What is a good wife? A good wife is a woman who takes care of her family. The story, “Rip Van Winkle”, by Washington Irving, often shows what a good wife is. In the story, Rip Van Winkle is the main character and Dame Van Winkle is his wife. Dame Van Winkle is a very good wife. Dame Van Winkle is a good wife, even though she disciplines her husband by verbally and physically abusing him. Irving states, “A nagging wife may, therefore, in some respects, be considered a tolerable blessing…”. (187).
The blessing is that she abuses her husband for the sake of her family. ).
“Morning, noon, and night, her [Dame] tongue was incessantly going” (188).
Irving also states, “….but his wife [Dame] kept continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness and the ruin he was bringing on his family.”. (188).
Dame really cares about her family because her children wear old and worn-out clothes. On top of that, they don’t really get good food to eat. That proves that Dame Van Winkle is a good and caring wife that protects her family. Dame Van Winkle scolds and yells at Rip, (her husband) so he can stop being lazy and make a living for her and her children, who don’t get a good quantity of food, and have old and worn out clothes. She is basically caring for her family, and that is what a good wife does. This story by Washington Irving sets a good example of how a good wife should be.
