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प्रश्न
Answer the following question in 120-150 words:
The peddler thinks that the whole world is a rattrap. This view of life is true only of himself and of no one else in the story. Comment.
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उत्तर
The life of the peddler is bound with loneliness. This idea of being completely alone made the peddler a cynic. After stealing the money, the peddler tried to escape through the forest but soon got lost. Left in despair, he recollected his own thoughts on the world being a giant rattrap. A sudden realisation came to him that he had finally got himself caught in the rattrap because he allowed himself to be tempted by the bait, the thirty kronor bills. Even the kindness of the ironmaster and especially his daughter failed to make the peddler optimistic about the world. The rattrap seller expressed himself strongly realising that the worldly bait had, once more, tempted and trapped him. Unlike the other characters in the story, peddler is the only one who got succumbed to loneliness and is far away from the human bonds of love and sympathy that made him the cynic and consider the world as a rattrap.
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संबंधित प्रश्न
Notice these expressions in the text. Infer their meanings from the context.
- keep body and soul together
- hunger gleamed in his eyes
- plods along the road
- unwonted joy
- impenetrable prison
- nodded a haughty consent
- eased his way
- fallen into a line of thought
- things have gone downhill
From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
Did the peddler expect the kind of hospitality that he received from the crofter?
Why did he show the thirty kroner to the peddler?
Did the peddler respect the confidence reposed in him by the crofter?
Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home?
What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s invitation?
What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?
What did the peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he was not the person the ironmaster had thought he was?
Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him?
Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?
Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle?
How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight the human predicament?
The peddler comes out as a person with a subtle sense of humour. How does this serve in lightening the seriousness of the theme of the story and also endear him to us?
Discuss the following in a group of four. The group can deal with the given topic. Present the view of your group to the whole class.
The reader’s sympathy is with the peddler right from the beginning of the story. Why is this so? Is the sympathy justified?
Discuss the following in a group of four. The group can deal with the given topic. Present the view of your group to the whole class.
Have you known/heard of an episode where a good deed or an act of kindness has changed a person’s view of the world?
Discuss the following in a group of four. The group can deal with the given topic. Present the view of your group to the whole class.
The story is both entertaining and philosophical.
The man selling rattraps is referred to by many terms such as “peddler, stranger”, etc. Pick out all such references to him. What does each of these labels indicate of the context or the attitude of the people around him?
Mjölis is a card game of Sweden.
Name a few indoor games played in your region. ‘Chopar’ could be an example.
If the Christmas spirit is about selflessness, forgiveness and becoming 'better' versions of ourselves amongst other things, Edla Willmansson is the epitome of this spirit. Justify with two points of evidence from The Rattrap.
The iron master accuses the peddler of not being quite honest. What does the peddler say to justify the situation?
In Edla's dealing with the peddler, she was compassionate and generous. Discuss with reference to the story "The Rattrap".
What Christmas present did the peddler give Edla? Explain its significance.
Why was the peddler surprised at the hospitality he received from the crofter?
