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From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
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Why was he amused by this idea?
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Did the peddler expect the kind of hospitality that he received from the crofter?
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Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?
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Why did he show the thirty kronor to the peddler?
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Did the peddler respect the confidence reposed in him by the crofter?
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What made the peddler think that he had indeed fallen into a rattrap?
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Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home?
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Why did the peddler decline the invitation?
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What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s invitation?
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What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?
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When did the ironmaster realize his mistake?
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What did the peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he was not the person the ironmaster had thought he was?
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Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him?
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Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?
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Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stable?
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How does the peddler interpret the acts of kindness and hospitality shown by the crofter’ the ironmaster’ and his daughter?
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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?
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The story has many instances of unexpected reactions from the characters to others’ behaviour. Pick out instances of these surprises.
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What made the peddler finally change his ways?
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How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight the human predicament?
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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?
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Discuss the following in groups of four. Each group can deaf with one topic and present the views of your group to the whole class.
The readers sympathy with the peddler right from the beginning of the story. Why is this so? Is the sympathy justified?
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The story also focuses on human loneliness and the need to bond with others.
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Have you known/heard of an episode where a good deed or an act of kindness has changed a persons view of the world?
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The story is both entertaining and philosophical. Discuss.
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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?
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You came across the words, plod, trudge, stagger in the story. These words indicate movement accompanied by weariness. Write down five other words with a similar meaning.
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1. He made them himself at odd moments.
2. He raised himself.
3. He had let himself be fooled by a bait and had been caught.
4. … a day may come when you yourself may want to get a big
piece of pork.
Notice the way in which these reflexive pronouns have been used
(pronoun+self)
• In 1 and 4 the reflexive pronouns “himself” and “yourself”
are used to convey emphasis.
• In 2 and 3 the reflexive pronoun is used in place of personal
pronoun to signal that it refers to the same subject in the
sentence.
Pick out other examples of the use of reflexive pronouns from
the story and notice how they are used.
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