Flamingo - Chapter 4 The Rattrap - Selma Lagerlof Summary, Questions, Answers, and Glossary Summary - The lesson," The Rattrap" i...
Flamingo - Chapter 4
The Rattrap - Selma Lagerlof
Summary, Questions, Answers, and Glossary
Summary - The lesson," The Rattrap" is written by a Swedish writer, Selma Lagerlof. The story is set amidst the mines of Sweden, rich in iron ore, and gives a belief that essential goodness in a human being can be awakened through understanding and love.
The story is about a peddler, who sells rattraps of a wire made by himself and leads a measurable and struggling life to keep body and soul together, he sometimes goes begging and petty thievery. One day. to get shelter for a night, he knocks on the door of an old crofter. He not only gets food and shelter but also tobacco and a game of cards, but while leaving the crofter's cottage, he steals his hard-earned thirty kroner and goes to the woods in fear of not being caught but gets stuck in the woods as does not find a way to out of the woods. But, after a close escape from the woods, he takes shelter at an iron mill for a night's stay. There, he is mistaken as an old captain friend of the owner of the iron mill. The owner invites him to his home, but he refuses his daughter, Edla insists on him, he accepts the invitation, and even after knowing the truth about him, Edla gives him very kind and compassionate treatment and only because of her kind treatment,, he becomes a changed person and leads an honest life.
The story is humorous in a well-philosophical manner and brings out the fact that with love and understanding, human beings can be awakened.
Glossary -
1. vagabond - wanderer
2. bait - food to attract rats or fish
3. plods - walk heavily
4. snare - trap
5. carved off - to divide something into parts
6. majlis - a game of playing cards
7. crofter - a person who farms a croft, a small farmer
8. bossy - fond of giving orders to people like a boss
9. kroner - the currency of Sweden
10. incredulous - unbelieving
11. stuffed - to fill up with something
12. peddler - seller
13. smashed - badly broken
14. thickets - dense bushes
15. impenetrable - impossible to pass through or enter
16. gloom - dark
17. despair - absence, opposite to hope
18. thumping - the sound of some heavy object beating
19. summoned - gathered or called
20. stagger - to walk with difficulty
21. forge - shop where metal is heated, iron mill
22. scow - a flat-bottomed boat used for transporting cargo to and from ships in harbour
23. smelter - a machine that melts a metal into the shape
24. rolling mills - machine to roll metals into sheets
25. bellows - airbag that emits a stream of air used for blowing air into the fire
26. shoveled - move
27. clatter - bang
28. Whipped - to hit something
29. haughty - arrogant
30. tramp - wanderer
31. ragamuffin - a person in rags
32. deigned - do something that one considers to be beneath one's dignity
33. acquaintance - associate
34. undeceive - to tell someone that his belief is mistaken
35. downhill - worst
36. comrade - a fellow soldier
37. inconspicuously - secretly
38. astonished - greatly surprised
39, forebodings - a feeling that something bad will happen
40. queer - strange
41. puckered - wrinkle
42. dissimulate - pretend
43. splendour - luxury
44. thundered - make a loud noise
45. wretch - miserable person
46. parson - churchman
47. dejected - sad
48. slouch - lazy posture
49. Valet - personal male attendant
50. brow- forehead
Think as you read -
1. From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Ans - The peddler was selling rattraps made by himself, one day when walking along the road and thinking about the rattrap, suddenly an idea struck his mind that the whole world is a rattrap, as rats are attracted to the cheese and pork kept in the trap and get caught, in the same manner, the world offers, riches, joy, food, shelter, heat, and clothing and when people touch it, they also get caught in the trap.
2. Why was he amused by this idea?
Ans - For him, the world has never been kind. So the idea, that the whole world is rattrap, gave him unusual joy. He knew the people, who had let themselves be caught in a trap and others were still circling around the bait.
3. Did the peddler expect the kind of hospitality that he received from the crofter?
Ans - No, Not at all, he never expected such kind and homely treatment from the crofter. He just wanted a stay for the night but unexpectedly he was warmly welcomed and got excellent treatment from the old crofter.
4. why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?
Ans - The crofter was living alone in the cottage, neither having a wife nor children, when, the peddler reached his cottage, he thought that his loneliness would be removed, and he could spend quality and entertaining time with the stranger. So, this was the reason that the crofter was so talkative and friendly with the peddler.
5. Why did he show the thirty kroner to the peddler?
Ans - When the peddler became a night guest to the crofter, he told the peddler that, he had a beautiful cow for his livelihood and he was proud to own it and said that she gave enough milk that could be sold at the creamery and also showed a leather pouch containing thirty kroner which he earned by selling cow's milk because he thought that the peddler did not believe him.
6. Did the peddler respect the confidence reposed in him by the crofter?
Ans - No, the peddler did not respect him, rather he stole the crofter's thirty kroner even though he did not only get shelter for a night but also good and friendly treatment. The crofter was a kind and honest person and the peddler cheated him.
7. What made the peddler think that he had indeed fallen into a rattrap?
Ans - After stealing the crofter's money, he was very pleased with his smartness and cleverness. But in fear of not being caught, he decided to leave the public highway and ran into the woods. After walking for a while, he could not find a way to come out of the woods. Then he realized that he had been caught in the rattrap and the bait was thirty kroner of the crofter.
8. Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home?
Ans - The peddler took a night shelter at Ramsjo Iron Mill after a close escape from the woods. The ironmaster was at his inspection round, he saw the peddler in dark and dim light and considered him as his old companion, regimental comrade. He invited the peddler home because he felt pity for the measurable condition of the peddler.
9. Why did the peddler decline the invitation?
Ans - The peddler declined the invitation because he had stolen money. He thought that had he accepted the invitation, he would have been caught for the theft. Accepting the invitation was like going to the lion's den for him.
10. What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson's invitation?
Ans - The peddler had already refused the invitation proposal by the ironmaster. Now he has sent his daughter Edla to invite him. She looked at him compassionately and assured him that he was supposed to stay with them till Christmas Eve and then he would be free to leave. Her soft-spoken words and eager persistence made him believe in her and accept her invitation.
11. What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?
Ans - When Edla came to the iron mill to invite the peddler for Christmas Eve, she observed him closely and thought that he was afraid of something, either he had stolen something or escaped from jail.
12. When did the ironmaster realize his mistake?
Ans - The ironmaster realized his mistake that the peddler was not his fellow comrade, when he saw him carefully in daylight in a new outfit, shaved with a proper haircut.
13. What did the peddler say in his defense when it was clear that he was not the person the ironmaster had thought he was?
Ans - The peddler said in the defense that it was not his fault. He never pretended to be like somebody else. He just wanted to spend a night at the forge.
14. Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him?
Ans - Even after Edla came to know that he was not her father's fellow comrade, still, she still wanted he should stay with them till Christmas Eve, because, she had great sympathy towards him, she thought that the man never got a peaceful and joyful life in his life. He was a poor homeless man and continuously being chased. At least, he should enjoy all the happiness of Christmas.
15. why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?
Ans - After attaining the Christmas service and the church, Edla came home with her father. She came to know from her attendant that the peddler had gone and not taken anything with him but instead kept a Christmas gift for her. She was very happy to know this and when she opened the package, found a small rattrap, three 10-kroner wrinkled notes and a letter for her. She never expected so much from him, became very emotional, and felt like crying, though she was able to reform him.
16. Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain Von Stahle?
Ans - The peddler was an invited guest to Ironmaster by mistake, but even though Edla treated him in a very compassionate and respectful manner during his stay. The peddler developed great respect and gratitude towards her, and as he received treatment like he was a captain Von Stahle, he signed as a captain Von Stahle, it was like to show great regard towards her. He behaved like Captain Von Stahle would have behaved in that particular situation.
UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT -
1. How does the peddler interpret the acts of kindness and hospitality shown by the crofter, the ironmaster, and his daughter?
Ans - The peddler has been very well treated with kindness and hospitality by all the 3 characters of the lesson the crofter, the ironmaster, and Edla. The crofter, a lonely small farmer, wholeheartedly welcomed, served good food, offered tobacco, and played cards with him. The ironmaster by considering him as his old friend invited him home and when he refused, he insisted his daughter bring him home. Lastly, Edla had given him good treatment and requested her father to let him stay till Christmas Eve. In this way, all three characters give the peddler a very humanized, kind, and sympathetic treatment.
2. What are the instances in the story that show that the character of the ironmaster is different from that of his daughter in many ways?
Ans - Both the characters, the ironmaster, and his daughter, Edla are completely opposite in nature to each other. On one hand, the ironmaster is a professional and practical person. He daily visits his iron mill to check whether the workers are performing their tasks in a proper manner or not. By mistake, he considers the peddler as his old friend and wants to help him also but as soon as he finds that the peddler is not the person, within no time, he shows the door to him. But on the other hand, Edla is a kind and compassionate lady, She softly speaks to him even in the first meeting and kindly insists he accepts their invitation. After knowing the truth, she behaves compassionately, also requests her father to allow him to stay till Christmas Eve. Only because of her kind behavior toward him, the peddler turns out to be a gentleman.
3. The story has many instances of unexpected reactions from the characters to others' behavior. Pick out instances of these surprises.
Ans - There are many surprising elements in the story. First, the peddler did not expect a warm and hearty welcome from a lonely crofter, because he received everything that a temporary guest could expect from the host. The second element was an invitation from a strange family of the ironmaster, and the last one was Edla's sympathetic behaviour towards the peddler even after knowing the truth about him, and only because of such surprising elements very well embroidered in the story, it becomes more interesting.
4. What made the peddler finally change his ways?
Ans - The peddler was leading a very miserable life, neither did he have a home to live in nor enough money to survive, and the world was not kind enough to him. therefore many times he had to resort to both begging and petty thievery. He was not at all happy with life unless he met Edla, because she completely transformed his life. Edla had given him so humble, kind, and compassionate treatment, that he finally decided to lead an honest life.
5. How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight the human predicament?
Ans - A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes an object or action in a way that isn't literally true but helps to explain an idea or make a comparison. The story revolves around a person who sells rattraps for his livelihood. The Rattrap is basically rats catching equipment to tempt rats by keeping some pork and cheese in it, when the rat enters the trap to eat, the gate gets closed and the rat is caught, The same metaphor is given in the lesson, as the peddler compares the whole world as a big rattrap as it offers riches, joys, food, and shelter to tempt the people, whenever anybody gets tempted and touches the bait, it closes on him and everything comes to an end. The lesson is very well described it because all the miseries and sufferings of human life are caused by any bait kept by the world. Even he described that when he got stuck in the woods, he felt caught in the rattrap and the bait was old Crofter's thirty kroner.
6. The peddler comes out as a person with a subtle sense of humour. How does the seriousness of the theme of the story endear him to us?
Ans - Even though the life of the peddler was not easy for him, still he kept a subtle sense of humour throughout the lesson. Sometimes, he thinks that the whole world is a big rattrap, and gets stuck in the rattrap of woods. At the end of the story, in a very difficult situation, he succeeds in keeping his humour by keeping a small rattrap, thirty kroner notes, and a letter signed by Captain Von Stahle as a Christmas gift to Edla.In this way, he managed to keep his subtle sense of humour throughout the lesson to endear to the readers
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