The Rat Trap (Allegory)
The central (and titular) allegory of the story is devised by the vagabond himself, in the privacy of his wanderings. The vagabond has come to the conclusion that "the whole world with its lands and seas" is like the rat traps that he makes out of wire. He thinks of the world that "it had never existed for any other purpose than to set baits for people. It offered riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing, exactly as the rat trap offered cheese and pork, and as
soon as anyone let himself be tempted to touch the bait, it closed in on him, and then everything came to an end" (66). This pessimistic allegory plays out for the vagabond himself, as he's tempted by the crofter's purse and ends up lost in the woods. However, Lagerlöf demonstrates that through the kindness of others, the fateful allegory can be disproved, and the vagabond is redeemed.
The Crofter's Cow (Symbol)
The crofter's cow symbolizes subsistence and is a marker of his economic status. The crofter shares that "in his days of prosperity," he worked that land around Ramsjö Ironworks, and "now that he was no longer able to do day labor, it was his cow which supported him" (67). Without the cow, the crofter would be without a means of supporting himself. This stability is what seperates him from the vagabond.
The Signature (Symbol)
At the end of the story, Edla reads the letter the vagabond leaves for her, on which he signs off as Captain von Ståhle. We never learn the vagabond's true name, so this label he gives himself (the name of the Captain with whom the Ironmaster confused him), becomes, for the reader, his only identity. Perhaps denying the vagabond a name is a way for Lagerlöf to emphasize his transformation from someone who is expected to steal and swindle, to someone who is expected to be an upstanding citizen. In any case, the signature definitely signifies the vagabond's belief in his personal transformation.
