The Rattrap: The Peddler's Change of Heart
Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked
In The Rattrap the peddler, who thinks the world is a rattrap, steals the crofter's thirty kronor and feels himself trapped in the forest. Edla's kindness, which treats him as a guest, awakens his goodness: he leaves the money in a rattrap with a letter signed Captain von Stahle. The story shows that love and dignity can redeem even a thief.
Understand The Peddler's Change of Heart in The Rattrap
The peddler before the change. He is a poor man who earns a meagre living by selling small wire rattraps, and also begs and steals. He amuses himself with the idea that the whole world is a big rattrap: it offers riches, food and comfort as bait, and traps anyone who touches it. He is cynical and bitter, but he does not seem to see himself as part of the picture.
Three stages of change.
1. The theft. A lonely old crofter gives him shelter, porridge, tobacco and a game of cards, and proudly shows him thirty kronor earned from selling his cow's milk. Next morning the peddler comes back, breaks the window and steals the pouch. Being kind to him has not changed him; the money is bait he cannot resist.
2. The trap closes. To avoid the highway he goes into the forest, gets hopelessly lost and realises that he himself has been caught in the rattrap by the bait of the money. For the first time his philosophy turns on him.
3. The kindness. At the Ramsjö ironworks the ironmaster mistakes him for his old regimental comrade, Captain von Stahle. The peddler refuses the invitation, afraid of being found out. The ironmaster's daughter, Edla, persuades him gently to come. Next morning, washed and dressed in the ironmaster's clothes, he is clearly a stranger. The ironmaster threatens to call the sheriff, but Edla insists that he stay for Christmas, because he is chased away everywhere. The peddler sleeps peacefully through Christmas Eve, and Edla tells him he may keep the suit and come back next Christmas.
The result. After church, Edla learns that a crofter has been robbed. At home they find a package the peddler has left: a small rattrap containing the thirty kronor and a letter. He asks her to return the money, and explains that because she treated him like a captain, he was raised above the rattrap and could redeem himself. He signs it Captain von Stahle.
Why it works as a story. The change is not sudden magic. Trust and respect from Edla, and a night of peace, make him see himself as a person who can do something good. The title is the same image used twice: first the world as a trap for others, then a rattrap that carries the money back.
What to remember. Edla is the agent of the change. The ironmaster is quick to judge, and Edla's argument is gentler and wins. The peddler's last act is of his own free will.
Key quotations
Short lines worth knowing by heart: who says them, when, and why they matter.
This whole world is nothing but a big rattrap.
The peddler: Defending himself before the ironmaster.
The central metaphor of the story.
Now I am sitting in the trap and will never get out of it.
The peddler (thinking): Riding to the manor house with Edla.
He fears he is caught because of the stolen money.
a rat who would have been caught in this world’s rattrap if he had not been raised to captain
The peddler, in his letter: The letter left with the stolen money.
Dignity helped him redeem himself.
The Peddler's Change of Heart in The Rattrap: key facts
- The three stages of change
Theft steals thirty kronor from the crofter Trap lost in the forest, caught by the bait of money Kindness Edla treats him as a guest Result returns the money in a rattrap - Use as the skeleton of a 5-mark answer.
- The two misunderstandings
Ironmaster thinks he is Captain von Stahle Edla treats a stranger as a guest Peddler signs the letter as Captain von Stahle - The mistaken identity is what lets Edla's kindness reach him.
- The rattrap image
World the big rattrap Bait riches, food, comfort Trap those who touch the bait Peddler caught by the stolen kronor Escape kindness - Explain the metaphor, do not just quote it.
- The ending
Package a small rattrap Contents thirty kronor and a letter Request return the money to the crofter Signed Captain von Stahle - Shows gratitude, honesty and self-respect.
How to answer The Peddler's Change of Heart in The Rattrap questions
Use this for any question on the peddler's character, the rattrap image or the ending.
- 1State the starting point: a bitter peddler who sees the world as a rattrap and steals.
- 2Name the turning point: lost in the forest, he sees himself as caught in the same rattrap.
- 3Give Edla's role: respect, trust and the offer of Christmas peace.
- 4Describe the proof of change: the rattrap package, the thirty kronor and the signed letter.
- 5Close with the idea that kindness redeems, in your own words.
The Peddler's Change of Heart in The Rattrap in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Treating someone as better than they have been
Suppose a Class 12 student who often skips classes is made the class monitor for a week by a teacher who says, "I trust you to keep this class on time."
By the end of the week he is the first to reach class. Using the story, explain why the teacher's trust may have changed him.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Edla treated the peddler as a captain, though she knew he might be a thief.
- Respect made him see himself as capable of good.
- The student, like the peddler, lives up to the trust placed in him.
Answer: Trust gave him a new picture of himself, as it did the peddler, who rose above the rattrap once Edla treated him with dignity.
Memory hook: Treat a person as better and he may become better.
Tricks to remember The Peddler's Change of Heart in The Rattrap
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
T-T-K-R: Theft, Trap, Kindness, Return
The four beats of the peddler's journey.
Use it when: Quick plan for any answer on his change.
Bait and Trap
Bait = money; trap = the forest and his guilty conscience; escape = Edla's kindness.
Use it when: For the metaphor question.
Captain in, Captain out
He is mistaken for a captain and signs his letter as one.
Use it when: Recalls the link between the mistaken identity and the redemption.
The Peddler's Change of Heart in The Rattrap: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: Who persuades the peddler? · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Who persuades the peddler to come to the manor house when he refuses the ironmaster's invitation?
(a) The blacksmith (b) The crofter (c) Edla Willmansson (d) The sheriff
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The ironmaster sends his daughter Edla, whose gentle kindness persuades him (1 mark).
Answer: (c) Edla Willmansson
Example 2: What did the peddler steal and from whom? · 1 mark · Very short answerBoard level
From whom did the peddler steal thirty kronor, and where was the money kept?
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The lonely old crofter who had given him shelter (0.5).
- In a leather pouch on the window frame (0.5).
Answer: From the old crofter; the money was in a leather pouch on the window frame.
Example 3: The rattrap he is caught in · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
In what sense does the peddler himself fall into the rattrap he describes? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- The bait is the thirty kronor (1).
- He is trapped in the forest, lost and feeling caught (1).
Answer: The peddler says the world offers bait to trap people. He is himself tempted by the crofter's thirty kronor and steals them. Then, lost in the forest to avoid the highway, he realises that he has been caught in the very rattrap he described.
Example 4: Why does Edla insist? · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does Edla insist that the peddler stay after the truth about him comes out? Answer in 40-50 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- She has invited him and promised Christmas cheer (1).
- He is chased away everywhere and deserves a day of peace (1).
Answer: Edla feels that having invited him and promised a Christmas welcome, they should not now chase him away. She says he is chased from place to place and deserves one day of peace at Christmas. Her compassion puts kindness above her father's anger and the man's past.
Example 5: Redemption through dignity · 5 marks · Long answerHOTS / competency
The peddler writes that he would have been caught in the rattrap if he had not been raised to captain. How does the story show that kindness can change a person? Write in 120-150 words.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Introduction: the peddler's starting point (1).
- Body: Edla's trust and the contrast with the ironmaster (2).
- Proof: the package and the letter (1).
- Conclusion and accuracy (1).
Answer: The story shows that respect and kindness can awaken goodness even in a thief. The peddler begins as a bitter man who sees the world as a rattrap and steals the crofter's thirty kronor. When the ironmaster discovers he is not Captain von Stahle, he is angry and wants to call the sheriff. Edla reacts differently. She insists that the stranger stay, treats him as a guest and offers him Christmas peace. For the first time someone expects him to behave well. In response, he leaves the stolen money in a small rattrap with a letter asking Edla to return it. He writes that her treatment raised him to captain and saved him from the trap. Punishment might have hardened him; kindness gave him back his self-respect.
Where students lose marks in The Peddler's Change of Heart in The Rattrap
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Confusing the two men who give shelter
The crofter and the ironmaster both host the peddler.
Wrong working
The ironmaster showed him thirty kronor.
Right working
The crofter showed him thirty kronor; the ironmaster mistook him for Captain von Stahle.
Do this: Crofter = money; ironmaster = mistaken identity.
Usually costs: 1 mark in an extract.
Mistake: Saying the peddler returned the money out of fear
He leaves it as an act of gratitude.
Wrong working
He was afraid of the sheriff.
Right working
He returns it because Edla treated him with dignity, which raised him above the rattrap.
Do this: Quote the captain letter.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Explaining the rattrap metaphor with no link to the peddler
The metaphor is explained in general only.
Wrong working
The world is a rattrap because it is dangerous.
Right working
The world offers bait (wealth, comfort) that traps people; he himself is caught by the stolen kronor.
Do this: Use bait and trap.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Retelling instead of arguing
The long answer asks how kindness changes a person.
Wrong working
A summary of the whole story.
Right working
A focused argument with three events: theft, Edla's trust, the returned money.
Do this: Use T-T-K-R.
Usually costs: 2 of 5 marks.
Exam tips
- Always name Edla Willmansson as the agent of the change.
- State the amount (thirty kronor) and the place it was kept to avoid vague answers.
- Quote the rattrap line and explain bait and trap in the same sentence.
- End the 5-mark answer with a general idea: respect and kindness redeem.
- Keep your tone neutral about the peddler; say what he did, not that he was wicked.
Practice questions on The Peddler's Change of Heart in The Rattrap
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Why does the ironmaster mistake the peddler for Captain von Stahle?
(a) They wear the same coat (b) He resembles an old regimental comrade (c) The peddler claims it (d) Edla tells him soHint
Think of the ironmaster's memory of the army.
Answer
(b) He resembles his old regimental comrade.
Q2 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Why does the peddler return to the crofter's cottage after leaving it? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Think of the money shown to him.
Answer
After leaving, the peddler cannot forget the thirty kronor the crofter proudly showed him. The money tempts him, so he returns, breaks the window and steals the pouch. His action repays the old man's hospitality with theft and shows how the bait of the world traps him.
Q3 · 5 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Compare the reactions of Edla and her father to the peddler. What does the difference show? Answer in 120-150 words.
Hint
Anger and judgement against compassion.
Answer
Edla and her father respond very differently to the unknown peddler. The ironmaster is proud and quick to judge. He welcomes the man while he believes he is Captain von Stahle, but the next morning, when he sees a stranger, he is angry and threatens to call the sheriff. Edla, by contrast, is gentle and perceptive. She guesses that the man has some trouble behind him, persuades him to come, and later insists that he stay since he is chased away everywhere. She wants him to have one day of peace at Christmas. The ironmaster gives way, saying she preaches worse than a parson. The difference shows that anger drives a wrongdoer away, while compassion offers a chance to change. In the story it is Edla's way that succeeds.
Q4 · 2 marks · Short answerHarder board level
What does the peddler's letter tell us about his feelings towards Edla? Answer in 40-50 words.
Hint
Gratitude and honesty.
Answer
The letter shows gratitude and respect. He calls himself a rat who would have been caught in the rattrap if he had not been raised to captain, crediting Edla's dignity. By returning the money and signing as Captain von Stahle, he shows honesty and a new self-respect.
Q5 · 2 marks · Short answerHOTS / competency
Suppose someone says the peddler reformed only because he was lucky to meet a rich family. Evaluate this view in 40-50 words.
Hint
Luck brings the chance; change is his choice.
Answer
Luck gave him the chance, but not the change. The ironmaster's mistake and Edla's kindness opened the door, yet nobody forced him to return the money. He chose to leave the thirty kronor and write the letter. Kindness offered the choice; the peddler made it.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.What does the peddler sell?Show answer
Small wire rattraps.
2.How much money does he steal?Show answer
Thirty kronor.
3.Whom does the ironmaster take him to be?Show answer
Captain von Stahle, an old regimental comrade.
4.Who persuades him to come to the manor?Show answer
Edla, the ironmaster's daughter.
5.What does he leave for Edla?Show answer
A small rattrap holding the thirty kronor and a letter.
6.How does he sign the letter?Show answer
Captain von Stahle.
The Peddler's Change of Heart in The Rattrap: frequently asked questions
Who wrote The Rattrap?
Selma Lagerlof wrote it; it is a prose chapter in Flamingo.
What is the theme of The Rattrap?
The lure of material things and the power of kindness to bring out goodness.
Why does the peddler sleep peacefully on Christmas Eve?
Because for once he is treated as a guest and feels safe.
What question types come from this part?
A 2-mark question on the rattrap image or the letter, and a 5-mark question on kindness, redemption or Edla.