The Rattrap
by Selma Lagerlöf
Overall Plot Summary
The story is a philosophical fairy tale about a vagabond who sells small wire rattraps. He believes the entire world is a giant rattrap: riches, joy, food, and shelter are baits, and once someone touches them, the trap closes. One night, an old crofter gives him food and shelter, and shows him thirty kronor he earned. The next day, the peddler steals the money. To avoid the main road, he walks into a dense forest, gets lost, and realizes he has fallen into the rattrap. He finds shelter at Ramsjö Ironworks. The ironmaster mistakes him for an old military friend, Nils Olof, and invites him home. The peddler declines, but the ironmaster's daughter, Edla Willmansson, invites him with kindness and compassion. The next day, the truth is revealed, but Edla insists on keeping him for Christmas. Her unconditional trust and kindness transform the peddler, who leaves the stolen money with a letter signed as 'Captain von Stahle', proving he raised himself above the trap.
Chapter-wise Breakdown
The Peddler and his Philosophy
A poor vagabond makes wire traps. He views the world as a trap where wealth and joy act as baits.