When Rip was out in the woods hunting, he got sidetracked and went off with a strange man. This lead to him drinking too much and falling asleep for twenty years. While Rip slept, the world went on and changed very drastically. His wife died, his children grew up, and America won its independence from the British. These things did not seem to bother Rip, but many people would regret missing out on so much. Irving uses symbolism throughout this story. He uses Rip to represent America and Madame Van Winkle to represent England. Rip’s disdain for his wife represents the way the colonists felt about England.
When Rip wakes up from his twenty year nap he sees an eagle, which is supposed to represent the new American freedom. Rip goes back to his village and sees that it has changed quite a bit, many of the men he once knew died fighting in the war. He finds that his wife is also dead, which grants him the freedom to do as he pleases for the first time in many years. The setting of the story is also important. The fact that the story takes place in and around the Kaatskill Mountains makes sure the reader knows that it is in America.
The Kaatskill Mountain setting also offers a location that was somewhat exotic, allowing Rip to encounter the strange men with whom he drank. He was able to explore areas of the mountains where not many had been before and sleep there for twenty years without being disturbed. The story that ‘Rip Van Winkle’ most reminds me of is ‘Babylon Revisited. ’ In the beginning of both stories the main character wastes time having fun and is not concerned about money. Both Charlie and Rip end up in the same place that they began, but find it to have changed considerably.
The Essay on Goodman Brown Rip Story Roderick
In the early eighteen hundreds, literature in the Americas started a revolution of style in upcoming authors. Authors started to look towards nature for symbolism and society as a source of sin. The underlined meaning in most of these stories was meant to leave the reader with a new perspective of their personal lives and society as a whole. Three stories that use this particular technique are ...
Rip returns to his home and twenty years have gone by, whereas only a couple of years had passed when Charlie returned to Paris. Charlie and Rip have both lost their wives, but only Charlie seems to miss his. Both Rip and Charlie’s daughters appear to forgive them for their shortcomings of the past. Rip’s daughter allows him to live with her and Charlie is trying to get custody of his daughter. In the end, only Charlie seemed to have changed. He was trying to make better choices and provide for his daughter. I agree with Irving’s position that we must not waste the time that we have.
Rip was an example of how we should not be. Rip spent his days doing anything that he could do to avoid work that would bring him pay. As the story says, “The great error in Rip’s composition was an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labour. ” He would do chores for others in the town and play with the children of the town. Rip did not like to do chores on his own land and there was no mention of him spending a lot of time with his own children. Rip was selfish when it came to providing for his family, but very generous with helping others.
Rip slept for 20 years and missed a lot of important events, not only with his family, but in the history of America. He missed watching his children grow up, the passing of his wife, and the American Revolution. He did not seem upset at all. If anything, he was much happier after he awoke. He was essentially retired, and he was able to waste the day any way he saw fit. His daughter provided him with food and a place to live. No one in the town expected anything of him and he could do as he pleased.
