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.

This view of life was true for the peddler because when he was offered food and shelter at the crofter’s house, which is like ‘bait’ for a rat, he took it, and stole the crofter’s money. He then tried to run away from being caught and but got lost in the forest as it was big and confusing. Thus, he considered the world as a big rattrap in which he had fallen and the crofter’s money was the bait.

Now his own turn had come as he had let himself be fooled by the bait and had been caught in the trap. He knew that ironmaster had mistaken him for someone else, yet he went with him. The peddler was thus deprived of shelter, and got easily trapped by the temptations. The other characters in the story, the crofter, the ironmaster and his daughter have human values of love, compassion, and understanding of love, and for them, the world is not a rattrap. They looked upon the world as a happy place to live and share the happiness with others. Thus, the Peddler’s view about the world as a rattrap is true for him only as he got caught into the traps for food, shelter, and money whereas the others were not tempted.

OR

Being ill-treated and rejected by the world, the peddler derived pleasure from the thought that the world was a huge rattrap; all its joys and comforts were merely baits to entrap people. However, he failed to realise that this view of life was true only of himself and of no one else.

The peddler believed that as soon as one yielded to the temptations being offered to one, it brought one’s doom. His own actions proved this point. For the peddler, the baits, which the world offered were food, a comfortable place to sleep and above all, money. Since he had neither of those, he engaged in petty thefts and was in constant fear of getting arrested. When the crofter welcomed the peddler into his house, treated him with kindness and made him his confidant, the peddler could not help but give into these momentary pleasures. Instead of expressing gratitude towards the old and kind-hearted crofter, who felt comfortable enough to show the peddler his thirty kroner, the latter absconded with the former’s money. Later, when the peddler got lost in the woods, tired and hungry, the thought of the world being a rattrap reoccurred to him. The only difference was that it was he who was trapped this time, unable to find an escape.

He felt caught in the worldly-rattrap once again when the ironmaster threatened to inform the sheriff about the peddler and his dishonest behaviour. The peddler finally realised that all good things in life were a bait used to entrap people and nobody was spared.