Updated on 02/06/2026
4. The Rattrap (Selma Lagerlof)
Main Points of the chapter:
This is a story of a poor man who sells small rattraps (cage to catch rats) of wire.
He wandered from place to place to sell these rattraps.
But he could not earn enough so he had to beg and petty thefts.
One night he saw a little grey cottage by the roadside.
He stayed with a crofter who served him well, served him porridge and played cards (Mjolis).
The crofter told him that he had earned thirty kronor in payment from selling his cow’s milk, and kept these notes in a leather pouch hanging near the window.
The next morning, when both had gone for their work, the peddler came back & stole the old man’s thirty kronor.
Now he took a way through a forest instead of the main road, in order to escape being caught.
But it was a confusing forest so he found himself near the place from where he had started.
He thought that the whole world is also like a rattrap (Chuhedani).
Like rats, we people are tempted by the baits as riches, joys, shelters, food and clothes.
It was a dark & cold night in December; he heard the sound of a hammer and reached the Ramsjo Ironworks.
Ramsjo mistook the peddler as his old acquaintance, Captain Nils Olof.
The ironmaster invites him to his house for Christmas Eve, but the peddler refuses, fearing he will walk straight into the lion's den with stolen money.
The ironmaster sends his daughter, Edla Willmansson. Her kind, friendly, and persuasive manner wins the peddler’s trust, and he agrees to accompany her.
The next morning, after being shaved, getting a haircut, and dressing in the ironmaster’s fine clothes, the stranger is seen in broad daylight. The ironmaster immediately realizes his mistake and threatens to call the sheriff (पुलिस).
But the ironmaster’s daughter named Edla Willmansson pleaded with the stranger.
She served him for Christmas Eve as best as she could.
On Christmas morning, Edla and her father go to church, where they learn that the old crofter has been robbed by a vagabond selling rattraps. The ironmaster worries that their own silver spoons might be stolen by now. .
But he had not taken anything, rather he had left a letter & the rattrap as a Christmas present for Edla.
In the package there were three ten-kronor notes. He requested her to return money to the old crofter.
In the letter, he thanks Edla for treating him like a real captain, which gave him the dignity to reform himself. He signs the letter as "Captain von Stahle" and requests her to return the money to the old crofter.
Very Short Type Q-Ans.
Q 1. Who is the writer of the story ‘The Rattrap’?
Ans. Selma Lagerlof
Q. 2 Who is the main character (protagonist) in the story?
Ans. A poor vagabond who makes and sells wire rattraps.
Q. 3 What else did the peddler do to survive because his business was not profitable?
Ans. He resorted to begging and petty thievery (stealing).
Q. 4 What did the old man do for a living?
Ans. He sold cow’s milk
Q. 5 Where did the old man put the money?
Ans. In a leather pouch near the window
Q. 6 Who stole the old man’s money?
Ans. The rattrap seller
Q. 7 How did the rattrap seller enter the cottage in order to steal the old man’s money?
Ans. By smashing a window pane
Q. 8 How much money did he steal?
Ans. Thirty kronor
Q.9 What happened when the rattrap seller left the main road and went into a forest?
Ans. he became confused and lost the way
Q. 10 What did the owner of the factory mistake the rattrap seller for?
Ans. His old friend Nils Olof (Captain von Stahle)
Q. 11 Where did the rattrap seller reach by following the hammer sounds in the forest?
Ans. The Ramsjo Ironworks
Q. 12 What was the name of the ironmaster’s daughter?
Ans. Edla Willmansson
Q. 13 What special occasion was the next day?
Ans. Christmas Day (25 December)
Q. 14 What idea stuck in the rattrap seller’s mind one day?
Ans. That the whole world is also like a rattrap
Q. 15 What had the rattrap seller left for the ironmaster’s daughter as a Christmas gift?
Ans. A rattrap and a letter and the stolen thirty kronor
Short Type Q-Ans.
Q. 1 From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Ans. One day the peddler was going along the road. He was thinking of his rattrap. He thought that the world is also like a rattrap. A rat is caught in the rattrap when it is lured by the bait. In the same way the world existed only to set baits for people. The world offers its riches, joys, shelter, food and clothing to man just to trap him.
Q. 2 What made the peddler think he had indeed fallen into a rattrap?
Ans. The peddler had stolen the thirty kronor of the crofter. In order to avoid being caught, he did not walk along the main road. He took a forest way. In the meantime, the night fell and there was darkness over the forest. He forgot the way and he was confused about where to go. This money was bait that had trapped him. Now he thought that the world was indeed a rattrap.
Q. 3 Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home?
Ans. The ironmaster saw the peddler in the dim light of the furnace. He mistook the peddler for an old friend. He thought that his old friend was going through bad days. Therefore, he invited him to his house to help him in his hard times.
Q. 4 When did the ironmaster realise his mistake?
Ans. The ironmaster had seen the peddler in the dim light of the furnace. As a result, his face was not clearly visible. He mistook the peddler for an old friend. But when he saw the peddler well groomed in the broad daylight, he realised that he had made a mistake about him. He was not his friend.
Q. 5 How did the peddler steal the old crofter money?
Ans. The peddler knew where the crofter had kept his thirty Kronor. As soon as they left the cottage, the peddler came back. He smashed the windowpane and took out the money from the leather pouch and hung the pouch back.
Q. 6 Why did the peddler take his way through the forest?
Ans. The peddler had the crofter’s stolen money in his pocket. He was afraid that he would be chased and caught If he went by the highway. That is why he took his way through the forest.
Q. 7 What present did the peddler leave for Edla? What did he write in his letter to her?
Ans. The servant told Edla that the peddler had left a little package for her. She found a small rattrap in the package. Inside the package there were three ten Kronor notes and a letter. In his letter he thanked her for being so nice to him as if he was really a captain. He did not want her to be troubled with a thief on Christmas. He requested her to return the money to the old crofter. He wrote that the rattrap was a Christmas present for her.
Essay Type Q-Ans.
Q. 1 How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight the human predicament?
Ans. The peddler considers that the whole world is nothing but a big rattrap. The riches, joys, shelter and food are nothing but mere baits. When one touches the bait, the rattrap closes in on him. The peddler robbed thirty kronor of the old crofter who served him food and provided shelter at night. Those thirty kronor that he stole prove to be the bait. He is lost in a big and confusing forest. He has befooled himself by the bait. The metaphor of the rattrap comes alive when the ironmaster invited him to his manor house but he refused to go there. Going there would mean going to the lion’s den. Again the metaphor is used effectively when the peddler describes human predicament to the ironmaster. Even the title of the story ‘The Rattrap’ is highly metaphorical. The metaphor runs throughout the story.
Q. 2 Give a character-sketch of the peddler.
Ans. The writer of the story draws the character of the peddler, with all sympathy and understanding. The rattrap seller is a very poor man. He goes from place to place selling rattraps. The peddler represents some human weaknesses. In fact, he is the product of circumstances. The peddler is a vagabond. He is also a beggar as well as a petty thief. He himself falls to temptation and steals thirty kronors of the old crofter.
The writer describes the peddler in such a way that arouses our sympathy with him. His clothes are dirty. He is very poor. He builds rattraps from the material received in begging. The peddler raises himself above petty temptation in the end. He thanks Miss Edla for her kindness and hospitality. He leaves thirty kronor to be given back to the old crofter. He also leaves a small rattrap as a Christmas present for Edla. Thus, the readers forgive him for his little human weakness.
*Spellings*
Literature
Interesting
Behaviour
Leather pouch
Peddler
Received
Hammer
Blacksmith
Ironsmith
Rattrap
Christmas
Dangerous
Extraordinary
*Word-meanings*
Amidst – in middle
Petty – small
Monotonous – boring
Vagabond – wanderer,
Meditation – deep thinking
Pane – window glass
Smashed – broke
Staggered – walked in difficulty
Forge – furnace
Ragamuffin – wearing rags
Acquaintance – familiar
Preach – sermon
Arouse – to evoke
Perspiration – sweat
Porridge – oat meal
Queer – strange