Reflections on "The Rattrap" by Selma Lagerlöf
A poignant tale of a peddler's perspective on life as a big rattrap, luring people with riches as bait. His encounters with kindness and generosity challenge his cynical view, leading to unexpected revelations and connections that offer a new outlook on the world. Selma Lagerlöf's story illustrates themes of compassion, human nature, and the transformative power of empathy.
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THE RATTRAP BY SELMA LAGERLOF
A PRESENTATION BY Partha Paul PGT ENGLISH K.V. BORJHAR
SELLER OF SMALL RATTRAPS There was a man who sold self-made small rattraps of wire. His business was not profitable. So he had to depend on both begging and petty thefts. His clothes were in rags, cheeks were sunken and hunger gleamed in his eyes. His life was sad and monotonous.
THE WHOLE WORLD-A RATTRAP He was struck by an idea that the whole world was nothing but a big rattrap and its only purpose was to set bait for the people. Riches, joys, shelter, food and clothing were just tempting baits. Anyone who lets himself tempted by these baits, the rattrap traps him in. and then everything comes to an end. The world had never been kind to the peddler. So it gave him joy to think ill of it. It became his cherished pastime to think of people who were caught in the dangerous snare. There were others who were circling around the bait.
GENEROUS OLD CROFTER One dark evening as he was wandering along the road, he knocked on the door of a little grey cottage where an old man greeted him. He was happy to get some one to talk to in his loneliness as he was without wife or child. He served him supper (porridge) and offered him tobacco. The peddler played mjolis with his host until bed time.
PEDDLER STEALS 3 TEN KRONER BANK NOTES The old man went to the window and took down a leather which hung on a nail in the window frame. He picked up 3 ten kroner bank notes which he earned because of his cow (boss), showed them to his guest and kept it back. The next day both men left the cottage at the same time for their days work. But half an hour later, the peddler came back again, stood at the window, smashed a pane and got hold of the pouch. He took the money, kept it in his pocket and hung the leather pouch back in its place.
TRAPPED IN THE FOREST With the money in his pocket he felt quite pleased with his smartness. It was not safe to walk on the public highway so he turned off the road into the forest. Later in the day he lost his way in the big and confusing forest. To him, the world appear to be a big a rattrap and this time he was trapped. He had let himself befooled by a bait and had been caught. It had become dark and when he saw no way out, he sank down on the ground. He was tired to death. Soon he heard the sound of hammer strokes coming from an iron mill. He gathered all his strength and dragged himself towards it.
AT RAMSJO IRONWORKS The Ramsjo Ironworks was a big plant where the master smith and his helper sat in the dark forged near the furnace. Many sounds were heard in the forge and on account of all this noise, the blacksmith didn t notice the peddler s entering and standing close to the furnace. Usually poor vagabonds came there to warm themselves in the winter. He asked permission to stay for the night and the blacksmith nodded in approval.
MEETING WITH THE IRON MASTER The ironmaster came into the forge on his nightly round of inspection. He saw the peddler in the dark and mistook him for an old acquaintance. The peddler didn t know his name nor did he ever meet the man. He told the ironmaster that things had gone downhill with him. The man replied that he should not have resigned from the regiment and invited him to his home. The vagabond didn t want to go along with him or to throw himself voluntarily into the lion s den. The ironmaster wanted him to give them company at Christmas but the peddler refused to go with him.
