Literary notes about TRAP (AI summary)
The word "trap" in literature is a multifaceted term that can signify both literal devices and metaphorical pitfalls. In some works, it denotes physical objects—a hidden door leading to secret rooms or compartments in residences ([1], [2], [3]) and even conveyances like carriages ([4], [5])—adding an element of surprise or danger to the narrative. In other texts, the term is used figuratively to represent situations that ensnare a character emotionally or socially, as when individuals fall into complex deceptions or harmful schemes ([6], [7], [8]). Thus, whether as a concrete mechanism or a symbolic snare, "trap" enriches storytelling by emphasizing themes of confinement, unexpected peril, and the delicate balance between freedom and entrapment.
- ( As he looks in there, the trap-door lifts, and CLAIRE comes half-way up. )
— from Plays by Susan Glaspell - There is a trap-door communicating with the roof, and it is partly open."
— from The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle - It was reached by a trap-door in the middle of the floor, from which a ladder led down into the small, dark hole.
— from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum - The "trap" in question was a carriage which the Major had bought for six pounds sterling, and about which they used to rally him a good deal.
— from Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray - He went at once to the sofa and took out the trap.
— from Project Gutenberg Compilation of Short Stories by Chekhov by Anton Pavlovich Chekhov - It is that surface simplicity of theirs which makes a trap for the stranger.
— from His Last Bow: An Epilogue of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle - Of course, if the girl was really Whittington’s niece, she might be too cute to fall into the trap, but it was worth trying.
— from The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie - They played me for a simpleton; and I fell into their trap.
— from The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Burglar by Maurice Leblanc
