Chapter Sketch
The Rattrap is based on the theme that the essential goodness in a human being can be awakened through understanding and love. The story is set amidst the iron mines of Sweden. The author has beautifully brought out human loneliness and the need to bond with others.
About the Characters
The Peddler
A poor man who sold rattraps for a living and was a petty thief.
The Crofter
A simple trusting person who is robbed by the peddler.
The Ironmaster
A stern taskmaster and law-abiding person, he trusts the peddler due to his daughter’s persuasion,
Edla
The ironmaster’s daughter is a kind and compassionate lady.
About the Author
Selina Lagerlof (1858-1940) was a Swedish author and teacher. She was the first woman writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Her 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.
Summary of the Chapter
The Rattrap Peddler and his Thoughts About the World
Once upon A time, there \was a vagabond who went art)uni rattraps. He made them from the material he got k beggin,4. The business not profitable, so he had to beg and even steal to survive. His clothes n his cheeks were sunken and hunger gleamed in his eyes.
He was engrossed in his thoughts about rattraps one day, a very fulfill , thought came to his mind that the world .was a big rattrap.. It joys just like the rattrap offered cheese and pork. As A rat WaS tempted to touch the bait, it trapped him.
The Crofter Treats the Peddler Nicely but the Peddler Cheats him
One dark evening, as the peddler was trudging along the road, he went to a small grey cottage, seeking shelter for the night. The owner, who had once been a crofter, not only invited him in, but was happy to get someone to talk to. The crofter, who had no wife or children, was very talkative and shared much about himself with the peddler. He informed the peddler that during his days of prosperity, he worked at the Ramsjo Ironworks. Now, his cow supported him. He even shared the fact that he had earned thirty kronor by selling the cow’s milk. The guest seemed incredulous, so the crofter showed him the money, also revealing where it was kept. Next day, both left the cottage at the same time. But, half an hour later the peddler returned. He went up to the window, smashed a pane and took out the thirty kronor from the pouch in which they were kept.
The Vagabond is Pleased with his Smartness;
Gets Lost in the Woods The vagabond was quite pleased with his smartness. He avoided the public highway and turned into the wood, as he felt he would be safer and no one would be able to catch him. It was a big and confusing forest. He tried to walk in a definite direction, but the paths twisted back and forth so strangely that he was confused. He walked on and on and soon realised that he had been walking around in the same part of the forest. All at once, he recalled his thoughts about the world being a rattrap. Now, his own turn had come. He had let himself be fooled by the bait and had been caught in a rattrap. The entire forest, with its trees, trunks and branches, seemed to him like a prison that offered no escape.
The Peddler Meets the Ironmaster;
Declines his Invitation Finally, the peddler saw no way out. He was so overwhelmed with exhaustion that he sank down to the ground, tired to death, thinking that his last moment had come. Just then, he heard the sound of the regular thumping of a hammer. He realised that the sound was coming from an iron mill. He summoned all his strength and walked in the direction of the sound.
He reached the Ramsjo Ironworks, which was then a large plant with smelter, rolling mill and forge. He entered the ironworks amidst the different sounds coming from the work going on in full swing. It was quite usual for persons like him to be attracted by the warmth and shelter of the forge, so he was ignored by the blacksmiths. The master blacksmith rather haughtily granted him permission to stay.
Soon, the ironmaster came into the forge for his inspection and noticed the peddler. He mistook him in the dim light for an old regimental comrade and addressed him as Nils Olof. The peddler didn’t try to clear his doubt, as he thought the ironmaster might give him some money. The ironmaster invited him home. The peddler thought that going to the manor house would be like ‘throwing himself voluntarily into the lion’s den’. So, he declined the invitation.
Ironmaster Sends his Daughter Edla to Persuade the Peddler
The ironmaster assumed that the Peddler felt embarrassed because of his miserable clothing. He tried to comfort the peddler by informing him that there was nothing to be ashamed about. He further told him that his wife Elizabeth was dead, his sons were settled abroad