The Rattrap

Arivihan
 The Rattrap

Arivihan
➢ About the author - Selma Lagerlof

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 THE RATTRAP
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Arivihan
Selma Lagerlof (1858-1940) was a Swedish writer whose stories have
been translated into many languages. A universal theme runs through
all of them — a belief that the essential goodness in a human being
can be awakened through understanding and love. This story is set
amidst the mines of Sweden, rich in iron ore, which figure large in the
history and legends of that country. The story is told somewhat in the
manner of a fairy tale.
 THE RATTRAP
Once upon a time there was a man who went around selling small
rattraps of wire. He made them himself at odd moments , from the

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material he got by begging in the stores or at the big farms. But even
so, the business was not especially profitable, so he had to resort to
both begging and petty thievery to keep body and soul together.
Even so, his clothes were in rags, his cheeks were sunken, and hunger
gleamed in his eyes.

Petty thivery :- stealing low valued thing, gleamed:- shown

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No one can imagine how sad and monotonous life can appear to
such a vagabond , who plods along the road, left to his own

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meditations . But one day this man had fallen into a line of thought,
which really seemed to him entertaining. He had naturally been
thinking of his rattraps when suddenly he was struck by the idea that
the whole world about him — the whole world with its lands and
seas, its cities and villages — was nothing but a big rattrap. It had
never existed for

Monotonous:- boring, vagabond:- homeless

 THE RATTRAP
any other purpose than to set baits for people. It offered riches and
joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing, exactly as the rattrap offered

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cheese and pork, and as soon as anyone let himself be tempted to
touch the bait , it closed in on him, and then everything came to an
end. The world had, of course, never been very kind to him, so it gave
him unwonted joy to think ill of it in this way. It became a cherished

bait:- food placed on a hook or in a net, trap, or fishing area to entice fish or
other animals as prey . unwonted :- unusual
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Pastime of his during many dreary ploddings to think of people he
knew, who had let themselves be caught in the dangerous snare , and

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of others who were still circling around the bait. One dark evening as
he was trudging along the road he caught sight of a little gray
cottage by the roadside, and he knocked on the door to ask shelter for
the night. Nor was he refused. Instead of the sour faces which
ordinarily met him, the owner, who was an old man without wife or
child, was

Snare :- trap, dreary plodding:- lifeless/ boring walk,trudging:- heavy steps

 THE RATTRAP
happy to get someone to talk to in his loneliness. Immediately he put
the porridge pot on the fire and gave him supper; then he carved off

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such a big slice from his tobacco roll that it was enough both for the
stranger’s pipe and his own. Finally he got out an old pack of cards
and played ‘mjolis’ with his guest until [Link] old man was just
as generous with his confidences as with his porridge and tobacco.

Carved off:- takeout, mjolis: a card game played in Sweden

 THE RATTRAP
The guest was informed at once that in his days of prosperity his host
had been a crofter at Ramsjo Ironworks and had worked on the land.

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Now that he was no longer able to do day labour, it was his cow
which supported [Link], that bossy was extraordinary. She could
give milk for the creamery every day, and last month he had received
all of thirty kronor in payment.

Crofter:-small farmer, bossy - cow, kronor: currency of sweden

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The stranger must have seemed incredulous , for the old man got up
and went to the window, took down a leather pouch which hung on a

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nail in the very window frame, and picked out three wrinkled
ten-kronor [Link] he held up before the eyes of his guest,
nodding knowingly, and then stuffed them back into the pouch. The
next day both men got up in good season. The crofter was in a hurry
to milk his cow, and the other man probably thought he should not
stay in

Incredulous:- disbelieving
 THE RATTRAP
bed when the head of the house had gotten up. They left the cottage
at the same [Link] crofter locked the door and put the key in his

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pocket. The man with the rattraps said good bye and thank you, and
thereupon each went his own way. But half an hour later the rattrap
peddler stood again before the door. He did not try to get in,
however.
He only went up to the window, smashed a pane , stuck in his hand,
and got hold of the pouch with the thirty kronor.

Pane:- a piece of glass in a window ,Peddler :- a person who goes from place to
place selling small goods,
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He took the money and thrust it into his own pocket. Then he hung
the leather pouch very carefully back in its place and went away.

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As he walked along with the money in his pocket he felt quite pleased
with his smartness. He realised, of course, that at first he dared not
continue on the public highway, but must turn off the road, into the
[Link] the first hours this caused him no difficulty. Later in
the day it became worse, for it was a big and confusing forest which

Thrust it :- Stuck something forcefully

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he had gotten into. He tried, to be sure, to walk in a definite direction,
but the paths twisted back and forth so strangely!

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He walked and walked without coming to the end of the wood,and
finally he realised that he had only been walking around in the same
part of the forest. All at once he recalled his thoughts about the world
and the rattrap. Now his own turn had come. He had let himself be
fooled by a bait and had been caught. The whole forest, with its
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trunks and branches, its thickets and fallen logs, closed in upon him
like an impenetrable prison from which he could never escape.

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It was late in December. Darkness was already descending over the
forest. This increased the danger, and increased also his gloom and
despair . Finally he saw no way out, and he sank down on the ground,

Thickets :- a dense group of bushes or trees. impenetrable prison — unbreakable

prison
Descending over:- pass from higher to lower place
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tired to death, thinking that his last moment had come. But just as he
laid his head on the ground, he heard a sound—a hard regular

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thumping . There was no doubt as to what that was He raised himself.
‘‘Those are the hammer strokes from an iron mill’’, he thought. ‘‘There
must be people nearby’’. He summoned all his strength, got up, and
staggered in the direction of the sound.

Staggered:- regaining the balance

 THE RATTRAP
The Ramsjo Ironworks, which are now closed down, were, not so long
ago, a large plant , with smelter , rolling mill, and forge . In the

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summertime long lines of heavily loaded barges and scows slid
down the canal , which led to a large inland lake, and in the
wintertime the roads near the mill were black from all the coal dust
which sifted down from the big charcoal crates .

manufacturing, or industrial activities take place .Smelter: furnace, Barges :

boats, vessels, Sifted : filtered, strained,
Forge : :make or shape (a metal object) by heating it in a fire or furnace and
hammering it.
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During one of the long dark evenings just before Christmas,the
master smith and his helper sat in the dark forge near the furnace

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waiting for the pig iron, which had been put in the fire,to be ready to
put on the anvil . Every now and then one of them got up to stir the
glowing mass with a long iron bar, returning in a few moments,
dripping with perspiration , though, as was the custom, he wore
nothing but a long shirt and a pair of wooden shoes. All the
Perspiration : sweat, moisture, Anvil : block, base
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time there were many sounds to be heard in the forge. The big
bellows groaned and the burning coal [Link] fire boy shovelled

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charcoal into the maw of the furnace with a great deal of clatter.
Outside roared the waterfall, and a sharp north wind whipped the
rain against the brick-tiled roof.
It was probably on account of all this noise that the blacksmith did
not notice that a man had opened the gate and entered the forge,
until he stood close up to the furnace.

Bellows : blower, ventilator

 THE RATTRAP
Surely it was nothing unusual for poor vagabonds without any better
shelter for the night to be attracted to the forge by the glow of light

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which escaped through the sooty panes, and to come in to warm
themselves in front of the fire. The blacksmiths glanced only casually
and indifferently at the intruder . He looked the way people of his
type usually did, with a long beard, dirty, ragged, and with a bunch of
rattraps dangling on his chest.

Intruder : invader, trespasser,Dangling : hanging, swinging

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He asked permission to stay, and the master blacksmith nodded a
haughty consent without honouring him with a single word.

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The tramp did not say anything, either. He had not come there to
talk but only to warm himself and [Link] those days the Ramsjo iron
mill was owned by a very prominent ironmaster, whose greatest
ambition was to ship out good iron to the market.

nodded a haughty consent — arrogantly agreed, tramp: begger

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He watched both night and day to see that the work was done as well
as possible, and at this very moment he came into the forge on one of

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his nightly rounds of inspection. Naturally the first thing he saw was
the tall ragamuffin who had eased his way so close to the furnace that
steam rose from his wet rags. The ironmaster did not follow the
example of the blacksmiths, who had hardly deigned to look at the
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stranger. He walked close up to him, looked him over very carefully,
then tore off his slouch hat to get a better view of his face.

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‘But of course it is you, Nils Olof!’’ he said. “How you do look!”

The man with the rattraps had never before seen the ironmaster at
Ramsjo and did not even know what his name was. But it occurred to
him that if the fine gentleman thought he was an old acquaintance ,

Acquaintance : contact, associate

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‘he might perhaps throw him a couple of kronor. Therefore he did not
want to undeceive him all at once.

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‘Yes, God knows things have gone downhill with me’’, he said.
‘‘You should not have resigned from the regiment’’ , said the
ironmaster. ‘‘That was the mistake. If only I had still been in the
service at the time, it never would have happened. Well, now of
course you will come home with me.’’

Resigned : quit, left Regiment : military unit, troop

 THE RATTRAP
‘To go along up to the manor house and be received by the owner like
an old regimental comrade — that, however, did not please the tramp.

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‘‘No, I couldn’t think of it!’’ he said, looking quite alarmed.
He thought of the thirty kronor. To go up to the manor house would
be like throwing himself voluntarily into the lion’s den. He only
wanted a chance to sleep here in the forge and then sneak away as
inconspicuously as possible.

Inconspicuously : Stealthily, unnoticed

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The ironmaster assumed that he felt embarrassed because of his
miserable clothing.

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‘‘Please don’t think that I have such a fine home that you cannot show
yourself there’’, He said... ‘‘Elizabeth is dead, as you may already have
heard. My boys are abroad, and there is no one at home except my
oldest daughter and myself.. We were just saying that it was too bad
we didn’t have any company for Christmas. Now come along with me
and help us make the Christmas food disappear a little faster.”
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But the stranger said no, and no, and again no, and the ironmaster
saw that he must give in.

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‘‘It looks as though Captain von Stahle preferred to stay with you
tonight, Stjernstrom’’, he said to the master blacksmith, and turned on
his heel.
But he laughed to himself as he went away, and the blacksmith, who
knew him, understood very well that he had not said his last word.
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It was not more than half an hour before they heard the sound of
carriage wheels outside the forge , and a new guest came in, but this

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time it was not the ironmaster. He had sent his daughter, apparently
hoping that she would have better powers of persuasion than he
himself.
She entered, followed by a valet, carrying on his arm a big fur coat.

powers of persuasion A person that has persuasive power is able to convince

people to make wise decisions,
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She was not at all pretty, but seemed modest and quite shy. In the
forge everything was just as it had been earlier in the evening. The

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master blacksmith and his apprentice still sat on their bench, and iron
and charcoal still glowed in the furnace. The stranger had stretched
himself out on the floor and lay with a piece of pig iron under his
head and his hat pulled down over his eyes.

pig iron — crude ron first obtained from a smelting furnace

 THE RATTRAP
As soon as the young girl caught sight of him, she went up and lifted
his hat. The man was evidently used to sleeping with one eye open.

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He jumped up abruptly and seemed to be quite frightened. ‘‘My
name is Edla Willmansson,’’ said the young girl. ‘‘My father came
home and said that you wanted to sleep here in the forge tonight, and
then I asked permission to come and bring you home to us. I am so
sorry, Captain, that you are having such a hard time.’’

Evidently : Clearly, obviously,Abruptly : Suddenly, unexpectedly

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She looked at him compassionately , with her heavy eyes, and then
she noticed that the man was afraid. ‘‘Either he has stolen something

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or else he has escaped from, jail’’,she thought, and added quickly,
“You may be sure, Captain, that you will be allowed to leave us just as
freely as you came. Only please stay with us over Christmas Eve.’’
She said this in such a friendly manner that the rattrap peddler must
have felt confidence in her.

Compassionately : Kindly, sympathetically

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‘‘It would never have occurred to me that you would bother with me
yourself, miss,’’ he said. ‘’I will come at once.’’

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He accepted the fur coat, which the valet handed him with a deep
bow, threw it over his rags, and followed the young lady out to the
carriage, without granting the astonished blacksmiths so much as a
glance. But while he was riding up to the manor house he had evil
forebodings .

Valet : Attendant, servant,Astonished : Amazed, surprised, Forebodings :

Apprehensions, misgivings
 THE RATTRAP
‘‘Why the devil did I take that fellow’s money?’’ he thought. ‘‘Now I
am sitting in the trap and will never get out of it.’’

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The next day was Christmas Eve, and when the ironmaster came into
the dining room for breakfast he probably thought with satisfaction
of his old regimental comrade whom he had run across so
unexpectedly.“First of all we must see to it that he gets a little flesh on
his bones,” he said to his daughter, who was busy at the table.
 THE RATTRAP
“And then we must see that he gets something else to do than to run
around the country selling rattraps.”

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“It is queer that things have gone downhill with him as badly as
that,”
said the daughter. “Last night I did not think there was anything
about him to show that he had once been an educated man.”
“You must have patience , my little girl,” said the father. “As soon as
he gets clean and dressed up, you will see something different.

Queer : Strange, odd Downhill : Deteriorate, worsen Patience : Tolerance,

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Last night he was naturally embarrassed. The tramp manners will fall
away from him with the tramp clothes.”Just as he said this the door

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opened and the stranger entered. Yes, now he was truly clean and well
dressed. The valet had bathed him, cut his hair, and shaved him.
Moreover he was dressed in a good-looking suit of clothes which
belonged to the ironmaster. He wore a white shirt and a starched
collar and whole shoes.
But although his guest was now so well groomed, the ironmaster
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did not seem pleased. He looked at him with puckered brow , and it
was easy to understand that when he had seen the strange fellow in

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the uncertain reflection from the furnace he might have made a
mistake, but that now, when he stood there in broad daylight, it was
impossible to mistake him for an old acquaintance.“What does this
mean?” he thundered. The stranger made no attempt to dissimulate .

Puckered brow : Wrinkled forehead Dissimulate : Hide, conceal

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He saw at once that the splendour had come to an end. “It is not my
fault, sir,” he said. “I never pretended to be anything but a poor trader,

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and I pleaded and begged to be allowed to stay in the forge . But no
harm has been done. At worst I can put on my rags again and go
away”. “Well,” said the ironmaster, hesitating a little, “it was not quite
honest, either. You must admit that, and I should not be surprised if
the sheriff would like to have something to say in the matter.”

Splendour: luxury
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The tramp took a step forward and struck the table with his fist.
“Now I am going to tell you, Mr Ironmaster, how things are,” he said.

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“This whole world is nothing but a big rattrap. All the good things
that are offered to you are nothing but cheese rinds and bits of pork,
set out to drag a poor fellow into trouble. And if the sheriff comes
now and locks me up for this, then you, Mr Ironmaster, must
remember that a day may come when you yourself may want to get a
 THE RATTRAP
big piece of pork, and then you will get caught in the trap.”
The ironmaster began to laugh.

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“That was not so badly said, my good fellow.
Perhaps we should let the sheriff alone on Christmas Eve. But now
get out of here as fast as you can.” But just as the man was opening
the door, the daughter said, “I think he ought to stay with us today.
I don’t want him to go.” And with that she went and closed the door.
“What in the world are you doing?” said the father.
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The daughter stood there quite embarrassed and hardly knew what to
answer. That morning she had felt so happy when she thought how

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homelike and Christmassy she was going to make things for the poor
hungry wretch. She could not get away from the idea all at once, and
that was why she had interceded for the vagabond.
“I am thinking of this stranger here,” said the young girl. “He
walks and walks the whole year long, and there is probably not a
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single place in the whole country where he is welcome and can feel at
home. Wherever he turns he is chased away. Always he is afraid of

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being arrested and cross-examined. I should like to have him enjoy a
day of peace with us here — just one in the whole year.”
The ironmaster mumbled something in his beard. He could not
bring himself to oppose her.
“It was all a mistake, of course,” she continued. “But anyway I don’t
think we ought to chase away a human being whom we have asked to
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come here, and to whom we have promised Christmas cheer.”
“You do preach worse than a parson,” said the ironmaster. “I

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only hope you won’t have to regret this.”
The young girl took the stranger by the hand and led him up
to the table. “Now sit down and eat,” she said, for she could see that
her father had given in.
The man with the rattraps said not a word; he only sat down and
helped himself to the food. Time after time he looked at the young
 THE RATTRAP
girl who had interceded for him. Why had she done it? What could
the crazy idea be?

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After that, Christmas Eve at Ramsjo passed just as it always had. The
stranger did not cause any trouble because he did nothing but sleep.
The whole forenoon he lay on the sofa in one of the guest rooms and
slept at one stretch. At noon they woke him up so that he could have
his share of the good Christmas fare, but after that he slept again. It
seemed as though for many years he had not been able to sleep as
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quietly and safely as here at Ramsjo. In the evening, when the
Christmas tree was lighted, they woke him up again, and he stood for

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a while in the drawing room, blinking as though the candlelight hurt
him, but after that he disappeared again. Two hours later he was
aroused once more. He then had to go down into the dining room
and eat the Christmas fish and porridge.
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As soon as they got up from the table he went around to each one
present and said thank you and good night, but when he came to the

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young girl she gave him to understand that it was her father’s
intention that the suit which he wore was to be a Christmas present
— he did not have to return it; and if he wanted to spend next
Christmas Eve in a place where he could rest in peace, and be sure
that no evil would befall him, he would be welcomed back again.
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Think as you read

Arivihan
1. What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s invitation?

2. What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?

3. When did the ironmaster realise his mistake?

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4. What did the peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he
was not the person the ironmaster had thought he was?

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5. Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the
truth about him?
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Q1. What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s invitation?

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Ans: Miss Edla Willmansson looked at the peddler quite
compassionately. She noticed that the man was afraid. She assured
him that he would be allowed to leave just as freely as he came. She
requested him to stay with them over Christmas Eve. Her friendly
manner made the peddler feel confidence in her and accept her
invitation.
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Q2. What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?

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Ans: As Edla lifted the peddler’s hat, he jumped up abruptly and
seemed to be quite frightened. Even her kind looks, disclosure of her
name and purpose of visit failed to calm him. From his fear, she
thought that either he had stolen something or he had escaped from
jail.
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Q3. When did the ironmaster realise his mistake?

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Ans: Next morning, the stranger was cleaned and well-dressed. The
valet had bathed him, cut his hair and shaved him. He was led to the
dining room for breakfast. The ironmaster saw him in broad daylight.
It was impossible to mistake him for an old acquaintance now. Then
the ironmaster realised his mistake and threatened to call the Sheriff.
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Q4. How did the peddler defend himself against not having
revealed his true identity?

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Ans: The peddler explained that he had not tried to pretend as his
acquaintance. He was not at fault. All along he had maintained that
he was a poor trader. He had pleaded and begged to be allowed to
stay in the forge. No harm had been done by his stay. He was willing
to put on his rags again and go away.
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Q5. Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew
the truth about him?

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Ans: Edla did not think it proper on their part to chase away a human
being whom they had asked to come to their house and had promised
him Christmas cheer. She understood the reality of the peddler’s life
and wanted him to enjoy a day of peace with them. Hence, she still
entertained the peddler even after knowing the truth about him.
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The man with the rattraps did not answer anything to this. He only

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stared at the young girl in boundless amazement. The next morning
the ironmaster and his daughter got up in good season to go to the
early Christmas service. Their guest was still asleep, and they did not
disturb [Link], at about ten o’clock, they drove back from the
church, the young girl sat and hung her head even more dejectedly
than usual. At church she had learned that one of the old crofters of
 THE RATTRAP
the ironworks had been robbed by a man who went around selling
rattraps.

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“Yes, that was a fine fellow you let into the house,” said her
father. “I only wonder how many silver spoons are left in the
cupboard by this time.”
The wagon had hardly stopped at the front steps when the
ironmaster asked the valet whether the stranger was still [Link]
added that he had heard at church that the man was a thief. The valet
answered that the fellow had gone
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and that he had not taken anything with him at all. On the contrary,
he had left behind a little package which Miss Willmansson was to be

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kind enough to accept as a Christmas present.
The young girl opened the package, which was so badly done up that
the contents came into view at once. She gave a little cry of joy. She
found a small rattrap, and in it lay three wrinkled ten kronor notes.
But that was not all.
In the rattrap lay also a letter written in large, jagged characters —
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“Honoured and noble Miss, “Since you have been so nice to me all
day long, as if I was a captain, I want to be nice to you, in return, as if

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I was a real captain — for I do not want you to be embarrassed at this
Christmas season by a thief; but you can give back the money to the
old man on the roadside, who has the money pouch hanging on the
window frame as a bait for poor wanderers.
 THE RATTRAP
“The rattrap is a Christmas present from a rat who would have been
caught in this world’s rattrap if he had not been raised to captain,

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because in that way he got power to clear himself.

“Written with friendship and high regard,

“Captain von Stahle.”

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Think as you read :

Arivihan
1. Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?

2. Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle?

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Q1. Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?

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Ans: As soon as Edla opened the package of the gift, the contents
came into view. She found a small rattrap with three wrinkled ten
kronor notes and a letter addressed to her. The peddler wanted to be
nice in return as she had been so nice to him all day long. He did not
want her to be embarrased at the Christmas season by a thief.
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Q2. Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle?

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Ans: The ironmaster has invited the peddler to his house mistaking
him for Captain von Stahle. He was welcomed there and looked after
as captain even after the reality became known. The peddler got a
chance to redeem himself from dishonest ways by acting as an
honourable Captain.
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Understanding the text

Arivihan
1. How does the peddler interpret the acts of kindness and hospitality
shown by the crofter, the ironmaster and his daughter?

2. 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?
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3. The story has many instances of unexpected reactions from the
characters to others’ behaviour. Pick out instances of these surprises.

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4. What made the peddler finally change his ways?

5. How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight the human
predicament?
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6. The peddler comes out as a person with a subtle sense of humour.
How does this serve in lightening the seriousness of the theme of the

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story and also endear him to us?
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Q1. How does the peddler interpret the acts of kindness and
hospitality shown by the crofter, the iron master and his

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daughter?

Ans: The peddler interprets the acts of kindness and hospitality

shown by the crofter, the iron master and his daughter differently. He
cheats the crofter as he provides him company in his loneliness and
helps him pass time. He wants to get a couple of kronors from the
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iron master and is surprised at the contrasting style of behaviour of
father and daughter. He is touched by the kindness, care and

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intervention of Edla on his behalf.
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Q2. What are the instances in the story that show that the
character of the ironmaster is different from that of his daughter

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in many ways?

Ans: The ironmaster is impulsive whereas his daughter is cool, logical,

kind and thoughtful. In uncertain light he (iron master) mistakes the
stranger as his old regiment comrade. He invites him
home and takes care of his feeding, clothing etc. When he sees him in
broad day light he calls the man dishonest, demands an explanation
and is ready to call in the sheriff. His daughter is more observant. She
notices the fear of the stranger and thinks that either he is a thief or a
run away prisoner.
 THE RATTRAP
Inspite of that She is gentle, kind and friendly to him. She treats him
nicely even after knowing the mistake in identity.

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 THE RATTRAP
Q3. The story has many instances of unexpected reactions from

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the characters to others’ behaviour. Pick out instances of these
surprises.

Ans: The peddler is surprised at the warm welcome, generous supper,

cheerful company and intimate confidences by the crofter. The
ironmaster addresses the peddler as Captain von Stahle. He is
surprised when the ironmaster calls him “Nils Olof. The ironmaster
assumes his declining the invitation a result of embarrassment caused
by his miserable clothing. The peddler’s comparison of the world to a
 THE RATTRAP
rattrap makes the ironmaster laugh and he drops the idea of calling in
the sheriff. The peddler looks at Edla in boundless amazement when

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she tells him that the suit is a Christmas present. She also invites him
to spend next Christmas with them. She does all this even after
knowing the mistake about his [Link] crofter is robbed by his
guest, the rattrap peddler, in return of his hospitality.
 THE RATTRAP
Q4. What made the peddler finally change his ways?

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Ans: Edla Willmansson treated the tramp in a friendly manner. She
was nice and kind to her. She interceded on his behalf when her
father was about to turn him out. She still entertained the peddler
even after knowing the truth about him. She offered him the suit as
Christmas present and invited him to spend the next Christmas with
them. Her love and understanding aroused the essential goodness in
the peddler and finally he changed his ways.
 THE RATTRAP
Q5. How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight the
human predicament?

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Ans: The world entices a person through the various good things of
life such as riches and joy, shelter and food, heat and clothing. These
were just like the baits in the rattrap. Once someone is tempted by the
bait, the world closed on [Link] peddler was tempted by thirty
kronor of the crofter. It makes him hide himself. He walks through
the wood. He is afraid to go to the Manor house. He gets peace only
after returning the bait (money).
 THE RATTRAP
Q6. The peddler comes out as a person with a subtle sense of
humour. How does this serve in lightening the seriousness of the

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theme of the story and also endear him to us?

Ans: The peddler has a subtle sense of humour, which is revealed

during his interactions with the ironmaster and his daughter after the
truth about him becomes known. He is neither afraid of being turned
out in cold in rags nor of being sent to prison. He makes the
ironmaster laugh with his metaphor of the rattrap. His letter
 THE RATTRAP
with the Christmas present to Edla is a fine example of his capacity
to make others laugh at him. Thus, he lightens the seriousness of the

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theme of the story and also endears himself to us.
 THE RATTRAP

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 summary

➢ SUMMARY- RATTRAP
 SUMMARY

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The story begins with a rattrap peddler who is in a rugged condition.
He is dressed in rags and is very frail and looks starved. We learn he
has no home and sometimes even begs and steals to survive in the
world. He leads a lonely life with no one to care about him.
 SUMMARY
One fine day, it strikes to him that this whole world is a rattrap itself. If

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we touch it, it will trap us and never let us go. He goes on to think that
there are people out there who are already in this rattrap and reaching
for the bait. On one cold evening, he reaches at a cottage to ask for
shelter. An old crofter lived in that cottage who took in the peddler.
 SUMMARY
The crofter needed company so he welcomes the peddler. He gives

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him hot food and even tobacco to smoke. They play cards and start
talking. The peddler learns that the crofter got thirty kronor for selling
his cow which he keeps in a pouch on the window frame. The peddler
leaves the next day but after seeing the crofter leave his cottage, he
comes back to steal the pouch of money.
 SUMMARY
After stealing it, he takes the woods to remain unsuspected. In the

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wood, the peddler meets an ironmaster who mistakes him to be his old
comrade. He invites him over for Christmas but he refuses. After that,
the ironmaster’s daughter, Edla visits him and insists him to stay with
them.
 SUMMARY
In between, he feels sorry for stealing the crofter’s money. They help

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the peddler get a makeover and dress him in nice clothes and shave his
beard off. After this, the ironmaster realizes he has made a mistake; the
peddler was not his comrade.
 SUMMARY
Thus, the ironmaster thinks he is a fraud and decides to turn him in.

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However, Edla insists on letting him stay and celebrate Christmas with
them. Her father agrees, and they celebrate Christmas together. Next
day, the ironmaster and Edla learn that the peddler was a thief through
the church about the incident at the old crofter’s. They head home in a
hurry thinking he must have stolen all the silver.
 SUMMARY
However, to their surprise, the peddler did not steal a thing. He left a

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note for Edla in the form a tiny rattrap. There was also a note thanking
her for her kindness which saved him from the rattrap he got caught
in. Most importantly, he also left the crofter’s money asking to return it
to him.
 SUMMARY
To sum up, The Rattrap summary, we learn that we can change the

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world through kindness and compassion; in addition, it teaches us that
materialistic things never bring inner joy, only love and respect does.