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Class 12 - English
Book Name - Flamingo
Chapter – 4
The Rattrap by Selma Lagerlof
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Title Analysis
Theme
Summary
Chapter In Detail
Important Questions with Answers

Title Analysis
“The Rattrap” by Selma Lagerlof is the story of rattrap seller who leads a miserable life
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The title also reflects the thought that whole world is a
rattrap and the attractive things of world are baits which let the people fall into rattrap and get
trapped
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Theme
The theme of the story is that most of the human beings commit crimes due to their greed and
their deeds lead them to the life of restlessness
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Love and kindness have the power to transform the worst into better
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He used to sell rattrap for
his survival
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His life was full of miseries and so built up a thought that whole world was a big rattrap
that offered us various kind of baits in the form of comforts of life
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As the peddler had no home to live in, he had to search for his shelter in nights
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The next morning, he stole crofter’s hard-earned money and ran
towards the dense forest in order to avoid being caught up
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Later he found himself in front of an iron factory and
took shelter there
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The peddler was afraid of being caught up so he didn’t accept the offer
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She came to the conclusion that either he had stolen
something or had escaped from prison
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She also assured him that he would be
free to leave her house whenever he wished
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They feared of giving shelter to a

thief and wondered that what all things he might have stolen by that time
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She found
a letter and the stolen money inside the rattrap
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The story teaches us that love and kindness can revoke the goddess
hidden in the human beings
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He used
to beg for materials like wire from stores or farms and made rattraps to sell
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As he earned very little he was
forced to beg or steal in order to survive
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He had to struggle very hard in his life
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were the baits which lured a person into the rattrap
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The Peddler Seeks Shelter
The peddler was homeless so he was forced to seek shelter for nights
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The old man used to live alone and he also wanted a
companion, so he gave him place to sleep for night and also gave him food to eat
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While playing cards the old man told the peddler that once
he was rich as worked as a crafter Ramsjo Ironwork
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The old man told the peddler that last month he had
earned thirty kronors by selling his cow’s milk
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The Peddler Steals Money from the Crafter
The next morning the old man wake up early as he had to milk his cow and the peddler too wake
up in order to take leave
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After
thirty minutes the peddler was back, he broke a pane of glass and stole the money the old man
had shown him the last night
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The Peddler Feels Trapped
The peddler walked through the forest as there was chance of being caught on the highway
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He tried hard to find the right way but his effort was in vain because he always found
himself at the same place
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By stealing

the old man’s money, he was lured by riches
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The Peddler Discovers Ramsjo Ironworks
The peddler became hopeless and terrified
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Fortunately, he heard the sounds of hammer strokes
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He opened the
gate and walked towards the blacksmith sitting by the side of furnace
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Many homeless people often used to come
towards the factory in order to keep themselves warm, the peddler too appeared like those
people to the blacksmith, so he allowed him to spent the night in the factory
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So, the ironmaster was inspecting the factory when
he saw the peddler sitting close to the furnace
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The peddler pretended to be his old friend and didn’t
told him the truth as thought that the ironmaster would definitely give him money
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His only intention was to spent the night at
the factory and then go away without being noticed by anyone
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After half an
hour ironmaster’s daughter arrived to the factory
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She went to the
peddler and introduced herself as Edla Willmasson
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The peddler was frightened to see ironmaster’s daughter
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So,
she requested the peddler to stay with her family just for Christmas Eve
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On the way he cursed himself for stealing the crafter’s money
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The Peddler Receives Unexpected Treatement
The next morning peddler took bath, had his hair cut and was dressed in clean clothes
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The peddler
was recognized so he asked their permission to leave
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Finally the ironmaster agreed
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He ate the food that he never expected, he received clothes as a gift
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The Truth Reveals
The next morning ironmaster and his daughter went to church while the peddler was sleeping
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Both the ironman and his daughter rushed back to home thinking that the
peddler must have stolen all the valuables from their house
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Everything was at it’s place, nothing was stolen
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When she
unwrapped the gift she found a rattrap, three kronor notes and a letter
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Further he requested her to return the money
to the old crafter
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 Important Question and Answers (Short Answer Questions)
Q1) What hospitality did the peddler receive from the crafter?
Ans- When the peddler knocked the door of the old crafter in hope of shelter for that night he
was welcomed warmly by the old crafter
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He gave the peddler food and a big chunk of his tobacco
roll
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The crafter shared his secrets with
the peddler while talking
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Q2) Why did the peddler think that the whole world was a rattrap?
Ans- The peddler was very poor, he was all alone in the world, he was homeless
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He made rattraps out of the materials which he obtained by
begging
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He used to lead his life in very miserable
condition and because he was lonely, he often used to be lost in his own thoughts
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were the baits offered to people in order to
entrap them
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Q3) Who was the owner of Ramsjo Iron Mills? Why did he visit the mills at night?
Ans – Mr
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He was
a retired army man
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His dedication to work

and his ambition of supplying the best iron to the market was such that he visited to the mill at
daytime and at night hours too
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Q4) What was the ironmaster’s reaction on seeing the stranger lying close to the furnace?
Ans- When the ironmaster noticed a stranger in ragged clothes lying close to the furnace he went
near him and removed the cap that covered his face
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He was overjoyed to see
his friend after years and invited him to celebrate Christmas with him
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The peddler feared that if he went to the ironmaster’s house, it would be discovered that he was
not his old friend
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Hence he rejected the ironmaster’s
invitation
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It expresses the power of humanity and kindness
with the possibility of redemption
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Q7) What is the mood of the story?
Ans- Loneliness, suspense, hopefulness, generosity and transformation are the different moods
of the story
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When
the peddler steals the crafter’s money, the mood of the story shifts to suspense
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Q8) Explain the metaphor of the rattrap in context of the story “Rattrap”?
Ans- In the story “Rattrap”, the rattrap serves as a metaphor for the universe and human beings
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When a person is attracted to these finest things of the universe, he falls into the rattrap
and suffers his whole life
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Q9) What reasons did the ironmaster give for his friend’s bad condition?
Ans- The ironmaster mistook the peddler for his old friend from the army
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Therefore, because of unfortunate conditions his life might
have become miserable
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She had assumed that the peddler was very poor and
homeless
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Q11) What is irony in the story “Rattrap”?
Ans- One instance of irony in the story is when the peddler is treated with great respect and
offered generosity by Elda even after knowing the truth that he had been hiding his identity
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She treated him with respected and requested him to join her family on
Christmas Eve
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 Important Question and Answers (Long Answer Questions)

Q1) The story “Rattrap” highlights the importance of community over isolation
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The peddler lived a lonely life and
was illtreated by others because of his miserable condition and occupation
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The crafter fed the peddler, offered him
tobacco, played cards with him and also gave him space to sleep that night
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The ironmaster and his daughter too, are lonely
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The ironmaster’s daughter
too requested the peddler to spend the Christmas with them
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All the characters of the story isolated and they need
community to share their experience, emotions, knowledge etc
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Q2) ‘Act of kindness can change a person’s view’ Explain with reference to the theme of the
story “Rattrap”
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In
the story the peddler believes that the universe is a big rattrap and all the finest things which it
offers are baits to trap the humans who are attracted towards it
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He was never been treated with kindness by anyone as he was homeless
and used to wander through the streets in ragged clothes
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He steals the crafter’s money who welcomed him and treated him as a friend,
because of his view for the world
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She believed that no one is born to commit theft or other crime,

it’s the circumstances that forces them to do sin
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He returned the
stolen money which reflects the transformation within him
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Ans- Making mistakes is a common aspect of human nature
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forces them to make mistakes
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Let’s take Franz from “The Last Lesson” and the peddler from “The Rattrap” as examples
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Franz realized the
value his lessons only when it was about to be banned
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Finally, he learned
from his mistake
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When he realized his mistake, he returned the stolen money which proved
that he had learned from his mistake
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Mistakes acts as a ladder to our goal
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Therefore, making mistakes is the
human nature and learning from the mistakes lead the human to the right direction making them
better than before
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Ans- In the story “The Rattrap”, rat symbolizes human who are trapped in terrible conditions due
their dishonesty and greed
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In
the beginning the peddler sells rattrap that is used to catch rats
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They are illtreated by others in the society alike rats
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His ragged clothes, grown beard and filthy look is
compared to the rats
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The crafter offered shelter to the peddler without noticing his intentions
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