what different values did the peddlar lack before he came to the ironmaster 's house ?
6 marks
Dear student,
The peddler was a greedy, poor tramp with hunger gleaming in his eyes. He lived a sad and lonely life like a vagabond. He used to sell rattraps to earn a living. However, the money earned was not enough for a healthy survival and thus, he begged or committed theft. He had no moral values (love, affection, sympathy, warmth, honesty, etc.) and he robbed an old crofter. In the peddler's view, the whole world is a giant rattrap that tempts people with "​riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing". People who he knew have either fallen prey to it or were about to, it being only a matter of time. When the old crofter shows the peddler the money that he had recently earned by selling the milk of his cow, he is unable to control his greed. In other words, the rattrap of the world offers him a chance to acquire money that is not rightfully his, and he cannot bring himself to overcome the tempation. Despite the hospitality that the crofter had shown him, offering him food and shelter at his time of need, he breaks into the crofter's house and steals his money.
The peddler was a greedy, poor tramp with hunger gleaming in his eyes. He lived a sad and lonely life like a vagabond. He used to sell rattraps to earn a living. However, the money earned was not enough for a healthy survival and thus, he begged or committed theft. He had no moral values (love, affection, sympathy, warmth, honesty, etc.) and he robbed an old crofter. In the peddler's view, the whole world is a giant rattrap that tempts people with "​riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing". People who he knew have either fallen prey to it or were about to, it being only a matter of time. When the old crofter shows the peddler the money that he had recently earned by selling the milk of his cow, he is unable to control his greed. In other words, the rattrap of the world offers him a chance to acquire money that is not rightfully his, and he cannot bring himself to overcome the tempation. Despite the hospitality that the crofter had shown him, offering him food and shelter at his time of need, he breaks into the crofter's house and steals his money.
The experience of the peddler at the manor of the Willmanssons made the peddler change his ways. Earlier he had never known a true sympathiser or well-wisher. He had no friend to steer him on the right path. Though the crofter was hospitable to him and even the ironmaster had almost offered him help, they failed to leave any impact on him. It was Edla who, through her genuine care and understanding, was finally able to change the peddler for the better.
Regards