Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 4 — The Rattrap
Welcome to HSLC Guru. Here you will find complete ASSEB Class 12 (HS 2nd Year) English Flamingo Chapter 4 “The Rattrap” question answers, written by Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf (1858-1940), the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1909). This allegorical short story uses the metaphor of a rattrap to explore themes of greed, loneliness, compassion, and human redemption. Below you will find the summary, NCERT textbook exercises, additional short and long questions, MCQs, extract-based questions, character sketches, and theme analysis — all prepared for ASSEB Class 12 students preparing for the HS Final Examination.
About the Author
Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (1858-1940) was a Swedish author and the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909. She was also the first female member of the Swedish Academy. Her writings are characterized by vivid imagination, a sense of fantasy, and an underlying belief in the goodness of humanity. Her best-known works include Gösta Berling’s Saga, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, and the short story collection from which “The Rattrap” is taken. Many of her stories are set in the Swedish countryside and draw upon folk legends and Christian themes of compassion and redemption.
Summary (English)
“The Rattrap” is a story about a poor, homeless peddler who travels through the Swedish countryside selling small rattraps that he makes from begged wire. Lonely, hungry, and treated with suspicion by everyone he meets, he develops a bitter philosophy: the whole world is nothing but a giant rattrap. Riches, joys, food, shelter, and clothing are mere baits set out for human beings, and the moment anyone is tempted to touch the bait, the trap closes around them.
One cold December evening, the peddler asks for shelter at a little grey cottage by the road. The owner, an old crofter (a former farmhand at Ramsjö Ironworks), receives him warmly. The crofter is lonely; his wife is dead and his children have moved away. He shares his food, tobacco, and even plays the card game mjolis with the stranger. To impress his guest, the crofter shows him thirty kronor in cash — money he earned from his cow’s milk — kept in a leather pouch hanging by the window.
The next morning, after the crofter leaves for the cowshed, the peddler smashes the windowpane, steals the thirty kronor, and walks away feeling clever. But to avoid being caught on the public road, he takes a shortcut through a big, confusing forest. He gets hopelessly lost, exhausted, and convinced that he himself has fallen into the world’s rattrap — the bait of thirty kronor has trapped him.
At nightfall, he stumbles upon Ramsjö Ironworks. The owner, an ironmaster, is inspecting the forge and mistakes the ragged peddler for an old regimental comrade named Captain von Ståhle. He invites him home for Christmas. The peddler refuses, fearing exposure, but the ironmaster’s kind daughter, Edla Willmansson, comes herself, persuades him gently, and brings him home. Even though she soon notices he is not really a captain, she insists he should still enjoy Christmas peace.
The next morning, the ironmaster realizes the mistake and angrily orders the peddler out, but Edla pleads for him, gives him good food, new clothes, and lets him stay for Christmas Eve. After the family returns from church, they discover the peddler has left — but he has not stolen anything. Instead, he has left behind a small rattrap as a Christmas present, with the stolen thirty kronor inside and a letter signed “Captain von Ståhle.” He thanks Edla, the noble lady, for her kindness, asks her to return the money to the crofter, and explains that her trust raised him above himself, so he wished to be a real captain for once. Edla’s compassion has redeemed the peddler from the world’s rattrap.
সাৰাংশ (Assamese)
“The Rattrap” চুইডেনৰ বিখ্যাত লেখিকা চেলমা লেগাৰলফৰ এটি প্ৰতীকধৰ্মী চুটিগল্প। গল্পৰ মুখ্য চৰিত্ৰ এজন দুখীয়া, গৃহহীন ফেৰীৱালা — যিয়ে তাঁৰৰ সৰু সৰু ইন্দূৰ ধৰা ফান্দ (rattrap) বনাই বেচি জীৱিকা নিৰ্বাহ কৰে। অকলশৰীয়া আৰু সকলোৰে পৰা অৱহেলিত হৈ তেওঁ ভাবে যে গোটেই পৃথিৱীখনেই এটা বৃহৎ ইন্দূৰ ধৰা ফান্দ — ধন, সুখ, আহাৰ, বস্ত্ৰ আদি সকলো কেৱল ফান্দৰ টোপ; ইহঁতক স্পৰ্শ কৰিলেই মানুহ ফান্দত পৰে।
এদিন এক শীতল ডিচেম্বৰ সন্ধিয়া, ফেৰীৱালাজনে এটি সৰু ধূসৰ কুঁৱৰীত আশ্ৰয় বিচাৰে। ঘৰৰ গৰাকী এজন বুঢ়া ক্ৰফ্টাৰ — Ramsjö লোহাকাৰখানাৰ প্ৰাক্তন কৰ্মী। অকলশৰীয়া বুঢ়াজনে আতিথ্যেৰে ফেৰীৱালাজনক আদৰি লয়, খাদ্য, ধপাত আৰু তাচ খেলৰ সংগ দিয়ে। নিজৰ সম্পদ দেখুৱাবলৈ তেওঁ গাইৰ গাখীৰ বেচি লাভ কৰা ত্ৰিশ ক্ৰোনাৰ ব্যাগটো খিৰিকীৰ কাষত ওলোমাই দেখুৱায়।
পিচদিনাই বুঢ়াজন গাইৰ গোহালিলৈ গৈ থাকোঁতে ফেৰীৱালাজনে খিৰিকীৰ চাহী ভাঙি ত্ৰিশ ক্ৰোনা চুৰ কৰি লৈ যায়। ৰাজপথ এৰি এক ডাঙৰ অৰণ্যৰ মাজেৰে পথ লওঁতে তেওঁ বাট হেৰাই পেলায় আৰু বুজি পায় যে নিজেই বিশ্ব-ফান্দত পৰিল। সন্ধিয়া তেওঁ Ramsjö লোহাকাৰখানালৈ আহি পায়। কাৰখানাৰ মালিকজনে ফেৰীৱালাজনক নিজৰ পুৰণি সৈনিক বন্ধু কেপ্টেইন ভন ষ্ট’লে বুলি ভুল কৰি ক্ৰিছমাছৰ বাবে নিজৰ ঘৰলৈ মাতে। মালিকৰ দয়ালু জীয়েক এদলা ৱিল্মেনছন-এ মৰম-যত্নেৰে তেওঁক ঘৰলৈ লৈ যায়।
পিছদিনাই মালিকজনে ভুল ধৰা পেলাই ক্ষুধা প্ৰকাশ কৰি ফেৰীৱালাজনক ঘৰৰ পৰা বহিষ্কাৰ কৰিব বিচাৰে, কিন্তু এদলাই অনুৰোধ কৰি তেওঁক ক্ৰিছমাছ পৰ্যন্ত ৰাখে, ভাল কাপোৰ আৰু আহাৰ দিয়ে। গীৰ্জাৰ পৰা উভতি অহাৰ পিছত পৰিয়ালটোৱে দেখা পায় ফেৰীৱালাজন গুচি গৈছে — কিন্তু একো চুৰ নকৰি, বৰঞ্চ এটি ইন্দূৰ-ফান্দ ক্ৰিছমাছ উপহাৰ হিচাপে এৰি গৈছে। ফান্দটোৰ ভিতৰত আছিল চুৰ কৰি অনা ত্ৰিশ ক্ৰোনা আৰু কেপ্টেইন ভন ষ্ট’লেৰ স্বাক্ষৰিত এখন চিঠি — য’ত তেওঁ এদলাৰ মৰম-দয়াৰ বাবে কৃতজ্ঞতা জনাইছিল আৰু ত্ৰিশ ক্ৰোনা ক্ৰফ্টাৰক ঘূৰাই দিবলৈ অনুৰোধ কৰিছিল। এদলাৰ মৰম আৰু বিশ্বাসেই তেওঁক বিশ্ব-ফান্দৰ পৰা মুক্ত কৰিলে।
Understanding the Text
1. From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Answer: The peddler made and sold rattraps for a living. As he tramped along the road, lonely and hungry, his thoughts kept returning to those traps. Suddenly the idea struck him that the whole world was nothing but a big rattrap. Its riches, joys, food, shelter, and warmth were merely baits set out to tempt people. The moment anyone reached out to grasp these temptations, the trap snapped shut and everything came to an end. This bitter philosophy gave him a strange amusement, since the world had never been kind to him.
2. Why was the peddler amused by the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Answer: The peddler was amused because the world had treated him cruelly — people slammed doors in his face, refused him shelter, and showed him no kindness. Thinking of others as fools who walked willingly into life’s traps gave him a malicious satisfaction. He liked to imagine well-fed, comfortable people being lured by greed and ambition into the same misery he himself was living in. The thought of comfortable people falling into life’s snares was his only consolation.
3. Did the peddler expect the kind of hospitality that he received from the crofter?
Answer: No, the peddler did not expect such warm hospitality. He was used to sour faces, suspicious looks, and slammed doors. But the crofter welcomed him like an old friend, served him porridge and tobacco, played cards with him, and even shared the story of his thirty kronor. Such generosity from a stranger was completely new to the peddler — and ironically, this very kindness became the bait that lured him into stealing.
4. Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?
Answer: The crofter was an old, lonely man. His wife was dead and his children had gone away, leaving him with no one to talk to. He longed for human company. So when the peddler knocked at his door, the crofter eagerly welcomed him, fed him, and shared his stories — even confidential matters like the thirty kronor — simply because he was desperate for someone to listen.
5. Why did he show the thirty kronor to the peddler?
Answer: The crofter sensed that the peddler doubted his claim of having earned thirty kronor from his cow. To prove his honesty and importance, he took down the leather pouch hanging in the window, fished out the three ten-kronor bills, and waved them in front of the peddler’s eyes — then put them back. He wanted to feel respected for once, and ironically, this innocent act of pride became the very bait that tempted the peddler into theft.
6. Did the peddler respect the confidence reposed in him by the crofter?
Answer: No, he did not. The crofter trusted him completely — fed him, sheltered him, and even revealed the location of his savings. But the next morning, the peddler smashed the windowpane, took out the leather pouch, and stole the thirty kronor. He betrayed the crofter’s faith and walked away pleased with his cleverness. However, his guilt soon caught up with him as he got lost in the forest.
7. What made the peddler think that he had indeed fallen into a rattrap?
Answer: After the theft, the peddler avoided the public road and entered a big, dark forest as a shortcut. But the forest was thick and confusing; the paths twisted endlessly, and he kept going round in circles. Tired, frightened, and helpless, he realized that the thirty kronor had been the bait, the forest was the trap, and he himself was the foolish rat. He understood that his own metaphor had become his reality.
8. Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home?
Answer: The ironmaster, walking through the dimly lit forge, mistook the ragged stranger lying near the furnace for his old regimental comrade Captain Nils Olof von Ståhle. Out of warmth for an old friend who had fallen on hard times, he spoke to him kindly and invited him home for Christmas. The peddler did not contradict him, hoping to get a few kronor; however, he refused to go home with the ironmaster, fearing his identity would be exposed in the bright light of the manor.
9. Why did the peddler decline the invitation?
Answer: The peddler declined because he knew he was not the captain. He feared that in the well-lit manor house his shabby clothes and rough appearance would expose his lie, and he might be handed over to the sheriff for the crofter’s stolen money. He preferred to stay safe at the forge and asked only for permission to sleep there.
10. What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s invitation?
Answer: Edla Willmansson approached him gently. Her eyes were friendly, her voice was soft, and she promised that he would be allowed to leave freely after Christmas, just as he came. She showed him real human warmth — neither suspicion nor pity. Her sincerity touched the peddler’s heart, and he agreed to go with her. He felt a sense of safety in her promise that he had not felt with anyone else.
11. What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?
Answer: When Edla lifted the peddler’s hat at the table and saw his frightened face, she immediately suspected he was not really a captain but either a thief or a runaway. Yet she felt sorry for him because of the haunted look in his eyes and decided that he should still be given Christmas peace. Her kindness was based on understanding, not deception.
12. When did the ironmaster realize his mistake?
Answer: The next morning, in the bright daylight of the manor, the ironmaster looked at the freshly bathed and shaved peddler and realized he had made a mistake — the man was not Captain von Ståhle at all. Furious at being deceived, he threatened to call the sheriff. But Edla intervened, saying she had invited him as their Christmas guest and a guest must not be turned away.
13. What did the peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he was not the person the ironmaster had thought he was?
Answer: The peddler honestly said that he had never pretended to be anyone else — it was the ironmaster who had mistaken him. He even reminded him of his rattrap philosophy: the world is a great rattrap, and one day even the ironmaster himself might be tempted by some bait. He warned that he could fall into the trap too. He asked permission to leave with his wares, promising to do no harm.
14. Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him?
Answer: Edla felt deep compassion for the homeless wanderer. She knew Christmas was a season of joy and that they had promised him peace and shelter. She believed every human being deserved at least one day of happiness in a year. Even after learning he was a tramp, she insisted on letting him stay and enjoy a proper Christmas Eve dinner — believing that kindness, not punishment, was what he truly needed.
15. Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?
Answer: Edla was happy because the peddler’s gift — a small rattrap containing the stolen thirty kronor and a thank-you letter signed Captain von Ståhle — proved that her trust and kindness had genuinely transformed him. The rattrap symbol that had once trapped him had now become his own redemption. Her faith in human goodness was vindicated; the wretched peddler had risen above his misery and behaved like a true gentleman.
16. Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Ståhle?
Answer: The peddler signed himself Captain von Ståhle because Edla had treated him with the respect and dignity due to a captain — even after she suspected the truth. Her kindness made him feel worthy of the title for the first time in his life. By signing the letter that way, he was thanking her for raising him above himself and showing that her noble treatment had given him the courage to act nobly in return.
Talking about the Text
1. The reader’s sympathy is with the peddler right from the beginning of the story. Why is this so? Is the sympathy justified?
Answer: The reader sympathises with the peddler because he is a victim of poverty, loneliness, and social neglect. His business of rattraps barely keeps him alive; he begs for material to make them, and even then he must steal to feed himself. Society has shut its doors in his face, and his bitter philosophy is a defence mechanism against constant rejection. The sympathy is justified — though the peddler steals, the writer shows that no man is born evil; circumstances and the absence of love can twist anyone. When Edla finally treats him with humanity, his own goodness emerges. The story argues that the truly guilty are not the poor wanderer but the indifferent society around him.
2. The story also focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others. Comment.
Answer: Loneliness runs through the entire story. The peddler is alone on the road, the crofter is alone in his cottage, and even the ironmaster — wealthy as he is — feels lonely on Christmas Eve and longs for the company of his old comrade. The crofter’s chatter, the ironmaster’s invitation, and Edla’s gentle pleading all spring from a deep human need to bond. The peddler’s transformation in the end shows that loneliness can be cured only by genuine human connection. Lagerlöf suggests that warmth, conversation, and trust are as essential to humans as food.
3. Have you known/heard of an episode where a good deed or an act of kindness has changed a person’s view of the world?
Answer: Yes. Real life is full of such examples — a teacher who pays a poor student’s fees and inspires him to become a doctor; a stranger who gives shelter to a runaway and turns his life around; a policeman who treats a first-time offender with patience instead of punishment, leading him to reform. Even in literature, Jean Valjean in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables is transformed forever by the bishop’s act of forgiveness. Such episodes prove what Edla shows in this story — that kindness is more powerful than punishment in changing a human heart.
4. The story is both entertaining and philosophical. Discuss.
Answer: “The Rattrap” is entertaining because of its lively plot — the wandering peddler, the friendly crofter, the comic mistaken-identity at Ramsjö, the suspense over whether the truth will be discovered, and the surprise ending with the gift-rattrap. At the same time, it is deeply philosophical: the rattrap metaphor explores greed and human folly; Edla’s compassion demonstrates the power of kindness; and the peddler’s redemption suggests that no human soul is beyond saving. Lagerlöf weaves entertainment and wisdom together — a hallmark of all great storytelling.
Working with Words — Vocabulary
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Peddler | A person who travels from place to place selling small goods |
| Rattrap | A device used to catch rats |
| Crofter | A person who rents and works a small plot of land |
| Plodded | Walked slowly with heavy steps |
| Forge | A workshop with a furnace where metal is heated and shaped |
| Bait | Food or other temptation used to lure prey into a trap |
| Confidences | Secrets or private matters shared in trust |
| Mjölis | A traditional Swedish card game |
| Pouch | A small leather bag |
| Smithy | A blacksmith’s workshop |
| Furnace | An enclosed structure for producing intense heat |
| Pig iron | Crude iron straight from the blast furnace |
| Bellows | Device for blowing air into a fire to make it burn hotter |
| Reverie | A state of deep daydreaming |
| Vermin | Harmful small animals like rats and mice |
| Thrashing | A severe beating |
| Tramp | A homeless person who travels on foot |
| Dejection | Sadness; low spirits |
| Discharged | Officially released or dismissed |
| Resolutely | In a firm and determined manner |
Grammar — Compound Words and Phrasal Verbs
Identify the compound words from the story and use them in sentences:
| Compound Word | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Rattrap | The peddler made small rattraps from begged wire. |
| Roadside | He sat down by the roadside to rest. |
| Countryside | The Swedish countryside looked beautiful in winter. |
| Windowpane | He smashed the windowpane to steal the money. |
| Cowshed | The crofter went out to the cowshed in the morning. |
| Mill-owner | The mill-owner of Ramsjö was a kind man. |
| Charcoal | The forge was burning with bright charcoal. |
| Sledgehammer | The blacksmith used a sledgehammer on the iron. |
Phrasal verbs from the lesson:
- Plodded along — walked slowly: He plodded along the dusty road.
- Set out — placed; began a journey: The peddler set out before dawn.
- Fish out — to take out: He fished out three crumpled notes from the pouch.
- Take in — accept; deceive: Edla refused to be taken in by his appearance.
- Bring up — mention: He did not bring up the theft again.
- Walk off — leave: The peddler walked off into the forest.
- Look up — search for: The ironmaster wanted to look up his old friend.
- Get up — stand: He got up and thanked the crofter.
Things to Do
- Read about Selma Lagerlöf and her other famous stories such as The Wonderful Adventures of Nils.
- Find out other short stories that use the technique of an extended metaphor (e.g., the world as a stage, life as a journey).
- Discuss in class how Christmas as a setting adds to the theme of compassion and goodwill.
- Write a diary entry from Edla’s point of view on Christmas morning when she discovers the peddler’s gift.
- Compare the role of the crofter and Edla — both show kindness, but with different consequences. Why?
Additional Short Questions (15)
1. Who wrote “The Rattrap”?
Answer: “The Rattrap” was written by Selma Lagerlöf, the famous Swedish author and the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1909.
2. What did the peddler sell?
Answer: The peddler sold small rattraps that he made himself from steel wire which he begged at local stores and farms.
3. How did the peddler get the material to make his rattraps?
Answer: He begged for scraps of wire at country stores and large farms. Even his raw material had to be obtained through the kindness of others.
4. Where was the crofter formerly employed?
Answer: The crofter was formerly an employee at Ramsjö Ironworks. After retirement he lived alone in a small cottage along the road.
5. How much money did the crofter show the peddler?
Answer: The crofter showed the peddler thirty kronor — three crumpled ten-kronor bills earned from selling his cow’s milk.
6. Why did the peddler avoid the public road after the theft?
Answer: He feared being arrested for stealing the crofter’s money and chose a shortcut through the forest, but ended up getting hopelessly lost.
7. Who did the ironmaster mistake the peddler for?
Answer: The ironmaster mistook the peddler for his old regimental comrade, Captain Nils Olof von Ståhle.
8. Why did the peddler refuse the ironmaster’s invitation but accept Edla’s?
Answer: He feared exposure under the ironmaster’s bright lights, but Edla’s gentle, friendly manner and promise of free departure after Christmas made him feel safe.
9. What did Edla notice about the peddler at the dinner table?
Answer: She noticed his frightened, hunted look and realised that he was not really a captain but probably a thief or a runaway.
10. What did Edla give the peddler before he left?
Answer: She gave him good food, a warm bath, new clothes, a Christmas Eve dinner, and the promise that he could come back whenever he wished.
11. What was the peddler’s Christmas gift to Edla?
Answer: A small rattrap containing the stolen thirty kronor and a thank-you letter signed Captain von Ståhle.
12. What did the peddler request Edla in his letter?
Answer: He requested her to return the thirty kronor to the old crofter on the roadside who had been robbed by him.
13. What was the peddler’s philosophy of life?
Answer: He believed the entire world was a giant rattrap. Riches, joys, and comforts were the baits, and anyone who reached for them was caught.
14. What is meant by “Christmas peace” in the story?
Answer: “Christmas peace” refers to the season’s spirit of goodwill, forgiveness, and rest — every guest must be welcomed and no harshness shown during the festival.
15. Why did the peddler sign as Captain von Ståhle?
Answer: Because Edla treated him as a captain even after suspecting the truth, her trust elevated him morally and inspired him to act with the dignity of a gentleman, if only for once.
Long Answer Questions (8)
1. Discuss “The Rattrap” as a symbolic story.
Answer: Selma Lagerlöf builds the entire story on a single extended symbol — the rattrap. Literally, the peddler makes and sells small rattraps. Metaphorically, he believes the whole world is a rattrap: wealth, food, shelter, and pleasures are the baits, and human beings are the rats. The thirty kronor he steals from the crofter become his own bait, and the dark forest in which he gets lost becomes his trap. At the manor, the bait of comfort and respect almost catches him again. But Edla’s selfless kindness reverses the metaphor — instead of trapping him, she frees him. The closing rattrap-gift containing the returned money is the peddler’s symbolic confession: he understands the trap, escapes it, and warns others against it. Thus, the rattrap is at once a literal object, a worldview, a moral test, and finally a sign of redemption.
2. How does Edla Willmansson bring about the transformation of the peddler?
Answer: Edla represents Christian compassion in its purest form. From the moment she meets the peddler, she neither pities him as inferior nor questions him sharply. Her gentle voice, friendly eyes, and absolute promise of safety (“you may go away just as freely as you came”) make him feel respected. Even after she suspects he is a tramp, she insists he be allowed to enjoy Christmas. She defends him before her angry father, gives him fine clothes and a Christmas dinner, and treats him as a gentleman. This unconditional love is something the peddler has never received. It awakens his buried sense of dignity, and he chooses to live up to her faith. By signing himself “Captain von Ståhle,” he tells her that her kindness lifted him to the height of a captain. Edla’s transforming power lies not in preaching but in believing in the humanity hidden inside the most despised man.
3. The story shows that human beings are essentially good. Discuss.
Answer: Lagerlöf’s tale is a quiet declaration of faith in human goodness. The crofter, despite his poverty and loneliness, opens his home to a stranger; the ironmaster invites a ragged man home for Christmas; Edla extends her care even after the deception is exposed; and finally, the peddler — long hardened by hunger and rejection — proves capable of gratitude, repentance, and self-respect. Each character, in his or her own way, contains a seed of goodness that needs only the right warmth to bloom. By placing the story at Christmas, Lagerlöf ties this universal human goodness to the message of the season: love, forgiveness, and the redemption of every soul.
4. What role does coincidence play in the story?
Answer: Coincidence drives the plot at every turn. By chance, the peddler stumbles upon the crofter’s lonely cottage; by chance, the crofter is talkative and reveals his savings; by chance, the peddler’s escape route leads him into the very forest that has the Ramsjö forge; by chance, the ironmaster is inspecting the forge that night; by chance, in the dim firelight he mistakes the peddler for an old comrade. Yet Lagerlöf uses coincidence not as careless plotting but as a kind of providence — the universe seems to be giving the peddler chance after chance to fall or rise. Each accidental meeting becomes a moral test, and the final transformation feels less like luck and more like destiny.
5. Compare and contrast the kindness of the crofter and that of Edla.
Answer: Both the crofter and Edla are kind, but their kindness operates on different levels. The crofter’s hospitality is born of loneliness — he needs company more than he needs to give. His generosity is warm but indiscriminate; he reveals his savings out of vanity. The result is theft. Edla’s kindness, on the other hand, is informed by understanding. She sees through the peddler’s disguise but chooses compassion anyway. Her promise of safe departure, her defence before her father, and her willingness to honour him as a guest are deliberate moral choices. The crofter’s kindness invites exploitation; Edla’s kindness invites transformation. Together they illustrate that goodness without wisdom can be misused, but goodness joined with insight can redeem.
6. Discuss the title “The Rattrap”.
Answer: The title is short, concrete, and richly symbolic. On the surface, it refers to the rattraps the peddler sells. Metaphorically, it stands for the world itself — a vast trap in which baits of riches and comforts catch unwary human beings. The title also names the central plot device: the rattrap-gift in which the peddler returns the stolen money. Three layers of meaning — the literal trap, the metaphysical trap, and the moral trap-turned-symbol-of-grace — converge in this single word. No other title could so perfectly bind the story’s plot, philosophy, and moral.
7. How does the story explore the themes of greed and redemption?
Answer: Greed appears the moment the peddler sees the thirty kronor. His worldview is correct — riches do trap us — and yet, he himself fails the very test he describes. After the theft, he is literally and morally lost in the forest. Redemption comes not through punishment but through unexpected love. Edla’s grace allows him to recover his self-respect and choose freely to return the money. The story argues that greed is a universal human weakness, but it is curable — not by laws or threats, but by genuine human connection. The closing letter is the peddler’s own confession of greed and his moral release from it.
8. Justify the ending of the story.
Answer: The ending is artistically and morally satisfying. By having the peddler return the money and leave a rattrap as a gift, Lagerlöf rounds off her central metaphor — the trapped man becomes a free man, and the symbol of his bondage becomes his thank-offering. The letter signed “Captain von Ståhle” turns the mistaken-identity into a moral truth: Edla’s faith made him captain of himself. Without this ending, the story would have remained a bleak tale of crime and loss; with it, the story becomes a Christmas parable about how love can transform even a despised wanderer. The conclusion is therefore both surprising and inevitable — the only ending that honours the story’s symbolic design.
Multiple Choice Questions (25)
1. Who is the author of “The Rattrap”?
(a) Anton Chekhov (b) Selma Lagerlöf (c) Leo Tolstoy (d) Maxim Gorky
Answer: (b) Selma Lagerlöf
2. Selma Lagerlöf was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in:
(a) 1901 (b) 1909 (c) 1920 (d) 1932
Answer: (b) 1909
3. Selma Lagerlöf belonged to which country?
(a) Norway (b) Denmark (c) Sweden (d) Finland
Answer: (c) Sweden
4. What was the peddler’s main occupation?
(a) Selling clothes (b) Selling rattraps (c) Selling food (d) Begging
Answer: (b) Selling rattraps
5. The peddler thought the world was a:
(a) Stage (b) Prison (c) Rattrap (d) Garden
Answer: (c) Rattrap
6. According to the peddler, the world’s baits were:
(a) Power and fame (b) Riches, joys, food, shelter (c) Education and skills (d) Family ties
Answer: (b) Riches, joys, food, shelter
7. The crofter formerly worked at:
(a) Ramsjö Ironworks (b) Stockholm port (c) A timber mill (d) A schoolhouse
Answer: (a) Ramsjö Ironworks
8. The crofter served the peddler:
(a) Bread and wine (b) Porridge and tobacco (c) Soup and biscuits (d) Cheese and tea
Answer: (b) Porridge and tobacco
9. How much money did the crofter show the peddler?
(a) Ten kronor (b) Twenty kronor (c) Thirty kronor (d) Fifty kronor
Answer: (c) Thirty kronor
10. Where did the crofter keep his money?
(a) In a wooden box (b) In a leather pouch hung by the window (c) Under his bed (d) In a tin can
Answer: (b) In a leather pouch hung by the window
11. The crofter’s source of income was:
(a) Pension (b) Selling vegetables (c) Cow’s milk (d) Carpentry
Answer: (c) Cow’s milk
12. The card game played by the crofter and the peddler was:
(a) Bridge (b) Mjölis (c) Poker (d) Whist
Answer: (b) Mjölis
13. After the theft, the peddler took a shortcut through:
(a) A meadow (b) A village (c) A forest (d) A river
Answer: (c) A forest
14. In the forest, the peddler felt:
(a) Triumphant (b) Excited (c) Lost and trapped (d) Hopeful
Answer: (c) Lost and trapped
15. Where did the peddler take shelter at night?
(a) A church (b) Ramsjö ironworks forge (c) A barn (d) A railway station
Answer: (b) Ramsjö ironworks forge
16. The ironmaster mistook the peddler for:
(a) His brother (b) Captain Nils Olof von Ståhle (c) A priest (d) A fellow ironmaster
Answer: (b) Captain Nils Olof von Ståhle
17. Who persuaded the peddler to come home?
(a) The ironmaster’s wife (b) Edla Willmansson (c) The crofter (d) The blacksmith
Answer: (b) Edla Willmansson
18. Edla Willmansson was:
(a) The ironmaster’s wife (b) The ironmaster’s daughter (c) A maid (d) A neighbour
Answer: (b) The ironmaster’s daughter
19. The story is set during which festival?
(a) Easter (b) New Year (c) Christmas (d) Midsummer
Answer: (c) Christmas
20. When did the ironmaster realise his mistake?
(a) That same night (b) Next morning in daylight (c) Christmas Day (d) After the peddler left
Answer: (b) Next morning in daylight
21. Who defended the peddler before the ironmaster?
(a) The blacksmith (b) Edla Willmansson (c) The valet (d) The ironmaster’s wife
Answer: (b) Edla Willmansson
22. What did the peddler leave for Edla as a gift?
(a) Money only (b) A small rattrap with the stolen kronor and a letter (c) A book (d) Christmas card
Answer: (b) A small rattrap with the stolen kronor and a letter
23. The peddler signed the letter as:
(a) The peddler (b) Captain von Ståhle (c) A friend (d) Anonymous
Answer: (b) Captain von Ståhle
24. Who was to receive the thirty kronor according to the letter?
(a) Edla (b) The ironmaster (c) The crofter (d) The church
Answer: (c) The crofter
25. The central message of the story is:
(a) Honesty pays in business (b) Kindness can redeem a person (c) Wealth brings happiness (d) Christmas should be celebrated grandly
Answer: (b) Kindness can redeem a person
Extract-Based Questions (4)
Extract 1
“He thought of his rattraps as he walked along, and all at once he was struck by the idea that the whole world about him — the whole world with its lands and seas, its cities and villages — was nothing but a big rattrap.”
(i) Who is “he” in the extract?
Answer: “He” is the wandering peddler who sells rattraps for a living.
(ii) What idea struck him?
Answer: The idea that the whole world is one giant rattrap which lures human beings with its riches and comforts.
(iii) What are the “baits” of this rattrap?
Answer: Riches, joys, food, shelter, clothing, warmth, and similar worldly comforts.
(iv) Why did this idea amuse him?
Answer: Because the world had been unkind to him, the thought that even comfortable people fall into life’s traps gave him a malicious sense of satisfaction.
Extract 2
“He stuck his hand in through the window, and got hold of the pouch with the thirty kronor. He took the money and thrust it into his own pocket. Then he hung the leather pouch back in its place and went away.”
(i) Whose pouch is mentioned here?
Answer: The pouch belongs to the old crofter who had hosted the peddler the previous night.
(ii) What did the act reveal about the peddler at this point?
Answer: It revealed his moral failure — he betrayed the trust and hospitality of a poor, lonely host for a small sum of money.
(iii) Why did he hang the empty pouch back?
Answer: To delay discovery of the theft and give himself enough time to escape.
(iv) How did this act later affect him?
Answer: The stolen kronor became his own bait — he got lost in the forest, convinced he had fallen into the world’s rattrap.
Extract 3
“You may go away just as freely as you came,” she said. “Only please stay with us over Christmas Eve.”
(i) Who is “she” in the extract?
Answer: Edla Willmansson, the ironmaster’s young daughter.
(ii) Whom is she addressing?
Answer: The peddler, who had refused to come home with her father.
(iii) Why did her words convince him?
Answer: Her gentle voice, friendly eyes, and absolute promise of free departure removed his fear of being trapped or arrested.
(iv) What does this reveal about Edla’s character?
Answer: She is compassionate, perceptive, and respectful of human dignity — qualities that ultimately bring about the peddler’s transformation.
Extract 4
“Honoured and noble Miss, since you have been so nice to me all day long, as if I were a captain, I want to be nice to you in return, as if I were a real captain…”
(i) Who wrote this letter?
Answer: The peddler, signing himself as “Captain von Ståhle”.
(ii) Who is the “noble Miss”?
Answer: Edla Willmansson, the ironmaster’s daughter.
(iii) What did the letter accompany?
Answer: A small rattrap as a Christmas gift, containing the thirty kronor stolen from the crofter.
(iv) What does the letter reveal about the peddler’s transformation?
Answer: Edla’s kindness raised him morally above himself; for once, he chose to behave like a true gentleman, returning what he had stolen and signing with dignity.
Character Sketches
1. The Peddler
The peddler is the central figure of the story — a poor, lonely, and homeless wanderer who sells small rattraps. Treated harshly by society, he becomes cynical and bitter, formulating the philosophy that the whole world is a rattrap. He is intelligent enough to articulate this metaphor and shrewd enough to act upon temptation when the crofter shows him thirty kronor. Yet he is not wholly evil. Beneath his rough exterior lies a wounded human being craving warmth and respect. Edla’s compassion awakens his dormant goodness, and he ultimately chooses honour over greed. By returning the stolen money and signing himself “Captain von Ståhle,” he proves that even the most despised man can be redeemed by love.
2. The Crofter
The old crofter is a former employee of Ramsjö Ironworks who lives alone in a small grey cottage. His wife is dead, his children are far away, and loneliness has made him eager for company. He is generous to a fault — he welcomes the peddler with porridge, tobacco, and a card game. His openness, however, is mixed with an innocent vanity: he reveals his thirty kronor savings simply to feel important. This simple, kind, slightly naïve old man becomes the unintended bait that catches the peddler. The crofter’s character illustrates that goodness, when not paired with discernment, can be exploited.
3. Edla Willmansson
Edla is the moral heart of the story — the ironmaster’s young daughter, neither beautiful nor especially proud, but possessing extraordinary depth of character. She is observant, recognising at the dinner table that the supposed captain is in fact a frightened tramp. She is courageous, defending him before her angry father. Most importantly, she is compassionate, insisting that even a fugitive deserves Christmas peace. Her kindness is not blind — she knows the truth — but generous in spite of it. By treating the peddler with the dignity due to a captain, she awakens his self-respect and brings about his moral redemption. Edla embodies the Christian ideal of unconditional love.
4. The Ironmaster
The ironmaster of Ramsjö is a wealthy, well-meaning but somewhat impulsive man. He is genuinely warm-hearted — he invites a ragged stranger home for Christmas thinking him to be his old comrade Captain von Ståhle. But his kindness is conditional: when he discovers his mistake, his pride is wounded, and he wants to call the sheriff. He represents conventional, status-bound goodness, which depends on the worth of its recipient. His daughter Edla represents the higher form of love that does not change with circumstances. The contrast between father and daughter highlights the central message of the story.
Themes (5)
1. Compassion Redeems
The most powerful theme in the story is that genuine human compassion can redeem even a hardened wrongdoer. Edla’s unconditional kindness — offered even after she suspects the peddler’s deceit — transforms a thief into a man capable of gratitude and self-respect. Lagerlöf insists that punishment cannot reform a soul; only love can.
2. The World as a Rattrap
The extended metaphor of the rattrap unifies the story. Wealth, comfort, and pleasure are baits that lure human beings into traps of greed, dishonesty, and ruin. The peddler’s philosophy is proven on his own life when the thirty kronor lead him into the dark forest. Yet the metaphor also leaves room for escape: love can free those caught in the trap.
3. Kindness Transforms
Acts of kindness — small as they appear — change lives. The crofter’s hospitality, the ironmaster’s invitation, and especially Edla’s understanding all influence the peddler. Of these, only Edla’s love-with-eyes-open succeeds in transforming him. The story argues that perceptive kindness is more potent than generosity offered in ignorance.
4. Materialism is a Trap
The story warns against the worship of material wealth. The peddler steals thirty kronor and immediately becomes a prisoner of his own act, lost in the forest, suspected at the manor, and in danger of arrest. Even the ironmaster’s pride is bound up in social status. Lagerlöf shows that material possessions, when allowed to dictate human behaviour, become snares.
5. The Christmas Spirit
By setting the climactic events on Christmas Eve, Lagerlöf grounds her story in the season of forgiveness, hospitality, and the celebration of human goodness. “Christmas peace” — the rule that no guest may be turned away during the season — drives Edla’s most generous decisions. The peddler’s final gift, given on Christmas morning, is itself a celebration of the redeeming power of the season’s spirit.
This complete ASSEB Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 4 “The Rattrap” question-answer guide covers every NCERT exercise, additional short and long questions, MCQs, extract-based questions, character sketches, and key themes. Students preparing for the HS Final Examination will find everything needed to master this allegorical tale of greed, loneliness, and the redeeming power of compassion. Continue reading more chapter solutions on hslcguru.com.