📘 The Rattrap – Notes (Class 12 English, Flamingo)
✒️Author
Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940) – Swedish author, Nobel Prize winner in Literature. Known for
writing stories with deep human values and a blend of realism and symbolism.
🌟 Theme
The story explores human loneliness, mistrust, and selfishness, but more
importantly, the possibility of redemption through kindness and compassion.
It conveys that the world is like a rattrap – full of temptations that trap people, but
love and understanding can free them.
📖 Summary (in Points)
1. The Peddler and His Idea
o A poor, homeless peddler sold rattraps made of wire.
o He thought of the world as a “rattrap” where wealth and pleasures are bait to
trap humans.
2. Mistreated by the World
o He begged, stole, and led a life of loneliness.
o People showed him no kindness or hospitality.
3. The Crofter’s Kindness
o A lonely crofter welcomed the peddler, gave him food, tobacco, and company.
o He proudly showed his 30 kronor (money earned from cow’s milk).
o The next day, the peddler stole the money.
4. Lost in the Forest
o After stealing, he got lost in a dense forest.
o He felt the world was truly a “big rattrap” and he had been caught by
temptation.
5. The Ironmaster’s Invitation
o He took shelter at Ramsjö Ironworks.
o Mistaken for an old regimental acquaintance, the Ironmaster invited him
home for Christmas.
o The peddler refused but later accepted when Edla, the Ironmaster’s daughter,
kindly persuaded him.
6. Edla’s Compassion
o At the house, he was treated with warmth and respect.
o Next morning, the Ironmaster discovered he was not his old friend but a thief.
o The Ironmaster wanted to turn him out, but Edla insisted he stay as their
Christmas guest.
7. The Change of Heart
o Edla’s kindness touched the peddler deeply.
o He saw a chance to redeem himself and become a better man.
8. The Gift and the Letter
o The peddler left behind a package as a gift for Edla.
o It contained a small rattrap, the stolen 30 kronor, and a note thanking her.
o He signed it as “Captain von Stahle”, showing he had regained dignity.
✨ Important Characters
The Peddler (Stranger) – Poor, lonely, cynical about the world, but later transformed
through kindness.
The Crofter – Lonely old man, generous, but betrayed by the peddler.
The Ironmaster – Owner of Ramsjö Ironworks, stern but mistaken identity led him to
invite the peddler.
Edla Willmansson – Ironmaster’s daughter, kind, compassionate, and non-
judgmental; key figure in the peddler’s transformation.
💡 Key Expressions / Ideas
World as a rattrap → Symbolizes temptations that mislead humans.
Edla’s kindness → Represents the power of love, compassion, and forgiveness.
Captain von Stahle → Symbolizes the rebirth of dignity in a fallen man.
🎯 Moral / Message
True humanity lies in compassion, forgiveness, and understanding.
Everyone deserves a chance to reform.
Kindness can bring about a change of heart where punishment may fail.
Life’s temptations are traps, but moral strength and human warmth can set one free.
Literary Devices
Symbolism – The rattrap = world’s temptations.
Irony – A thief being treated like a captain and later proving worthy of that respect.
Metaphor – Rattrap as a metaphor for life’s deceptive attractions.
Imagery – Descriptions of forest, crofter’s house, and ironworks.