THE RATTRAP

The story is about an old disheartened peddler who is taken in and shown generosity by a young
woman. Her generosity and kindness change his bitter attitude towards 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. No one is infallible and can succumb to temptation so one should think twice
before judging, condemning and criticizing the sinner.
The story conveys a universal message that the essential goodness in a human being can be
awakened through love, respect, kindness and understanding. It highlights the human predicament.
Material benefits are the traps that most human beings are prone to fall into. Human beings do have a
tendency to redeem themselves from dishonest ways as does the peddler at the end of the story.
SUMMARY
 The peddler was a vagabond who sold rattraps with a little thievery on the side to make both
ends meet. Had no worldly possession to call his own, not even a name.

 It amused him to think of the world as a rattrap and all the material possessions as bait as the
world, he felt was never kind to him. Moreover, he prided himself in the fact that he was out
of it.

 Takes shelter at a crofter’s cottage. The crofter welcomed him, gave him diner, shared his pipe,
played mjolis with him also confided in him about his income and showed him where he put
it.

 Next morning, the Peddler steals the money and takes the back roads to keep away from
people and gets lost in the jungle at night. While he wanders in the forest he realizes that he
has also got caught in the rattrap and that the money was the bait.

 Finally reaches Ramsjo ironworks, where he takes shelter for the night. The blacksmith and his
assistant ignore him but the master mistakes him to be an old acquaintance and invites him
home. Though the Peddler does not correct the ironmaster, hoping to get some money out of
him, he declines his invitation.

 The ironmaster then sends his daughter who persuades him to go home with her. She notices
his uncouth appearance and thinks that either he has stolen something or he has escaped from
jail.
  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 he is mistaken and that he is not the
Captain. He wants to call the Sheriff. The peddler is agitated and breaks out that the world is
rattrap and he too is sure to be caught in it. The ironmaster is amused but orders him out. The
compassionate Edla convinces her father that he should spend the Christmas day with him.

 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 stole thirty kroners from the
poor crofter.

 -Back home, they found a letter addressed to Edla, signed as Captain Von Stahl and a rattrap
as a gift from the crofter. In the rattrap were the three ten kroner notes of the crofter

MAJOR CHARACTERS
The Peddler / The Stranger – 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. At the start of the story, the
peddler is cynical and opportunistic. He has a difficult lot 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
mindset. 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. The peddler’s
transformation shows Lagerlöf’s idea of the latent potential for goodness in all human beings.

Edla Wilmansson –She is exceptionally kind, convincing the peddler to come to her house and
then convincing her father to let the peddler stay for Christmas Eve, even when he is revealed
to not actually be Captain von Stahle. Edla is also wise and perceptive, as she can immediately
tell that the peddler is afraid, and has probably committed some crime that he is running from.
She is the most positive figure in the story, and her compassion and generosity are the reason
for the peddler’s transformation.

The Rat Trap

The central symbol of the story is also that which gives it its name: the rattrap (or rat trap). The
peddler manages to survive by, among other things, selling rattraps, which he makes out of wire that
he finds or steals. As he trudges along the road, he likes to think of the world as one big rattrap,
offering the “bait” of luxury or pleasure to ensnare people. Because he’s had a hard lot in life, he
finds this amusing, and he enjoys thinking of other people who have been caught and had their
fortunes turn to the worse. When he goes on to steal the money from the crofter and then get lost in
the woods, the peddler feels that he too has been caught in the world’s rattrap, having taken the bait
of the money and become ensnared. He then feels this way again when he agrees to go to the
ironmaster’s house with Edla, thinking that he has let himself be trapped with the stolen money.
When the ironmaster realizes that the peddler is not his old comrade Captain von Stahle and
threatens to call the sheriff on him, the peddler’s tirade about the world being one big rattrap actually
amuses the ironmaster enough that he decides to let him go without consequences. Finally, after
being transformed by Edla’s generosity and kindness, the peddler leaves her with the gift of a rattrap
and a note saying how her compassion has helped him “get free” from the rattrap of life.

As a complex symbol in the work, the rattrap starts out as a straightforward representation of the
peddler’s cynical worldview and harsh life, and ultimately shifts to symbolize the limitations of this
ideology in the face of true human kindness and compassion. At first, the rattrap illustrates the world
the peddler has always known—cruel, unforgiving, and constantly trying to ensnare someone in one
way or another. Because the peddler himself has always been “trapped,” he can only find pleasure in
contemplating the ways that others have been trapped as well. It is this cynical, self-interested
mindset that leads the peddler to steal the crofter’s money and then distrust Edla’s motives when she
invites him to stay for Christmas Eve, even once she recognizes that he is not actually Captain von
Stahle. However, after he realizes that her generosity and kindness are pure, he leaves her a rattrap as
a Christmas present, with the stolen money inside and a letter declaring that she has helped him
escape the “rattrap” of his situation. In this way, the symbol of the rattrap comes to represent human

kindness, as it is now a Christmas present from the newly changed peddler, and the vehicle bearing
the money that he is returning to the crofter. At the same time, in its smallness and meanness, the
rattrap shows the limitations of the peddler’s previous worldview. One could see the world as
nothing but a rattrap, but there are also kind and loving people like Edla who are not trying to
ensnare anyone, and life is a larger experience than just a game of entrapment.

The Signature (Symbol)

At the end of the story, Edla reads the letter the vagabond leaves for her, on which he signs off as
Captain von Ståhle. We never learn the vagabond's true name, so this label he gives himself (the
name of the Captain with whom the Ironmaster confused him), becomes, for the reader, his only
identity. Perhaps denying the vagabond a name is a way for Lagerlöf to emphasize his
transformation from someone who is expected to steal and swindle, to someone who is expected to
be an upstanding citizen. In any case, the signature definitely signifies the vagabond's belief in his
personal transformation.

Forest like a Prison

A while after the vagabond slips off the main road and into the forest, he finds himself lost. Lagerlöf
writes, "the whole forest, with its trunks and branches, its thickets and fallen logs, closed in upon him
like an impenetrable prison from which he could never escape". This simile demonstrates the
vagabond's feelings of being trapped in a prison of his own making. Where he was sheltered and
warm the night before, his actions have now landed him lost in a freezing wood with no sense of
direction. The prison simile functions similarly to demonstrate the feeling of having been ensnared,
but it differs in the way that the prison simile draws on the imagery of the forest and "its trunks and
branches" to conjure the architecture of an actual prison.

The Rattrap -Didactic Tale

The word didactic is an adjective referring to something with an inherently instructive function. If a
story is described as being didactic, then the story's express and explicit purpose is to teach.

In the case of "The Rat Trap," Lagerlöf blends a realist approach to literature with the conventions
and style of didactic tales. It is often observed that "The Rat Trap" sounds much like a fairy tale in its
language, particularly beginning with the old cliché, "Once upon a time." Lagerlöf's story qualifies as
didac because of the vagabond's note at the end of the story. Surely, the image of the kronor in the rat
trap would be enough for the reader to process the vagabond's redemption arc. But Lagerlöf takes it a
step further, and in traditional didactic fashion, leaves nothing to the imagination. She writes out the
vagabond's whole note to Edla, which concludes, "the rat trap is a Christmas present from a rat who
would have been caught in this world’s rat trap if he had not been raised to captain, because in that
way he got power to clear himself" . Although the language remains in the figurative realm, the clear
explanation of the moral, particularly in the final clause, qualifies the tale as didactic.

Significance of the story taking place around Christmas

Part of The Rat Trap’s being a morality tale is its exemplification of Christian values like hospitality
and charity. The vagabond finds lodging fairly easily and is greeted with a level of generosity to
which he is not accustomed. The reason for this unusual wealth of kindness and generosity is shown
to be, at least in Edla's case, partially informed by the holiday. She feels a duty to provide this man,
who lives in a fairly constant state of uncertainty, with a sense of safety and comfort on at least this
one day of the year, Christmas. The holiday becomes somewhat of an inspiration for her kindness.
The predominant theme of the story is that of redemption through the gift of charity and peace. The
rat trap seller is mistaken for an old friend of the ironmaster and taken home for Christmas festivities.
The Rattrap’ highlights the impact of compassion and understanding on the hidden goodness in
human beings. It was the kindness and compassion of the ironmaster’s daughter that changed the
peddler. He also understood the value of being good and kind and thus returned the money he had
stolen from the crofter’s house.

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

The peddler seems to have interpreted the kind acts of hospitality of the three persons in different
ways. The crofter was the first of the three who showed kindness and hospitality. He gave him food,
played cards with him and shared his confidences. Inspite of the great generosity shown by the
crofter, the peddler does not seem to think very high of him. Perhaps he considered him only a
simpleton. He is in the beginning very happy after stealing his kronors and considers himself smart.
Even at the end of the story, he thinks him a fool who tempts poor vagabonds because he keeps his
money hanging by the window frame.Ironmaster’s hospitality he had refused, he never believed him.
He knew well that he was behaving with such kindless only because of a mistaken identity.It was the
act-of kindness and hospitality shown by the ironmaster’s daughter which the peddler greatly
appreciates. It was her compassionate behaviour which persuaded him to accept the invitation which
he had earlier refused. Later on when his identity is revealed, the ironmaster asks him to leave at
once. But the girl intercedes on the peddler’s behalf. More than her father, the peddler is surprised.
He interprets her idea as crazy. Her kind behaviour throughout his stay stirs his conscience. He
interprets that she Was treating him as a real Captain. It is this interpretation which compels him to
change himself completely.

 Why did the crofter repose confidence in the peddler? How did the peddler betray that and
with what consequences?

The crofter reposed confidence in the peddler because he was lonely, living alone and earning a
living with his cow. He wanted someone with whom he could share his feelings, even trusting him to
the extent of showing the peddler where he had kept his money. The peddler betrayed this trust by
robbing the money and running away. However, when the peddler went through the forest instead
of the road to avoid detection, he got lost and returned to the same place again and again. Ultimately
the peddler realised that he was like a rat caught in a rattrap and that the whole world was a rattrap.
The bait he had fallen for was the crofter’s money and he could not escape with it. Thus, the
consequence of falling for the bait was that he was trapped with no way out.

 How did the seller of rattraps realise that he himself was caught up in a rattrap after he left
the crofter’s cottage? Or How did the peddler feel after robbing the crofter? What course did
he adopt and how did he react to the new situation? What does his reaction reveal? Or The
peddler believed that the whole world is a rattrap. How did he himself get caught in the
same?

Despite the crofter treating the peddler with hospitality, the peddler robbed him and was quite
pleased with his smartness. However, the fear of getting caught haunted him. So, he avoided the
public highway and turned into the woods. It was a big and confusing forest, and due to the
approaching darkness, the peddler lost his way. He got exhausted moving around the same, place,
and was filled with despair. He began to feel that the forest was like a big rattrap and the thirty
kronor he had stolen were like a bait set to tempt him. He felt helpless like a rat who had no way out
of the trap in which he had fallen. His reaction reveals that he was feeling guilty for having stolen the
crofter’s money. His heart was filled with remorse and self-loathing for his act of weakness.

 The peddler declined the invitation of the ironmaster but accepted the one from Edla. Why?

As the peddler had recently stolen the crofter’s money, he felt that the police would be on the lookout
for him. If he accepted the ironmaster’s invitation to stay for a night at his home, he would probably
have been found out as an imposter by the ironmaster, who had mistaken him to be his former
colleague in the dim light of the furnace. Then he would have been arrested. So he declined the
ironmaster’s invitation. However, he accepted Edla’s invitation as she spoke kindly to him. She
realised that he was afraid. Therefore, she assured him that no harm would come to him and he was
at liberty to leave whenever he wanted. The compassionate manner of the ironmaster’s daughter won
the confidence of the r eddler who agreed to go to her home.

 The peddler comes out as a person with a great sense of humour. How does this serve in
lightening the seriousness of the theme of the story and also endear him to us?

The peddler comes out as a person with a great sense of humour. There is no doubt that this serves in
lightening the seriousness of the theme of the story and also endear him to us. The first instance of it
is just in the beginning when he enjoys his dreary plodding thinking of the world as a rattrap. It of
course pleased his heart that the world which was denied to him was after all not worth having as it
was nothing but a rattrap. After stealing the crofter’s money, he left the public highway and lost his
way in the forest. Though heart-broken, his sense of humour is alive as he thinks of himself as the one
who has been trapped like a rat. The forest seemed to him like an impenetrable prison from which he
could never escape.The peddler provides humour again when he jumps up abruptly and quite
frightened. It happens when the ironmaster’s daughter lifts up his hat from his eyes. He shows a
good sense of humour when the ironmaster threatens to report his case to the sheriff. Instead of being
frightened, he strikes the table with his fist. Then he gives his views about the world being a rattrap.
The ironmaster laughs and idea of the sheriff is dropped. His letter to the ironmaster’s daughter
again reveals his sense of humour. He calls himself Captain Von Stahle who, but for lady’s kindness,
would have remained a rat caught in this wordl’s rattrap.There is no doubt that this sense of humour
helps to endear him to us.

 How does the story rattrap highlight the importance of community over isolation? Support
your rational with textual evidence.

The rattrap seller is devoid of love, friends and family in his life. He has a very pessimistic viewpoint
and would choose to perish alone than trust anyone because according to him everyone is greedy and
are blinded by the chase.The rattrap maker meets a kind hearted woman who treats him with
generosity and her benevolent act helps him realise that there is good in this world and he should
also spread optimism which also conveys the message of spending time together with other people
instead of depriving ourselves from social attachments.The rattrap seller is devoid of love, friends
and family in his life. He has a very pessimistic viewpoint and would choose to perish alone than
trust anyone because according to him everyone is greedy and are blinded by the chase. The rattrap
maker meets a kind hearted woman who treats him with generosity and her benevolent act helps him
realise that there is good in this world and he should also spread optimism which also conveys the
message of spending time together with other people instead of depriving ourselves from social
attachments.The rattrap seller is devoid of love, friends and family in his life. He has a very
pessimistic viewpoint and would choose to perish alone than trust anyone because according to him
everyone is greedy and are blinded by the chase.The rattrap maker meets a kind hearted woman who
treats him with generosity and her benevolent act helps him realise that there is good in this world
and he should also spread optimism which also conveys the message of spending time together with
other people instead of depriving ourselves from social attachments.
