ENGLISH PROJECT REPORT

2024- 2025
On
THE RATTRAP : Essential goodness can be
awakened through understanding and love’
English Core (301)

Submitted by- Submitted to-

Tanishka chauhan Ms. Pooja Sethi
Class – XII – B
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Tanishka Chauhan of class

XII-B, Mayoor School, Noida has successfully
completed the English project on the topic ‘THE
RATTRAP : essential goodness can be awakened
through understanding and love’ in the session
2024-2025.
The assigned project has been completed as
prescribed by the CBSE curriculum.

(Examiner’s Signature) (Subject Teacher’s Signature) (Stamp of Institution)

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
On the completion of this project, I would like to
thank Principal Ma’am, Ms. Alka Awasthi; Vice
Principal Ma’am, Ms. Sunita Dahiya and other
staff members for giving me the opportunity to
work on this project portfolio and widen my
dimension of knowledge. I would also like to
thank my English teacher Ms. Pooja Sethi for
providing constant constructive feedback and
guidance.

Tanishka chauhan
 INDEX

Certificate (i)

Acknowledgement (ii)

Introduction 1

Theme 2-3

Summary and analysis 4-12

What did the gift of the 13

rattrap peddler signify?

Bibliography 14
 Introduction
The Rattrap tells the tale of a rattrap vendor
who, because of his pitiful income, lives in
extreme poverty. To make ends meet, he must
turn to stealing and begging.
He lives a wretched life and is the only person
in the entire globe. As a result, he begins to
generate a variety of ideas. The idea that the
entire planet is a huge rattrap is one of these
ideas.
According to him, the world presents us with a
variety of lures in the shape of everyday
conveniences. In turn, this pulls us into the
world's rattrap and causes us to suffer from a
variety of problems.
 THEME

Humaneness
The changing power of human kindness is at
the heart of the brief, nearly fairytale tale "The
Rattrap."
After experiencing genuine kindness and
generosity from Edla Willmansson on
Christmas Eve, an anonymous rattrap vendor
moves from believing that the world is "one big
rattrap" and committing robbery to
surrendering his stolen money and declaring
himself free.

Cynicism vs. Trust

The homeless peddler's "rattrap" philosophy of
life, which he defines at the start of "The
Rattrap," is that the world is nothing more than
a large rattrap that provides "bait" in the form
of joys and luxuries, then ensnares and destroys
everyone who reaches for it.
In the end, the novel challenges this essentially
pessimistic perspective by highlighting its flaws
and providing a another way of thinking.

Seclusion and Friendship

Related to the themes of trust and kindness,
"The Rattrap" also examines the fundamental
human need for community and
companionship and illustrates the detrimental
consequences of loneliness, whether brought on
by cynicism, poverty, or rudeness.
The peddler lives a very alone life in the
beginning of the novel, which has a very
detrimental effect on him. It makes him
unhappy and resentful and makes him want to
steal from and deceive people.
 SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS
OF THE CHAPTER

Thoughts on the World from the Rattrap

Peddler-

There once was a wanderer who sold little

rattraps on the streets. He used the materials he
obtained via begging to make them. He had to
steal and beg to make ends meet because the firm
was not successful. His cheekbones were sunken,
his clothes were rags, and his eyes glowed with
hunger.

One day, as he was deep in thinking about

rattraps, he had the very funny idea that the globe
was a huge rattrap. Just as the rattrap gave cheese
and pork, it offered pleasures and comforts. The
bait ensnared the rat as soon as he was enticed to
touch it.

The peddler deceives the Crofter despite the

Crofter treating him nicely.
 He went to a small grey cottage one gloomy
evening when he was stumbling down the road
to spend the night there. In addition to inviting
him in, the proprietor, who had previously been
a Crofter, expressed happiness at having
someone to chat with. With no wife or kids, the
Crofter was a sociable man who told the Peddler
a lot about himself. He told the Peddler that he
had been employed at the Ramsjo Ironworks in
his more prosperous days. He was now
sustained by his cow. He even disclosed that he
had sold the cow's milk for thirty kronor.

Since the guest didn't seem to believe it, the

Crofter showed him the money and the location
of its storage. They both departed the cottage at
the same time the following day. However, the
Peddler came again half an hour later. He
approached the window, broke a pane, and
removed the thirty kronor from the sack
containing them.

The Vagabond is Pleased with his

Smartness; Gets Lost in the Woods-
  The outlaw was pretty proud of his intelligence.
He felt that he would be safer and that no one
could catch him if he turned into the woods
instead of the main route. It was a large,
perplexing forest. The routes twisted back and
forth so oddly that he was confused, even though
he tried to walk in a specific direction. He
continued to wander till he realized he had been
in the same area of the forest.

 He suddenly remembered what he had said

about the world being a rattrap. His turn had
now arrived. He had fallen victim to a rattrap
after falling for the bait.

The Peddler Meets the Ironmaster; Declines

his Invitation-

At last, he could see no escape. He felt as though

his time was running out since he was so
exhausted that he collapsed on the ground. At
that moment, he heard a hammer hitting
regularly.

 The source of the sound, he realized, was an

iron mill. He gathered all his strength and
 started toward the sound. He arrived at the
Ramsjo Ironworks, a sizable facility that
included a forge, rolling mill, and smelter at the
time.

 Amid the many noises emanating from the

active operation, he made his way into the
ironworks. He was ignored by the blacksmiths
because it was common for wanderers such as
himself to be drawn to the warmth and
protection of the forge. He was allowed to stay
by the fairly arrogant master blacksmith.
 The ironmaster soon saw the ragamuffin when
he entered the forge for his inspection. In the
faint light, he called him Nils Olof, thinking he
was an old regimental mate. The peddler
believed the ironmaster might offer him some
money, so he didn't try to dispel his uncertainty.
He was invited home by the ironmaster.
According to the Peddler, visiting the manor
house would be akin to "voluntarily throwing
oneself into the lion's den." Thus, he turned
down the invitation.

Edla Expresses her Doubts About the

Peddler-
  It was Christmas Eve the following day. Being
able to spend time with an old friend made the
ironmaster happy.

 He informed Edla that they needed to give him

a healthy diet and a more rewarding activity
than selling rattraps.

 Edla noted that because the Peddler showed no

indication of education, she had her doubts
about him. The ironmaster advised her to
exercise patient, nevertheless. The visitor
entered the room as the door suddenly opened.
He has a nice haircut now. The ironmaster's
clothing was present on him.

The Ironmaster Gets Angry; the Peddler

Retaliates-

 The ironmaster came to the realization that the

vagabond was not his friend. The Peddler no
longer tried to mislead them.

 He clarified that he never introduced himself as

Nils Olof to the ironmaster. He even begged and
pleaded with them not to come to the manor
 house. He went on to say that he may put on his
rags and leave as no damage had been done.

 The ironmaster threatened to take the peddler

to the sheriff since he had not been particularly
honest. The peddler became restless. The
universe, he claimed, was like a large rattrap,
and the ironmaster would eventually be lured to
touch the bait and perish. The ironmaster burst
out laughing.

Edla Argues on Behalf of the Peddler-

 The Peddler was asked to leave by the

ironmaster. Edla, however, wished him to
remain. She believed that sending the Peddler
away would be wrong because they had
promised him Christmas cheer. This gesture
astonished the vagrant. Edla went on to say that
since the peddler was always being chased away,
he must have had a difficult time. He was too
scared to sleep at all.

 The ironmaster bowed. After being permitted to

remain for Christmas, the Peddler did nothing
but sleep peacefully. He was roused to eat once
 or twice, but otherwise he just slept. He slept as
soundly and securely as if he had never done it
before.

He received the suit he was wearing as a

Christmas gift from Edla and the ironmaster.
She invited him to join them for Christmas the
next year. The Peddler continued to gaze at her
with unending wonder.

The Peddler Becomes a Changed Man-

 Leaving the vagrant at home, the ironmaster

and his daughter attended the Christmas service
at the church the following morning. Edla was
quite depressed when they got home. They had
heard at the chapel that an old Crofter who had
formerly worked at their Ramsjö Ironworks had
been robbed by a rattrap peddler. Ironmaster
was enraged.

 They believed that the Peddler would have

taken all of their silver and other valuables by
the time they got home. The ironmaster asked
the valet if the Peddler was still there when they
 arrived home. He was told by the valet that the
man had gone, but he had not taken anything.
Rather, he had left Edla something. Edla
discovered a rattrap as she opened the parcel.
Three creased ten-kronor notes and a letter were
found in the rattrap.

 The vagrant had stated that he wanted to be

kind to Edla because she had treated him like a
true captain. He requested that the Crofter have
the money back. He said that if he hadn't been
promoted to captain, he wouldn't have been able
to get out of the rattrap. "Captain von Stahie"
was even his signature. He was a different
person.
 What did the gift of the
rattrap peddler signify?

In the tale "The Rattrap," the peddler slips Edla a note

and thirty kronors in a little rattrap. Admitting his
error, he requests Edla to give the crofter back the
money. His own rattrap nabbed him, he
acknowledges. He also thanks her for giving him
another chance and treating him like a true captain.

One's own actions can trap them in life, which is a

giant rattrap. The peddler was giving himself away
from the trap he had almost fallen into by giving him
the rattrap. This was a way of thanking Edla for
helping him escape the situation that resulted from
her treatment of him.

It is important that everyone gets a second chance to

improve oneself, and Edla had given him his chance.
 Bibliography

https://www.thesaurus.com/
www.litcharts.com
www.successcds.net
https://www.languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-
en/