Last Lesson

About the Author : “Selma Lagerlof”

Selma Lagerlöf(1858-1940) was born in Värmland in western Sweden, and was the fifth child out of six.
Her parents were upper-class and her father was an alcoholic army lieutenant. In 1882 she attended a
teachers’ college in Stockholm, and in 1885 became a teacher at a girls’ secondary school, where she
liked to tell stories and parables to her students. In 1891 she published her first (and most popular)
work, Gösta Berling’s Saga. Lagerlöf wrote prolifically, with her children’s book The Wonderful
Adventures of Nils becoming especially popular, and also became an outspoken member of the
women’s suffrage movement in Sweden.

Story
The peddler lives as a tramp, wandering the roads and selling rattraps. He likes to think of the world as
one big rattrap that offers bait for people in the form of luxury and pleasure, and then ensnares them.
One evening in late December, the peddler comes to a cabin and asks for shelter. The old man who lives
there welcomes him in, offering food, tobacco, and conversation. He shows the peddler thirty kronor
that he has earned from selling his cow’s milk. The next morning the peddler leaves, but then he returns
to steal the old man’s money. He goes into the forest to avoid detection, but soon finds himself lost. He
realizes that he has been caught in the “rattrap,” and fears that he will die. The peddler then hears
hammering and finds that he is near an ironworks. He takes shelter there by the warm furnace, where
the master blacksmith and his apprentice are working. The ironworks are owned by a wealthy
ironmaster, who frequently visits the forge. He comes by that night and sees the peddler. Mistaking the
peddler for an old regimental comrade, Captain von Stahle, the ironmaster invites him to come back to
his manor house and spend Christmas with him and his daughter. Though the peddler first pretends to
be von Stahle, he declines the ironmaster’s invitation, afraid to go to the house with his stolen money.
The ironmaster reluctantly leaves. Soon after, the ironmaster’s daughter Edla Willmansson arrives at the
forge, sent by her father to persuade the peddler to come to their home. She notes that the man looks
afraid and is probably hiding from some past crime, but she treats him kindly and assures him that he
can leave freely whenever he wants. The peddler agrees to come with her. The next morning, the
ironmaster and Edla greet the peddler, who has been bathed and dressed in fine clothes. The ironmaster
realizes he made a mistake—the stranger is not Captain von Stahle—and gets angry. The peddler offers
to put his rags back on and leave, but the ironmaster threatens to call for the sheriff. This angers the
peddler, who rants about how the whole world is a rattrap, and the ironmaster should consider that he
might be caught one day too. This amuses the ironmaster, who agrees to let the peddler go without
calling the sheriff. Edla stops him, however, and says that she wants the peddler to stay. She knows that
he has a hard life and declares that he should have some warmth and safety on Christmas Eve, especially
because they already promised him their hospitality. The ironmaster grumbles but agrees. The peddler,
amazed by Edla’s words, sleeps for most of the day, only waking for meals. At dinner, Edla tells him that
he is to keep the suit he’s wearing as a gift. She also tells him that he will be welcome back next
Christmas. The peddler is again amazed. The next morning, which is Christmas, the ironmaster and Edla
go to church, where they learn that the stranger staying with them is a thief who stole money from the
old man. Edla is ashamed, and the ironmaster worries that they might have been robbed as well. When
they return home, however, the peddler has left, taking nothing and leaving behind a package for Edla.
Inside is the stolen money, a rattrap, and a letter. The letter thanks Edla for her kindness, and states that
she has freed the peddler from being caught in the “rattrap” of life. He signs the letter as Captain von
Stahle.

Themes
1.Human Kindness
“The Rattrap” is a short, almost fairy-tale story that centers around the transforming power of
human kindness. An unnamed peddler of rattraps goes from seeing the world as “one big
rattrap” and engaging in robbery to returning his stolen money and proclaiming himself free—
all as a result of experiencing true kindness and generosity from Edla Willmansson on Christmas
Eve. By showing the peddler’s potential for positive change, Swedish writer Selma Lagerlöf
expresses a belief that there is a core of goodness in all people, and that this goodness can be
unlocked through compassion and kindness.
2.Trust vs Cynicism

As “The Rattrap” begins, the homeless peddler is defined by his “rattrap” philosophy of life:
that the world is nothing but a big rattrap that offers “bait” in the form of luxuries and
pleasures, and then ensnares and ruins anyone who reaches for this bait. This is a
fundamentally cynical worldview, and one that the story ultimately undercuts by showing its
limitations and offering an alternate philosophy. Though life can be harsh and cruel at times,
Selma Lagerlöf suggests that being wholly cynical only leads one to isolation, immorality, and
unhappiness. Instead, the story advocates for a more trusting worldview, one that takes human
kindness into account and can build community between people.
3.Loneliness and Companionship
Connected to the themes of kindness and trust, “The Rattrap” also explores the basic human
need for companionship and community, and shows the negative effects of loneliness, whether
as a result of poverty, cynicism, or unkindness. At the start of the story, the peddler leads an
incredibly lonely existence, and this affects him in extremely negative ways, causing him
unhappiness and bitterness, and driving him to steal from and lie to others. Through the
peddler’s transformative interactions with the old man, the ironmaster, and Edla Willmansson,
however, the story shows the importance of human companionship, and suggests that a society
should bring people together rather than isolating them or turning them against each other.

4.Identity and Naming

While it is primarily focused on the potential for goodness within people and the interactions
between them, “The Rattrap” also concerns itself with issues of identity, especially the
construction of identity through actions and choices, and the role that names can play in this
process. Ultimately, the story suggests that identity is a fluid thing, and people can change or be
changed to inhabit different identities based on their choices and the actions of others.
The story itself is told in a somewhat fairy-tale style, without a specific setting or even specific
names for most of the characters. Even the protagonist is only referred to as “the rattrap
peddler,” “the stranger,” or “the tramp.” Other principle characters are called “the old man”
(also referred to as “the crofter”) and “the ironmaster.” This makes these characters seem
almost like archetypes rather than specific people, and contributes to the story’s feeling of
being a folk tale or myth. The only named characters (other than a brief mention of the master
smith at Ramsjö Ironworks) are Edla Willmansson, who is the ironmaster’s daughter, and
Captain von Stahle, who never actually appears in the story but is the man the ironmaster
mistakes the peddler for, as an old army comrade of his.

Symbols
RATTRAPS
The central symbol of the story is also that which gives it its name: the rattrap (or rat trap). The
peddler manages to survive by, among other things, selling rattraps, which he makes out of
wire that he finds or steals. As he trudges along the road, he likes to think of the world as one
big rattrap, offering the “bait” of luxury or pleasure to ensnare people. Because he’s had a hard
lot in life, he finds this amusing, and he enjoys thinking of other people who have been caught
and had their fortunes turn to the worse. When he goes on to steal the money from the crofter
and then get lost in the woods, the peddler feels that he too has been caught in the world’s
rattrap, having taken the bait of the money and become ensnared. He then feels this way again
when he agrees to go to the ironmaster’s house with Edla, thinking that he has let himself be
trapped with the stolen money. When the ironmaster realizes that the peddler is not his old
comrade Captain von Stahle and threatens to call the sheriff on him, the peddler’s tirade about
the world being one big rattrap actually amuses the ironmaster enough that he decides to let
him go without consequences. Finally, after being transformed by Edla’s generosity and
kindness, the peddler leaves her with the gift of a rattrap and a note saying how her
compassion has helped him “get free” from the rattrap of life.

Questionnaire
Name:-

Age:-
Gender:-

Q1. How confident are you about your relationships with other people?

A. Very confident B. Not so confident

C. No Confidence at all

Q2. How easy is it for you to make friends at work/school?

A. Very Easy B.Depends on the person

C. Depends on the person D.Not easy at all

Q3. How often have you felt lonely in your life?

A.Never B.Rarely
C.Sometimes D.Often

Q4. Do you think loneliness can lead to serious mental health problems?
A.Not at all B.Not Sure
C.Somewhat D.Yes, very much

Q5 .Which of the following situations do you think can lead a person to loneliness?

A. Death of a loved one B. Relationship Problems

C. Work Overload D. Social Anxiety

E. Other

Q6. Do you think loneliness affect the daily life of a person?

A.Not at all B.Not Sure

C.Somewhat D.Yes, very much

Q7. Do you think that a person’s productivity is affected by loneliness?

A.Not at all B.Not Sure

C.Somewhat D.Yes, very much

Q8. What do you think a lonely person should do to help themselves?

A. Have interactions with his/her family. B.Reach out to people in their work/school

C. Start using social media platforms D.Get help by a psychiatrist

Q9. Do you think that measures are taken by government to help lonely people?
A. Yes B.No

Q10. How much effective do you think a helpline number for lonely people would be?

A. Very Effective B. Effective

C. Not Sure D. Not Effective at all