While teaching a lesson to my taught a philosophical idea could emerge out of mind which otherwise often remains indifferent as most of the topics are devoid of any moral, philosophical and spiritual touch so for. The topic that I could perchance to teach to the 12th standard students is titled “The Rattrap” written by Selma Lagerlof-a Swedish writer who has been awarded noble prize in literature in the year 1909. The story goes like: a peddler or a rattrap seller by profession tries very hard to make both his ends meet, but fails utterly to do so in spite of resorting to begging and thievery for stuff that he required for making rattraps. Finally, once wandering on the roadside, a thought emerges out of his mind that the world is rattrap which offers man the baits in terms of luxuries and comforts and ultimately entraps him like the rat that is trapped inside the rattrap due to falling prey to the temptetation of the bait ( a piece of cheese or beef). In the meantime he happens to see a cottage with a dim light and his mind is dragged towards it as the time is very late and he has no other alternative to pass the night. On reaching the spot he knocks at the door and an old man comes out of the cottage to offer him the shelter for night. As customary it is to show the hospitality and so does the old man who, in his youth has been a share cropper and now passing his retired age by rearing cows and making his livelihood out the soled out milk. After having dinner, the host shares his life experience with his guest and both enjoy a pipe and play cards. In the mean time, the crofter, out of his innocence, shares his secret with the peddler that he owns a thirty croner bill that he has achieved in last week.
In the morning both go their own way, but the peddler returns after some time breaks the window pane where on the crofter has hanged his bag that contained the bill, takes it out keeping the bag back onto the peg. Enjoying his adventurous thought he ran away from the place as he thought he might be captured if a straight path is followed by him and takes a path through a forest which is as expansive that the peddler finds it difficult to find a way out. As the evening approaches, he gets exhaust and thinks of his end being near. Finally sits under a tree and lies down putting his head on a stone to use it as a cushion.
After a while, he happens to hear a thudding sound and he sense that some iron mill must be nearby. He gets up and starts walking towards the mill. After reaching the spot asks for shelter which he neither offered nor refused by the iron master who with his subordinates is sitting by the side of furnaces for they are waiting for the crude iron to get so hot that it could be molded. The peddler lies down near the furnace as his clothes are wet due to the cold and rainy weather of December. As a coincidence the owner of the mill comes for night supervision and enquires about the stranger. He mistakes him for a comrade of the military regiment he had been an officer of and reminds him the peddler of his mistake for having resigned from the job as he has advised him not to do so. After the conversation concludes between the two, the owner offers him a shelter at home and a chance to participate in Charismas with he and his daughter as they aren’t having guest to cut the cake on this special occasion to which the peddler refuses for having his mind preoccupied with the thought of stealing thirsty corner bill from crofters house and he might be entrapped again or in other words we can say: A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
But the mill owner sends back his daughter named Edla to get the guest to their home and the peddler accepts the offer only due to the girl being an innocent one and for keeping her heart. Both go to their home and spent night there. They enjoy the Christmas event and the treatment meted out to the peddler makes him change his mind and next day he leaves behind the bill and a note with it. The note mentions the thanks to both the daughter and father for having raised a thief to the level of captain and writes that the bill is to be returned to the crofter. And here the story ends with a positive note that it is only the love, compassion and understanding that change the character of a person. And in this way the spirit of Christmas is highlighted that shows the reformation through doing good to the human society. That is why the writer has concluded the lesson with a Christmas event that has relevance with the moral climax of the story.
The moral that comes out of this story is that this world is a rattrap that offers us different means of temptetation and we get trapped. But the story also reveals an idea of how to resist the temptation and attain the salvation. The second theme that the story holds is that if we want to change the world it only through the love and compassion that we can do. The world history reveals that all the prophets and saints/avatars have faced a tremendous hardship in terms of the atrocities showered on them by the timely authorities and the public, but they have never shown any deviation from the main track. Two references from prophetic legacy will surely serve here the purpose of drawing an analogy between how the world works like a rattrap and how one comes out of it. Prophet Abraham (P.B.U.H) was subjected to the burning fire and flames,but that burning fire could not derail him from the duty and obligation towards God neither his moral standard went down. The second test that he was put under is when God ordered him to sacrifice his son- Ishmael in the way of Allah. This was the toughest test so for as the devil played here his part to seduce Hazrate Hajira (a.s.w) not to allow Abraham sacrifices his son as Ismail was her only son that too in such an older age of Abraham. Another incident that I would like refer to is that of Harztra-e-Yousuf (p.b.u.h) who was seduced by Zulekha and refused to yield to her wishes, although being very young, hence resisted that temptetation. Not only this, but what was the further discourse of Zulekha to capture Him that she put an allegation on him for molestation which should could not prove at the end. All this resulted in Hazrate Yousuf’s elevation as a prince of Qanan in Egypt.
So to conclude let me that say that the world is full of tyrannies and atrocities combined with the luxuries and comforts. One the one side we are put under pressure by our inner desires and on the other side we are put under strict restrictions by worldly system. In this discourse, we must adhere to the rules and regulations lay down by our lord and creator and must follow the moral path that has been shown by our prophets and saints. We must restrict our desires and wishes in order that we attain salvation and are spared from the trap that world has woven for us.

Email:---------------------------ishaq7007@gmail.com