Selma
Lagerlof (1858-1940) was a Swedish writer whose stories have been translated
into many languages. A universal theme runs through all of them — a belief that
the essential goodness in a human being can be awakened through understanding
and love. This story is set amidst the mines of Sweden, rich in iron ore, which
figure large in the history and legends of that country. The story is told
somewhat in the manner of a fairy tale.
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This story by Selma
Lagerlof is moralistic in nature and is a good study in human behaviour.
The story begins with
description of the central character of the story, a man who went around
selling rattraps made of wire. Since he did not earn enough selling those, he
indulged in begging and stealing to make more money and still, he wore torn
clothes and went hungry most of the times. Such people who have a lot of time
on their hands think in various directions and one day, a new line of thought
struck him that this whole world is nothing but a giant rattrap. It offers
baits like riches, joys, food, shelter, among others just like food items for
rats in a trap and as soon as anyone touched the bait, the whole world closed
down on him.
Since he had not
gotten anything from the world, he felt good in thinking ill about the world in
that manner and spent most of his time thinking about the traps and the people
who get caught in such traps.
One evening, he came
across a little gray cottage and asked for shelter to stay during the night.
The owner, a very old man, was more than happy to accommodate him as he stayed
alone and liked company. He even offered him food and tobacco. The old man was
a crofter in his good days and used to work on land too. But, due to old age,
he no longer worked and was dependent on his cow for survival as he sold its
milk for earnings. He even showed him the thirty kronor that he had hung in a
leather pouch.
The next morning, he
left the old man’s cottage and the old man too left to milk his cow and sell
its milk. But, the rattrap peddler returned half – hour later, broke a window
pane, and stole the thirty kronor from the leather pouch that hung on the wall
near the window.
After stealing the
money, he decided to travel through the forest instead of main roads to avoid
being caught. But, he soon got lost in the confusing woods and realized that he
himself has been caught in the same trap that he had been thinking about and
the forest had become his prison. The darkness came soon and being tired of
wandering around all day, he fell on the ground giving up all hope. As he lay
on the ground, he heard a regular thumping sound, which he immediately
recognized as the sound of hammer strokes from an iron mill. He got up with
whatever strength left in him and went towards that sound.
He was correct as the
sound was coming from Ramsjo Ironworks, the same mill that the old man used to
work in when he was young. It used to be a large plant but has become smaller
now but work was going on even in the night. Due to all the noise at the plant,
the blacksmith did not notice when the rattrap peddler entered the plant and
went up to the furnace. When they saw him they did not mind as they were
habitual of poor guys coming there to warm themselves. He asked the blacksmith
if he could stay and he nodded his consent.
The mill was owned by
a very prominent person and he used to come there every night for an
inspection. When he visited that night, the first thing he saw was the peddler.
He went close to the peddler and removed his hat to look at him closely.
He confused the
peddler with an old friend of his, Captain Nils Olof, who served with him in
the army. The peddler thought the rich man might give him some money so he
decided not to tell him the truth. The rich man, the ironmaster, invited the
peddler to his home but he got worried that the truth might come out. But, the
ironmaster thought he was just feeling embarrassed and insisted upon his
company for Christmas. When he did not budge, the ironmaster left smiling and
the blacksmith realized that he had a plan.
Half-an-hour later,
ironmaster’s daughter arrived at the mill to persuade the peddler to go to
their home. She introduced herself as Edla Willmanson and talked to the peddler
in a compassionate and friendly manner due to which he relaxed a bit and
accepted the invitation along with a fur coat she had brought.
On the way to the
manor house, he grew worried that he was falling into another trap.
The next day was
Christmas Eve. At the breakfast table, Edla expressed doubt that he was an
educated man and was once a Captain. But, the ironmaster said that he would
appear much different in proper clothes and after having some food. Indeed,
when the peddler was given a hair-cut and shave, and was dressed in nice
clothes after a bath, he looked absolutely different. But, it had another
effect too. The ironmaster realized that he had mistaken him for his friend in
the low light at the mill and due to his dirty looks.
The peddler said that
he had tried to tell him in the night that he was just a poor trade but they
had forced him to come to their house. But, the ironmaster threatened to call
the sheriff and get him arrested. The peddler grew agitated and spoke to the
ironmaster angrily saying the whole world is a rattrap and even though this
time he might get locked up for not saying the truth and wanting to enjoy good
things, a day might come when the ironmaster might get stuck in a trap due to
his own want over something big.
The ironmaster
forgave him but asked him to leave immediately. However, Edla stopped him and
told her father that she would like him to stay for Christmas dinner. He father
was surprised and she told him that she felt sorry for the poor man as he did
not have a home and people always behave badly with such a person. She wanted
to give him at least one good and peaceful day in his life where he could enjoy
being at home and feel the goodness of Christmas. She said it was after all
they who had invited him for Christmas and even though it was a mistake, it
wasn’t good to send someone away on the best day of the year. The ironmaster
agreed to it hesitatingly but warned her that she would regret it.
Edla brought the
peddler to the table and he ate the breakfast thinking all the while about the
reason behind Edla’s gesture.
Nothing eventful
happened after that as the peddler just slept till lunch and went back to sleep
after lunch. It was probably because he had not had such a comfortable and safe
sleep for many years. He was woken up when the Christmas tree was lighted in
the evening and again when dinner was served.
After dinner, he
thanked everyone for treating him well. Edla told him that her father wanted
him to keep the suit that was given to him as a Christmas present and if he
wanted to spend the next Christmas with them again, he was welcome. The peddler
was amazed beyond words for such kindness.
The next morning, the
ironmaster and his daughter went to the church while the peddler was still
sleeping. There they heard about a rattrap peddler who had robbed an old
crofter of the ironworks. The ironmaster rebuked his daughter for letting such
a fellow stay in their home and was worried about things he might have stolen.
When they reached home, they found out that the man had already left by then
but had not taken anything with him at all. Instead, he had left a small
package for Miss Williamson as a Christmas present.
Edla opened the
package to find a small rattrap in it with three ten kronor notes inside it
along with a letter. In the letter,, the peddler had written that since she had
treated him well as if he was a real Captain, he wanted to behave like a real
Captain and did not want to embarrass her for being a thief. He said that the
money belonged to an old man who lived on the roadside and requested her to
return it to him. He, further, wrote that the rattrap is a present to her from
a rat who would have been caught in the rattrap of this world had it not been
for her who raised him to the level of a Captain and gave him the power to
clean himself.
He signed off the
letter as “Captain von Stahle.”
Disclaimer
Kindly note that this copy of the text
prescribed by NCERT has been reproduced for free circulation among students of
CBSE board to help them prepare for their exams through electronic medium.
English Emperor does not hold any copyright over the material. Therefore,
kindly do not reproduce this text without permission from the original
copyright holder(s) if you are reproducing it for any purpose other than
educational.
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