The Rattrap (Selma Lagerlof) — NCERT Solutions

He signed himself as Captain von Stahle because Edla had treated him as if he were a real captain, and he wanted to be nice to her in return, as if he really were one. It was a gesture of gratitude and self-respect.

He sees all these acts as different kinds of bait in the world’s rattrap. The crofter’s hospitality, the ironmaster’s invitation, and Edla’s kindness all seem to him like temptations that can trap a vulnerable person. At the end, however, Edla’s kindness changes him and makes him respond with gratitude rather than theft.

The ironmaster is impulsive, self-assured, and quick to judge by appearances. He first invites the peddler thinking him an old acquaintance, then turns angry when he discovers the mistake. Edla, on the other hand, is kind, compassionate, and patient. She insists on treating the peddler humanely, even after she learns the truth about him.

There are many surprises in the story: the crofter welcomes a stranger warmly instead of driving him away; the peddler repays kindness with theft; the ironmaster first treats the tramp as a friend and then turns hostile when he discovers the truth; Edla unexpectedly insists on keeping the peddler for Christmas; and finally the peddler leaves behind money and a gift instead of stealing anything.

He finally changed because Edla’s kindness, trust, and respect awakened his better self. Her treatment of him made him feel human dignity and safety. For the first time in many years, he could sleep peacefully, and this helped him return the crofter’s money and leave a sincere letter.

The rattrap metaphor shows that the world offers people temptations like wealth, comfort, and pleasure, just as a rattrap offers cheese or pork. When people are tempted, they get caught in greed, deceit, and trouble. This highlights the human predicament: a person can be trapped by desires and difficult circumstances.

His humour appears in his comparison of the world to a rattrap, in the way he talks of people being lured by baits, and in his playful final letter signed Captain von Stahle. This humour lightens the story’s serious theme of poverty, crime, and loneliness, and it makes the peddler more likeable because we see intelligence, wit, and humanity in him.

The sympathy is there because he is poor, lonely, hungry, and forced to beg and steal merely to survive. The author presents him as a miserable vagabond whose life is hard and monotonous. Yes, the sympathy is justified because, although he steals, he is also a victim of poverty and bad circumstances, and he finally shows goodness and gratitude.

This is an open-ended personal-response question. A suitable answer is: Yes, an act of kindness can change a person’s view of the world. In the story itself, Edla Willmansson’s kindness changes the peddler from a suspicious thief into a grateful man who returns the money and leaves a gift. Similar acts of kindness in real life can make a person trust others and behave better.

The man is referred to as man, vagabond, stranger, guest, peddler, tramp, poor vagabond, intruder, ragamuffin, poor hungry wretch, poor fellow, and captain. These labels show the changing attitude of others: some are neutral, some show pity or curiosity, some show suspicion or contempt, and captain is used mistakenly but respectfully, reflecting the ironmaster’s false belief and Edla’s humane treatment.

Five other words/phrases from the story that suggest tired or weary movement are walked and walked, trudging, staggered, plodding, and wore himself out. These all convey movement with exhaustion, similar to plod, trudge, and stagger.

Other reflexive pronouns in the story are:

• "made himself" — used for emphasis.
• "raised himself" — used in place of a personal pronoun to show the action refers back to the same subject.
• "closed in upon him like an impenetrable prison" is not reflexive, so it is not included.
• "he had let himself be fooled" — used for the same subject.
• "you yourself" — used for emphasis.

So, the story uses reflexive pronouns both to emphasise and to show that the action returns to the doer himself.

A phrase peculiar to the terminology of ironworks from the story is "maw of the furnace". Other similar iron-plant words and phrases include forge, anvil, smelter, rolling mill, pig iron, blacksmith, bellows, and charcoal crates.

A few indoor games played in my region are chess, carrom, ludo, chess-like local board games, and cards. For example, carrom and ludo are common indoor games.

Other uncommon terms for a small farmer include cottager, smallholder, tenant farmer, and peasant. In some Indian languages, local words for a small farmer may also be used depending on the region.