just enough
money or food.
●​ Plods along the road: Walking slowly and heavily, indicating extreme
weariness.
●​ Unwonted joy: An unusual or unaccustomed feeling of happiness
derived from thinking ill of the world.
●​ Impenetrable prison: A confusing, thick forest that closed in upon the
peddler, making him feel trapped.
●​ Fallen into a line of thought: Becoming deeply engaged in a particular
sequence of ideas.

Critical and Creative Thinking (CCT) Questions


Q1. Why was the peddler amused by the idea of the world being a rattrap?

●​ Answer: The world had never been very kind to the peddler, so it gave
him unwonted joy to think ill of it. It became a cherished pastime for
him during his dreary ploddings to think of people he knew who were
caught in the dangerous snare, and others who were still circling the
bait.

Q2. Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth
about his identity?
●​ Answer: Edla felt deep compassion for the stranger who walked the
whole year long without a place where he was welcome or could feel at
home. She felt it was wrong to chase away a human being they had
invited themselves and to whom they had promised Christmas cheer
and a day of peace.

Case-Based Questions (CBQ)


Q1. How did the peddler interpret the acts of hospitality shown by the crofter
versus Edla Willmansson?

●​ Answer: The peddler viewed the crofter's hospitality and thirty kronor
as a tempting bait, leading him to steal the money. In contrast, Edla
treated him with dignity all day long, as if he were a real captain. Her
genuine kindness inspired him to clear himself of his thievery.

Q2. What is the significance of the peddler signing his parting letter as
"Captain von Stahle"?

●​ Answer: He left a small rattrap containing the stolen money and a letter
for Edla. By signing as "Captain von Stahle," he indicates that her
respect and kindness raised him above his identity as a petty thief (a
"rat") and gave him the power to escape the world's rattrap.

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