Political interpretation in Rip Van Winkle
In Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” is a fictional story that also has political interpretation. In the story, political interpretation can be explained through many elements of the story. The following paragraphs will explain the characters, dream, and the changes in the story according to a political interpretation. The plot in the story is that the main character in the story, Rip, goes off into the woods with his dog, Wolf, to go hunting. While in the forest Rip sees a bunch of small people and drinks some “flagon” and falls asleep for twenty years. When he wakes up everything is different. His wife is gone along with many of his old friends. Also, there was a war between the colonies and England. The first example of how there can be political interpretation in Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” is in the characters in the story. First there is Dame and Rip Van Winkle. Their marriage is symbolic for the union between the colonies and Great Britain. They both have almost complete opposite features and characteristics. Dame Van Winkle is always unhappy with Rip. She feels that a husband should provide for her and the fa
The second example of how there can be political interpretation in Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” is in Rip’s dream in the story. Rip’s sleep can represent the colonists’ actual degree of involvement in the American Revolution. Rip was not even awake when the revolution occurred. He is forced to deal with and adjust to the advantages and the disadvantages from the actions of others. Rip’s lack of involvement leads to the question, did America as a whole have little to do with its own liberation? This question can be debated because of France’s involvement on the colonists side. Rip’s deep slumber raises other questions such as were many of the colonists even inspired to revolt against the King? Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” is a story that is read to children but also story that is more complex than most realize. In it, there are hidden political ties and interpretations dealing with many elements of the story. In the story there is political interpretations in the characters, Rip’s dream, and the changes in the story. Rip’s understanding of the post-revolutionary world is unique because he only had the chance
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Approximate Word count = 783
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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