The Rattrap (Selma Lagerlof) — Chapter Summary

The peddler believes that the whole

The peddler believes that the whole world is like a trap that offers bait such as wealth, comfort, shelter, and food. Once a person reaches for these

The peddler is shown as ragged

The peddler is shown as ragged, hungry, and lonely. He makes small wire rattraps himself, but the business is not profitable, so he depends on begging

The crofter

The crofter, an old man living alone near Ramsjö Ironworks, welcomes the peddler warmly. He offers porridge, tobacco, cards, and conversation, and eve

After leaving the cottage

After leaving the cottage, the peddler returns half an hour later, breaks in through the window, and steals the thirty kronor kept in three wrinkled t

While trying to escape through

While trying to escape through the woods, the peddler gets lost in the dark forest and realizes that he has fallen into a trap himself. The forest clo