The Rattrap,Class-12th CBSE with About the author,Summary,Key Points and some most important questions & answers.

 The Rattrap,Class-12th CBSE with About the author,Summary,Key Points and some most important questions & answers.By Aditya Classes,Lakhimpur

About the Author

 Swedish author and teacher

 1st woman to win Nobel Prize in Literature. 

 Her stories were translated into many languages.

 Story is narrated in the manner of a fairy tale.

Summary Key Points

The Rattrap Peddler.

 Sells small rattraps; unprofitable business.

 Used to beg and even steal to survive.

 Clothes were in rags (torn piece of cloth)

 Sunken cheeks & poor

 The world is a big rattrap. Just like rattrap traps a rat with cheese and pork as a bait, the world offers comfort and joy as a bait and traps us.

Robbery at The Crofter’s house

 Seeked The Crofter’s shelter for one dark night.

 Happy crofter to receive a guest, since he had no family. 

 Talkative Crofter shared all information about him - being an ex-worker at Ironwork, only cow supports him & earned 30 kronor by selling milk

 Next morning, 30 kronor were stolen by peddler by smashing the window pane.

 The vagabond (homeless person) realised himself being trapped by the bait (30 kronor).

Met The Iron Master

 The peddler was lost in the woods with no energy left.

 Found an iron mill and entered there to get some warmth.

 The Iron master mistook him from an old Regimental comrade and addressed him as Nils Olof and invited him to his house. 

 The peddler declined the invitation, neither tried to clear his doubt.

Met Ironmaster’s daughter – Edla

 The ironmaster asked his daughter Edla to persuade the Peddler.

 Edla sensed him to be either a thief on run or an escaped prisoner.

 Despite knowing, Edla convinced the peddler to come to their home for Christmas.Christmas Eve

 Iron master was happy to spend time with his old friend.

 Fed the Rattrap seller and gave him time to groom himself 

 Exposed face made the Ironmaster realise the 

reality of the Peddler.

 The iron master accused the peddler for hiding his reality & said he would call the cops

 Agitated peddler, said that the world was like a big rattrap & someday iron master would also be doomed.

 The iron master asked peddler to leave but Edla convinced him to stay at least for Christmas 

 The peddler had sound sleep & received the suit as a gift

Changed Heart of the Peddler

 The ironmaster along with his daughter went to the Church, leaving the peddler at home.

 Heard robbery news of 30 kronor at church and learned that the rattrap peddler was the thief.

 Asked valet about the thief escaping the house 

 The peddler escaped the house but left a package in a rattrap.

 Package had 30 kronor notes & a letter.

 Signed the letter as ‘Captain von Stahle’ and a Thankyou note for Edla who treated him really nice.

Theme ⟹ Goodness lies in the hearts of everyone which fist need to be awakened through

Summary

This story is about a person, who see the world as a rattrap. His condition is very poor as he is dressed in rags. He lives alone & his life is a misery. To keep the pot boiling, he started stealing and begging. The world is rattrap which offers baits to trap the people. Those baits are materialistic things. So one day he was looking for a shelter and found cottage owned by an old crofter. The crofter lived alone, so he allowed the peddler to let in. The old man welcomed him with porridge for supper and gave him tobacco for his pipe, while playing games. He got taken into account to get into talking and showed his guest, the 30 kronor, that he had earned last month. Next morning the old man left his house to tend his cow. The peddler made hay while the sun shined and stole those 30 kronor. He escaped the house and reached to an iron mill. It was cold, so he sat near the furnace to get some warmth. In the meantime, the owner of the mill arrived and mistook him for his old friend Nils Olof. Peddler had beard & untangled hair. The peddler initially denied but was later allured for more money, if he went with. Also the ironmaster’s daughter invited him home for Christmas eve even after knowing that her father has mistaken him for someone else. The ironmaster assumed that the peddler felt embarrassed because of his untidy condition, but his daughter noticed that the man was afraid either he had stolen something or he escaped from prison.Next day was Christmas Eve, the ironmaster came into dining room for breakfast they asked him to get clean & dressed up and then right after that came a good-looking man, all groomed. They both got shocked because now they realised, that the father mistook him for being an old comrade of his. The peddler was not at fault but was accused of hiding his own identity. He requested the ironmaster to let him stay in the forge.The ironmaster wanted to call cops, but the peddler started explaining his theory about the world being a rattrap. The daughter had her father allow him to stay and have rest.In the evening, the family found out the news of stolen money in his absence. On returning the manor, the rattrap seller already left the place and left behind 30 kronor to ironmaster’s daughter as a gesture. The heart of the peddler changed & instead of stealing he gifted the stolen money in a rattrap to ironmaster’s daughter. Also, she found a letter of thanks with the gift. The kindness and generous behaviour of ironmaster’s daughter changed the heart of the peddler.

Short Questions

Q.1 Why was the peddler surprised when he knocked on the door of the cottage? (CBSE 2016)

Ans. The peddler did not expect this hospitality from the crofter. People always chased him away. He was surprised the way he got welcomed by the crofter.

Q.2 Why did the peddler keep to the woods after leaving the crofter’s cottage. How did he feel?(CBSE 2011)

Ans. He was scared of being caught and getting identified by the people. So he chose to pass from the woods after leaving the crofter’s cottage. But he lost his way and was haunted by the thoughts that the forest was a big rattrap in which he had fallen. Thirty kronor which he stole were like a bait and he got fallen for the bait.

Q.3 Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him? (CBSE 2014)

Ans. Edla wanted to keep the spirit of Christmas eve. They invited the peddler without his ill. Edla still entertained the peddler even after knowing the truth.

Q.4 Why did the crofter show the thirty kronor to the peddler? (CBSE 2016)

Ans. To share his joy, the crofter showed his thirty kronor to the peddler.

Q.5 Why did the stranger not tell the ironmaster that he was not Nils Olof? (CBSE 2012)

Ans. The stranger did not tell the ironmaster because he might take pity on him and might help him by giving him some money.

Q.6 Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle? (All India 2009)

Ans. Because the peddler received the honour by Edla. He was mistaken for the identity of a captain.But his heart changed and he got the opportunity of being treated as a captain that's why he signed himself as Captain Von Stahle.

Q.7 Who was the owner of Ramsjo iron mills? Why did he visit the mills at night? (All India 2012)

Ans. The ironmaster was the owner of the Ramsjo iron mills. He came to inspect the place and know about the quality of work.

Q.8 How did the ironmaster react on seeing the stranger lying close to the furnace?(All India 2012)

Ans. Iron master mistook him for an old comrade. The lights were not so bright which led to this huge mistake by ironmaster.

Q.9 What conclusion did the ironmaster reach when he heard that the crofter had been robbed by the peddler? (All India 2014)

Ans. When the ironmaster heard that the crofter had been robbed by a man who went around selling rat-traps, he was wondering as to how many silver spoons were left in their cupboard by that time.

Q.10 What brought about a change in the life of the peddler? (All India 2015)

Ans. Edla’s warmth, sympathy, compassion and modest behaviour changed the life of the peddler. He is touched by the kind treatment Edla gave him, despite knowing his real identity. His heart Changed and he behaved like a true Captain.

Aditya Singh