The essential virtue of human heart can be aroused through compassion and empathy.’ How
far has the meaning of this statement been exemplified in the story ‘The Rattrap’
The rattrap peddler was a man who only recieved unkindness, and cruelty wherever he went. In his free time when he was meditating on rattraps he was immediately inspired by a thought that the whole world around him was a rattrap. The world with its seas, rivers, capes and villages existed only to provide baits for people and the people who let themselves be tempted fell into its snare, never to escape. Such a thought gave him immense joy as it provided a relief to his mind. But Edla Wilmanson was able to change this attitude of the rattrap peddler through the use of compassion and empathy. She transformed the peddler through her kindness. This transofrmation can be clearly seen when he leaves Edla the package and the letter.