🌟 The Rattrap – Selma Lagerlöf

📖 Flamingo (Prose), Class 12 CBSE

✨ Summary of the Chapter (Point-wise + Easy Notes)

1. Theme of the story:
   • The world is compared to a rattrap.
   • Material possessions = bait (cheese in a trap).
   • Once tempted, humans get trapped in greed and suffer.
2. The peddler:
   • A poor, lonely man who sold rattraps made of wire.
   • Sometimes begged or stole to survive.
   • World had been cruel to him, so he viewed it as a trap.
3. The crofter’s hospitality:
   • The peddler sought shelter at a crofter’s house.
   • Crofter was lonely and happy for company.
   • Showed him his cow, milk, and even his 30 kronor (earned honestly).
   • Next day, the peddler stole the money.
4. Lost in the forest:
   • After stealing, he wandered in the woods.
   • Felt he was trapped like a rat in the world’s rattrap.
   • Regretted his actions.
5. The ironmaster’s house:
   • He sought shelter in an iron mill.
   • The owner (ironmaster) mistook him for an old friend.
   • Invited him home, but the peddler refused.
   • Later, the ironmaster’s daughter Edla Willmansson convinced him kindly.
6. Hospitality at Edla’s home:
   • She treated him with compassion and respect.
   • Gave him food, clothes, and a Christmas gift.
   • Peddler feared exposure but stayed.
7. Ironmaster’s discovery:
   • Next morning, ironmaster realised the truth (he was not his old friend).
   • Got angry and threatened to hand him over to the police.
   • But Edla insisted on keeping him as a guest for Christmas.
8. The transformation:
   • Peddler was touched by Edla’s kindness.
   • Instead of cheating them, he left behind a rattrap as a Christmas gift.
   • Inside it: the stolen money + a note.
   • The letter thanked Edla for saving him from the world’s trap.
   • Signed: “Captain von Stahle” (the name ironmaster had given him earlier).

🌍 Main Themes

• World as a Rattrap – life’s temptations trap humans.
• Loneliness and Need for Companionship – both crofter and peddler were lonely.
• Human Greed vs. Human Goodness – crofter’s money tempted the peddler, but Edla’s kindness transformed him.
• Power of Kindness and Compassion – true reform comes through love, not punishment.

✨ Character Sketches

🔹 The Peddler

• Poor, homeless, lonely wanderer.
• Survived by selling rattraps, begging, or stealing.
• Cynical: believed world was only a big trap.
• Transformation: From a thief → to a grateful, honest man → inspired by kindness.

🔹 The Crofter

• Old, lonely, generous.
• Wanted companionship.
• Showed trust (revealed his earnings).
• Victim of betrayal by the peddler.

🔹 The Ironmaster

• Wealthy, owner of a forge.
• Mistakenly invited peddler thinking he was an old friend.
• Proud, short-tempered, but not evil.

🔹 Edla Willmansson

• Ironmaster’s daughter.
• Kind, gentle, compassionate.
• Treated peddler with respect and warmth.
• Her goodness reformed him.

✍️ Word Meanings

• Rattrap → a trap for catching rats.
• Kronor → Swedish currency.
• Forge → a workplace where metal is heated and shaped.
• Compassion → kindness, sympathy for others.
• Temptation → attraction towards something.

🔥 Literary Devices

• Metaphor – “The world is nothing but a big rattrap.”
• Symbolism – Rattrap = human temptations.
• Irony – Peddler, a thief, becomes “Captain von Stahle.”
• Alliteration – “peddler picked up,” “world was.”
• Contrast – Between crofter’s trust and peddler’s betrayal.

📚 NCERT Questions & Answers

Q1. How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve as the central theme of the story?

👉 The rattrap symbolises the temptations of life. Just like rats are lured by cheese, humans are lured by riches and material possessions. The peddler himself fell into the trap after stealing money, but later realised compassion can save a person from the trap of sin.

Q2. Why was the crofter so friendly and talkative with the peddler?

👉 The crofter was lonely and needed company. He trusted the peddler, shared his life, and even showed his earnings. His friendliness was because of his isolation.

Q3. How did the peddler realise that he was caught in a rattrap after stealing the money?

👉 When he entered the forest, he couldn’t find his way out. He felt trapped, just like a rat in a rattrap. He realised that greed had led him into this situation.

Q4. How did Edla Willmansson’s attitude change the peddler’s life?

👉 Edla treated him with respect, compassion, and trust. She gave him food, clothes, and dignity. Her kindness reformed the peddler and made him return the stolen money.

Q5. What was written in the letter left by the peddler?

👉 The peddler wrote that Edla’s kindness had transformed him. He returned the stolen 30 kronor in the rattrap and signed as Captain von Stahle—showing his new identity as an honourable man.

✨ Extra Questions with Answers

1. Why did the ironmaster want the peddler to come home?

👉 He thought the peddler was his old regimental friend, Captain von Stahle, and wanted to help him on Christmas Eve.

2. Why did the peddler decline the ironmaster’s invitation initially?

👉 He feared that his true identity would be discovered and he might be punished.

3. Why was Edla disappointed on seeing the peddler in daylight?

👉 Because he looked shabby and dishonest, not like a captain. Yet she still chose to treat him kindly.

4. How is the ending of the story ironical?

👉 A thief, instead of stealing more, leaves behind stolen money as a gift. He transforms into “Captain von Stahle,” an honourable man.

5. What moral lesson does “The Rattrap” teach us?

👉 That kindness and compassion can bring true change in a person, not punishment or harshness.

📌 Important Quotes

1. “The world is nothing but a big rattrap.”
2. “Honour comes from compassion, not wealth.”
3. “You showed me kindness, and I wanted to repay you.”

📝 Long Point-wise Notes

• 🌍 World = Rattrap → temptations are bait → humans trapped.
• 👨‍🦳 Crofter = generous but betrayed.
• 🏞️ Forest = represents entrapment after greed.
• 🏭 Ironmaster = mistaken identity → invited him.
• 👩 Edla = symbol of goodness → kindness transforms.
• 🎄 Christmas = festival of giving & redemption.
• 🎁 Gift = rattrap with money + letter = symbol of transformation.

🎯 Moral / Message

• Life offers temptations (money, power, wealth).
• Falling for them leads to suffering.
• True human values – kindness, trust, compassion – can reform even the most lost soul.