In this post we have given the Notes of Class 12 English Flamingo Chapter 4 The Rattrap (by Selma Lagerlöf). These are useful for students preparing for their Class 12 board exams.
इस पोस्ट में कक्षा 12 अंग्रेज़ी (Flamingo) के पाठ 4 The Rattrap के नोट्स दिए गए हैं। यह उन सभी विद्यार्थियों के लिए उपयोगी है जो इस वर्ष कक्षा 12 की बोर्ड परीक्षा देने वाले हैं।
| Board | CBSE Board, UP Board, JAC Board, Bihar Board, HBSE Board, UBSE Board, PSEB Board, RBSE Board, MPBSE Board, CGBSE Board |
| Textbook | NCERT — Flamingo |
| Class | Class 12 |
| Subject | English |
| Chapter no. | Chapter 4 |
| Chapter Name | The Rattrap |
| Category | Class 12 English Notes |
| Medium | English (with Hindi explanation) |
📺 इस अध्याय का एनिमेटेड वीडियो — Anshul Academy
अध्याय का सार हिंदी में (Chapter Summary in Hindi)
“The Rattrap” स्वीडन की लेखिका सेल्मा लागरलोफ़ (Selma Lagerlöf) की कहानी है। कहानी स्वीडन की लोहे की खदानों वाले इलाके में घटती है और परी-कथा (fairy tale) के अंदाज़ में सुनाई गई है। इसका मुख्य पात्र एक गरीब फेरीवाला (peddler) है जो तार से चूहेदानियाँ (rattraps) बनाकर बेचता है। इस धंधे से पेट नहीं भरता, इसलिए वह भीख माँगता है और कभी-कभी छोटी-मोटी चोरी भी कर लेता है। उसका मानना है कि पूरी दुनिया एक बड़ी चूहेदानी है — धन, सुख, भोजन, घर और कपड़े इसके चारे (bait) हैं, और जो भी इनके लालच में आता है, वह फँस जाता है।
एक रात एक अकेला बूढ़ा किसान (crofter) उसे अपनी झोपड़ी में शरण देता है, खाना खिलाता है, उसके साथ ताश (“mjolis”) खेलता है और भरोसा करके उसे अपने तीस क्रोनर (kronor) भी दिखा देता है। अगली सुबह फेरीवाला वही पैसे चुरा लेता है। पकड़े जाने के डर से वह जंगल के रास्ते भागता है और रास्ता भटक जाता है। तब उसे समझ आता है कि वह खुद चारे के लालच में अपनी ही चूहेदानी में फँस गया है।
थका-हारा वह रैम्सयो (Ramsjö) के लोहे के कारखाने पहुँचता है। वहाँ का मालिक (ironmaster) उसे अपना पुराना फ़ौजी साथी नील्स ओलोफ़ (Nils Olof) समझकर क्रिसमस के लिए घर बुलाता है। फेरीवाला डर के मारे मना कर देता है, पर मालिक की बेटी एडला विलमानसन (Edla Willmansson) के प्यार भरे व्यवहार से वह मान जाता है। अगली सुबह दिन के उजाले में मालिक को अपनी गलती का पता चलता है और वह पुलिस (sheriff) की धमकी देता है। तब एडला कहती है कि इस बेचारे को कम से कम एक दिन तो शांति से बिताने दो, क्योंकि हमने खुद इसे बुलाया था।
क्रिसमस के बाद की सुबह फेरीवाला चुपचाप चला जाता है, पर घर से कुछ नहीं ले जाता। वह एडला के लिए एक छोटी चूहेदानी छोड़ जाता है, जिसमें चोरी किए हुए तीस क्रोनर और एक चिट्ठी होती है। चिट्ठी में वह एडला से पैसे बूढ़े किसान को लौटाने को कहता है और नीचे “Captain von Stahle” नाम से हस्ताक्षर करता है।
संदेश: लालच इंसान को फँसा देता है, लेकिन सच्चा प्रेम और समझदारी (understanding and love) सबसे बुरे इंसान के भीतर छिपी अच्छाई को भी जगा सकती है।
The Author and the Setting
“The Rattrap” was written by Selma Lagerlöf (1858–1940) of Sweden. According to the textbook, a single belief runs through her stories: the essential goodness in a human being can be awakened through understanding and love. The peddler in this story can be read as an example of exactly that.
The story takes place among the iron-ore mines of Sweden. The book describes it as being “told somewhat in the manner of a fairy tale”. It does not explain the phrase, but the clearest sign is the opening words, “Once upon a time”. (A simple style of telling and a chance meeting that changes a life are also features generally linked with fairy tales; this is general knowledge, not something the book states.)
Order of Events at a Glance
- First evening and next morning: A rattrap seller is given shelter by a lonely old crofter. The next morning they part, but half an hour later the peddler returns and steals the old man’s thirty kronor.
- The same day: He gets lost in the forest and realises he has been caught in his own trap — the world he called “nothing but a big rattrap”. He follows the sound of an iron mill.
- That evening: At Ramsjö forge the ironmaster takes him for an old army comrade, “Nils Olof”, and invites him home. He refuses because of the stolen money.
- Same evening: The ironmaster sends his daughter Edla Willmansson, and she persuades him to come.
- Christmas Eve morning: In daylight the ironmaster sees that the man is not Nils Olof. He threatens him with the sheriff, but Edla insists he stay for “a day of peace”.
- Christmas Eve night: After sleeping most of the day, the peddler is told that the suit he is wearing is a Christmas present.
- Christmas morning: At church Edla hears that a crofter was robbed by a rattrap seller. Back home they find the peddler gone, having taken nothing. He has left a small rattrap holding the thirty kronor and a letter signed “Captain von Stahle”.
The Story in Detail
The Peddler and His Idea of the World
A poor man wanders the roads selling small wire rattraps. He makes them himself from material he begs from stores and big farms. The trade earns him very little, so he also begs and commits petty thefts “to keep body and soul together”. His clothes are in rags, his cheeks are sunken and hunger shows in his eyes.
While plodding along alone one day, he hits on a thought that amuses him: the whole world is just a big rattrap. It exists only to set baits for people. Riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing are offered in the same way that a rattrap offers cheese and pork, and the moment someone is tempted to touch the bait, the trap shuts and everything is over. The world has never been kind to him, so thinking badly of it gives him “unwonted” (unusual) joy.
A Night at the Crofter’s Cottage
One dark evening he knocks at a little grey cottage and asks for shelter. The owner is an old man with no wife or child, who is glad of company in his loneliness. He used to be a crofter at Ramsjö Ironworks; now he can no longer work, and his cow supports him by giving milk for the creamery.
The old man treats his guest generously. He serves him porridge, gives him tobacco and plays the card game “mjolis” with him until bedtime. When the peddler seems to doubt his boast that the cow’s milk earned him thirty kronor, the trusting old man takes down a leather pouch hanging by the window and shows him the three ten-kronor notes.
In the morning the two part as friends. Half an hour later, however, the peddler comes back, breaks a window pane, takes the money and carefully hangs the empty pouch back where it was. Then he walks away.
Crofter (the book’s definition): a person who rents or owns a small farm, especially in Scotland.
Trapped in the Forest
With stolen money in his pocket, the peddler is afraid to use the main road and turns into the woods. The forest is large and confusing. He walks for hours and finally understands that he has only been going round and round in the same part of it.
Then he remembers his ideas about the world and the rattrap, and sees that now it is his own turn. In the book’s words, “He had let himself be fooled by a bait and had been caught.” The forest seems to close around him “like an impenetrable prison from which he could never escape”. As night falls he sinks to the ground, worn out, feeling that his end has come. At that moment he hears the regular thud of hammer strokes from an iron mill, and he drags himself towards the sound.
Shelter at Ramsjö Forge
He arrives at the forge of Ramsjö Ironworks. The narrator tells us the works “are now closed down”, but they were once a large plant with a smelter, a rolling mill and a forge; in the story the forge is still at work. The master smith and his helper let him warm himself by the furnace without asking any questions, as they would with any tramp on a cold night.
During his night round, the ironmaster notices the ragged figure, looks hard at him and exclaims, “But of course it is you, Nils Olof!” He believes the stranger is a comrade from his old regiment who has fallen on bad times.
The peddler does not correct him. The book explains why: if this fine gentleman took him for an old acquaintance, “he might perhaps throw him a couple of kronor”.
The Invitation Refused
The ironmaster urges “the captain” to come home with him for Christmas. Elizabeth is dead, his boys are abroad, and it is “too bad we didn’t have any company for Christmas”. But the peddler is alarmed. With the stolen thirty kronor still on him, going to the manor house would be like walking of his own will into the lion’s den. He keeps refusing. Before leaving, the ironmaster remarks to the blacksmith Stjernstrom that “Captain von Stahle” prefers to stay at the forge — a sign that he has not given up.
Edla Persuades Him
Soon the ironmaster’s daughter, Edla Willmansson, comes to the forge. She introduces herself, says she is sorry he has had such a hard time, and asks him to come home. When she sees how frightened he looks, she privately suspects that either he has stolen something or he has escaped from jail. Even so, she promises that he will be free to leave just as freely as he came, and asks only that he stay over Christmas Eve.
Her sincere friendliness wins him over where her father’s warmth had failed. He agrees, pulls on the big fur coat the valet hands him over his rags, and as he rides to the manor he is full of dark forebodings, thinking, “Why the devil did I take that fellow’s money?”
Christmas Eve Morning: The Truth Comes Out
At breakfast the next morning the ironmaster is already planning to help his old comrade — to put “a little flesh on his bones” and find him better work than selling rattraps. Edla, who is more observant, says that last night there was nothing about the man to show he had once been an educated person. Her father dismisses this, saying it was only awkwardness that will disappear along with the “tramp clothes”.
The valet bathes the guest, cuts his hair, shaves him and dresses him in the ironmaster’s own clothes. But in clear daylight the ironmaster sees at once that this man is not Nils Olof. “What does this mean?” he demands. The peddler does not lie or pretend. He says he never pretended to be anything but a poor trader, and that at worst he can put his rags back on and go.
When the ironmaster hints that the sheriff might want a word, the peddler bangs the table and makes his rattrap speech. The whole world, he says, is a big rattrap, and all the good things it offers are bait. He warns the ironmaster that one day he too may want to get a big piece of pork and end up caught in the trap. The ironmaster is amused enough to let the matter go and simply tells him to leave.
Edla Speaks Up
As the peddler is about to leave, Edla stops him: “I think he ought to stay with us today. I don’t want him to go.” When her father asks why, she gives her reasons. This man walks and walks the whole year, there is probably not a single place in the country where he is welcome, he is chased away wherever he goes and always fears arrest. She wants him to have one day of peace with them — just one in the whole year. Besides, they themselves invited him and promised him Christmas cheer, so it would be wrong to chase him away now. The ironmaster gives in, grumbling that she preaches worse than a parson.
The Gift of the Suit
The stranger sleeps through most of Christmas Eve, waking only for meals and for a short while when the Christmas tree is lit. That night, after dinner, he goes round thanking everyone and saying good night. Edla tells him that her father wants him to keep the suit as a Christmas present, and that if he wishes to spend next Christmas Eve somewhere he can rest in peace, he will be welcome back. He says nothing in reply but stares at her in boundless amazement.
The Parting Gift
On Christmas morning the family drives to church. There Edla learns that an old crofter nearby has been robbed by a man who sells rattraps. Her father at once fears for his own household and wonders how many silver spoons are left. But at home the valet reports that the stranger has gone and has taken nothing. Instead he has left a small package for Miss Willmansson.
Inside is a small rattrap holding the stolen thirty kronor and a letter. In it the peddler asks her to return the money to the old man on the roadside, who keeps his money pouch hanging on the window frame “as a bait for poor wanderers”. He calls the rattrap “a Christmas present from a rat who would have been caught in this world’s rattrap if he had not been raised to captain, because in that way he got power to clear himself.”
He explains that since she had been so nice to him all day long, “as if I was a captain”, he wants to be nice to her in return “as if I was a real captain” — he does not want her to be embarrassed at Christmas by a thief. He signs the letter “Captain von Stahle”, the name the ironmaster had used for him at the forge. Edla gives “a little cry of joy” on seeing the gift. The book does not say why; one reading is that it proves her trust in him was not wasted.
The Rattrap as a Metaphor: Three Levels
The title refers to much more than a wire trap. The idea can be followed through three stages of the story. The book itself calls the world “nothing but a big rattrap” and the gift “a Christmas present from a rat”. Seeing the forest as a trap is an interpretation, based on the line “he recalled his thoughts about the world and the rattrap”.
- The world as a trap: the peddler’s own belief that riches, joys, shelter, food, heat and clothing are baits that catch whoever reaches for them.
- The forest as his own trap: after the theft he gets lost and realises that he himself has been “fooled by a bait” and caught, just as he imagined the world catching others. (The book does not name the bait.)
- The real rattrap as a gift: he leaves an actual small rattrap with the stolen money inside for Edla to return to the crofter. One reading is that his bitter metaphor ends as an act of honesty and gratitude.
Exam tip: The NCERT question “How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight the human predicament?” is best answered by explaining all three levels in this order.
Characters
The Peddler
- He is never given a real name in the story.
- Poor and driven to begging and petty theft by need; bitter and cynical about the world at the start.
- Quick-witted — he plays along with the ironmaster’s mistake hoping for a few kronor.
- Has a subtle sense of humour, seen in his rattrap speech to the ironmaster.
- Capable of real change: he leaves the stolen money with Edla to be returned to the crofter. One reading is that Edla’s kindness moves him — his letter thanks her for being “so nice to me all day long” — though the book does not state the cause directly.
Edla Willmansson
- The ironmaster’s daughter; modest and shy, yet firm once she is sure something is right.
- Observant: she notices the stranger’s fear and suspects he may be a thief or an escaped prisoner.
- Compassionate without conditions: she is kind to him even with these suspicions, and stands by her family’s promise after the truth is out.
- She is the only character who introduces herself with her full name (“My name is Edla Willmansson”).
The Ironmaster
- Owner of Ramsjö Ironworks.
- Warm and generous at first, but only because he mistakes the peddler for his old comrade.
- Becomes suspicious and harsh as soon as the mistake is clear, threatening him with the sheriff.
- Still thinks the worst of the stranger the next morning, asking about the silver spoons.
- One reading: not a bad man, but his kindness depends on who he thinks the stranger is, while his daughter’s does not.
The Old Crofter
- A lonely old man without wife or child, once a crofter at Ramsjö Ironworks, now supported by his cow.
- Hospitable and trusting — he feeds the stranger, plays cards with him and even shows him his savings.
| The Ironmaster’s kindness | Edla’s kindness |
|---|---|
| Based on a mistaken identity | Offered even after she suspects he may be a thief |
| Turns to suspicion once the truth is out | Keeps her word whoever he turns out to be |
| Assumes the worst the next morning | The peddler’s letter thanks her, not her father |
Theme and Message
Theme (in the book’s words): “The trap of material benefit that most human beings are prone to fall into.”
Sub-theme (in the book’s words): “The human tendency to redeem oneself from dishonest ways.”
Put simply, hardship can draw a person towards dishonesty the way bait draws an animal, but genuine kindness — Edla’s, not the conditional warmth of her father — can awaken goodness even in someone hardened by the world.
The textbook also invites discussion of two more ideas:
- Loneliness and the need to connect: the old crofter, without wife or child, “was happy to get someone to talk to in his loneliness”, and Edla says there is “probably not a single place in the whole country” where the peddler is welcome and can feel at home.
- Why readers feel for the peddler from the start: the very first paragraph shows his rags, sunken cheeks and hunger alongside his begging and petty thieving, so we see his need as well as his faults.
Interesting fact: The narrator calls him peddler, stranger, tramp, vagabond and ragamuffin, while the ironmaster calls him “Captain von Stahle”. Although he says he “never pretended to be anything but a poor trader”, he signs his honest letter with that same title, saying that being “raised to captain” gave him the “power to clear himself”.
Literary Devices
- Extended metaphor: a comparison developed across the whole story rather than used once. Here the world and the final gift are both called a “rattrap” (and, on one reading, the forest feels like one).
- Situational irony: an outcome opposite to what is expected. The man who enjoyed thinking of the world as a trap for others is himself caught by a bait; and the tramp who was threatened with the sheriff repays kindness with honesty.
- Fairy-tale manner: the story opens with “Once upon a time”, turns on a chance meeting, and uses changing labels (peddler, stranger, tramp, Captain) depending on who is looking at him.
Language Points from the Textbook
Reflexive Pronouns
Reflexive pronouns are formed with -self or -selves. The book picks four sentences from the story:
| Sentence | Use of the reflexive pronoun |
|---|---|
| He made them himself at odd moments. | Emphasis |
| He raised himself. | Refers back to the same subject |
| He had let himself be fooled by a bait. | Refers back to the same subject |
| A day may come when you yourself may want to get a big piece of pork. | Emphasis |
Remember the rule in two parts: sentences 1 and 4 use the pronoun for emphasis; sentences 2 and 3 use it because the pronoun refers to the same person as the subject.
Words for Moving Wearily
The story uses plod (walk slowly and heavily), trudge (walk slowly with great effort, as if tired) and stagger (walk unsteadily, as if about to fall). The “Working with words” exercise asks for five similar words, for example drag, lumber, shuffle, stumble and totter.
Ironworks Terms and Other Words
Words such as smelter, forge, furnace, maw of the furnace, bellows, pig iron and anvil belong to the special vocabulary of ironworks, as the “Thinking about Language” section notes. Mjolis is a Swedish card game; the book asks you to name indoor games from your own region (for example, ‘Chopar’). It also asks for other terms for a small farmer, such as smallholder, cotter or sharecropper (bataidar in Hindi).
Surprises in the Story
The book asks you to find “instances of these surprises”. Some of them: the crofter’s warm welcome to a stranger; the ironmaster’s mistake (“But of course it is you, Nils Olof!”); Edla’s welcome even though she suspects he may be a thief; her insistence that he stay after the truth is out; the gift of the suit; and the peddler’s letter returning the stolen money.
Word Meanings
| Word / phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Peddler | One who travels about selling small goods |
| Crofter | One who rents or owns a small farm, especially in Scotland |
| Vagabond | A wanderer with no settled home |
| Ragamuffin | A person in ragged, dirty clothes |
| Haughty | Proud, looking down on others |
| Keep body and soul together | To just manage to stay alive |
| Unwonted | Unusual, not habitual |
| Impenetrable prison | A prison with no way out |
| Things have gone downhill | Things have become worse |
| Dissimulate | To hide one’s real feelings or intentions |
| Ironmaster | Owner or manager of an ironworks |
| Mjolis | A Swedish card game |
Quick Revision
- The author is Selma Lagerlöf of Sweden; her stories show that goodness in people can be awakened through understanding and love.
- A poor peddler who sells wire rattraps believes the whole world is a big rattrap that catches anyone tempted by its baits.
- A lonely old crofter shelters him and trustingly shows him thirty kronor; the peddler steals the money the next morning.
- Lost in the forest, he realises he has been “fooled by a bait” and caught in his own trap.
- At Ramsjö forge the ironmaster mistakes him for his old comrade Nils Olof and invites him home; Edla’s kindness persuades him to come.
- In daylight the mistake is discovered; the ironmaster mentions the sheriff, the peddler makes his rattrap speech, and Edla insists he stay for a day of peace.
- He is given the suit as a Christmas present and told he will be welcome next Christmas too.
- He leaves the thirty kronor in a small rattrap for Edla to return to the crofter, with a letter signed “Captain von Stahle”.
- Theme: the trap of material benefit. Sub-theme: the human tendency to redeem oneself from dishonest ways.
