The+Rat+Trap+(Logan+Hinderliter)


 * //The Rat Trap// **


 * **__ Short Description __**
 * The Rat Trap is a story about homeless man who makes his money by selling rat traps on the streets. One day he is shown kindness by a stranger and he takes advantage of the old man's generosity. For a time he wanders through the country until he comes upon an iron mill and spends the night. When he wakes up the owner of the iron mill recognizes him as a captain Nils Olof, who was in the military with him back when they were younger. At the end the ironmaster finds out something about the begger and a turn of events change how the begger acts.
 * **__Selma Lagerolf__**
 * Selma Lagerolf is on of Sweden's most famous authors. After studying to become a school teacher she attened a lecture that changed what she wanted to do as a career. The lecture spoke about native folk ballads, and she decided that she wanted to become a writer telling about these tales. One of her most famous books The Wondeful Adventures of Nils, is a story about a young boy and his trip across sweden on a goose's back. Later Selma became the first woman writer to win the Nobel prize in literature, for her novels. During WWII Selma helped german intelectuals cross into Sweden to escape Nazi persecution.




 * **My Opinion**
 * My opinion is that this story is decent. It keeps you entertained while you are reading it but it's not very exciting. It has a good ending that makes you feel better but its pretty unrealistic. If you want a novel to make you feel better in humanity in general, then this is the one. A half ways house's owner would like this novel. Go read it.


 * **__ Literary Analysis __**

** __ THE RAT TRAP ANALYSIS __ ** __ In the novel “The Rat Trap” a poor beggar who sells rat traps life changes. He is shown kindness by an old man and is taken in for the night. After staying there he steals the old man’s money and runs leaves. The beggar comes upon a iron mill where he is recognized to be a old friend of the owner’s. The vagrant goes to the rich proprietor’s house where he is discovered. He is not the old friend of the owner, but just a poor man who has never been cut a break. The owner and his daughter let the beggar stay in their house for the holiday. The kindness that the man is shown changes him so that he eventually returns the old man’s money. At the end the man realizes that he was almost caught in the human rat trap of need, and greed. In the novel the author uses symbolism, imagery, and character development to show how life can become a rat trap. __  __ The symbol that the man is down on his luck can stand for a person who at anytime in their life can change from greed. (64) The man realizes that after stealing the money from the old man that he is a rat in a trap and can never escape unless he changes his ways (71). In the end he expresses that through the kindness he is shown he has seen what he had become and escapes from the trap. (71) The symbolism behind it all represents that every man is a beggar waiting to be caught in a world of greed, and only trough kindness can we “escape” to live truly good lives. __  __ The author in the story expresses that the beggar is in terrible condition, his clothes were in rags, his cheeks, gaunt, and hunger gleamed in his eyes (64) The image that your receive is powerful and explains to you in picture how poor off this man was. She later goes on to describe the old man who shows the beggar kindness. She states that the man is old, with not family, and only took the beggar in to end his suffering of loneliness. (65) The iron mill owner as describes is smart, and proper. (68) Through the device of imagery each person is able to create a mental picture of what each character looks like. __  __ The development of the characters in the story is astounding. The beggar who turns into a good man. (71). The sadness of the old man changing. (71). Plus the fact that the upper class gets a glimpse of what life can do to a man and trying to change it is outstanding (70). The characters are used to represent what people should act like and how they should change to be better. __  __ In the end “The Rat Trap” turns out to be more like a excerpt from the bible then a old Swedish folk tale. The corrupted individual becomes “saved” by giving the kindness that he receives back. __ __ Selma  creates a story of suspense, and morals through, symbolism, imagery, and character development that we can all relate with. __