'The Rattrap' a story written by Selma Lagerlof. And this piece of story is included in the class 12th CBSE syllabus. Here in this article the rattrap summary has been mentioned in a very interactive manner along with some commonly asked questions out of the rattrap summary.
Imagine a cold, gloomy evening in the Swedish countryside. The wind howls through the trees, and a lonely vagabond trudges along the road. This man, a poor peddler, sells rattraps for a living, but deep inside, he harbors a cynical view of the world. He believes life itself is a giant rattrap, baiting people with riches and pleasures, only to ensnare them when they least expect it.
The Peddler’s Struggle
Life hasn’t been kind to this wanderer. He’s dressed in rags, barely making enough to survive. One day, he knocks on a cottage door, hoping for food or shelter. An old crofter (a poor farmer) welcomes him inside. The kind-hearted crofter, once a hard-working man at Ramsjö Ironworks, now lives alone with his cow, whose milk earns him some money. That night, as they sit by the fire, the crofter proudly shows the peddler his savings—thirty kronor—which he keeps in a leather pouch hanging by the window.
The Temptation and the Trap
The next morning, the peddler thanks the crofter and leaves. But as he walks down the road, temptation gnaws at him. The lure of easy money is too strong. In a moment of weakness, he sneaks back, steals the pouch of money, and runs into the dense forest.
At first, he feels triumphant. Thirty kronor! But soon, the forest grows darker, the paths twist in endless circles, and panic sets in. He realizes he has fallen into a trap—the same kind of trap he always spoke of. The world’s bait has caught him, and now he’s doomed.
A New Turn at Ramsjö Ironworks
Lost and exhausted, he stumbles upon an ironworks factory. The blacksmiths, busy with their work, barely notice him. But then, the ironmaster, a well-dressed and important man, arrives. He mistakes the peddler for an old acquaintance, Captain von Stahle. Seeing an opportunity for warmth and food, the peddler plays along, pretending to be the captain.
However, when the ironmaster’s daughter, Edla Willmansson, arrives, she sees something different in the ragged stranger. Unlike her father, who is merely interested in bringing an old friend home, Edla sees a lost, tired soul in need of kindness. She convinces the peddler to come home with them, assuring him he will be welcome for Christmas.
Kindness: The Real Escape
At their grand home, the peddler is given food, fresh clothes, and a chance to rest. But guilt weighs heavily on him. He knows he doesn’t deserve this kindness—after all, he is a thief. When the ironmaster discovers the truth about his identity, he is furious and wants to throw him out. But Edla persuades her father otherwise. It is Christmas Eve, after all, and she believes in treating everyone with compassion, even a homeless stranger.
Her kindness transforms the peddler. The next morning, Edla finds something astonishing. The peddler is gone, but he has left behind a small package. Inside, she finds a tiny rattrap—but there’s something else too. Wrapped inside it are the stolen thirty kronor and a heartfelt letter.
In the letter, he thanks Edla for her generosity. He writes that her kindness helped him break free from the rattrap of life, and because of her, he wants to start fresh. He even signs the letter as Captain von Stahle—a sign that, in a way, he has become the noble person she believed him to be.
The Moral of the Story
Selma Lagerlöf’s The Rattrap is more than just a tale of theft and redemption. It teaches us that the world can be cruel, full of temptations and traps, but a single act of kindness can change a person’s destiny. Just like Edla’s compassion freed the peddler from his mental prison, we, too, have the power to change someone’s life with understanding and generosity.
FAQs
Why did the peddler think that the world was a rattrap?
The peddler considered the world as the biggest rattrap because it's only purpose was to bait people. The joy and pleasure in this world is nothing but baits for people and if someone falls for these baits will get closed in the rattrap.