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Washingtons Irvings Rip Van Winkle

Therefore, Rip Van Winkle is a symbol for the young, immature United States. Plemmons looks at the symbolism in much of the same manner when she says "the marriage between Rip Van Winkle and Dame Van Winkle represents the union between the American colonies and Great Britain." The American colonies rebelled against Great Britain and Rip Van Winkle did the same. When his wife began to scorn him, Rip Van Winkle ran off into the forest to escape his wife. .
             Irving got the idea for his story from German folklore. Watson says "the theme of sleep and awaking, and symbolically--death and resurrection-- is common in all cultures." I find this to be very true. Even in today's society this folklore of missing out on many years appears. Movies have been made using this same concept. However I think you can look even farther back in history to find an example to compare to the Dutch luring Rip Van Winkle in. In Greek Mythology the Sirens would sing to lure passersby into there seduction. The folklore of Rip Van Winkle has stood the test of time. The Twilight Zone made an episode about men freezing themselves for a hundred years. The title of this episode is "The Rip Van Winkle Caper.".
             "Rip Van Winkle" is a satire of the hard working Yankee persona. In Franklin's Autobiography Franklin tells of Doctor Baird saying: "he is superior to anything I ever saw of the kind: I see him still at work when I go home from Club; and he is at Work again before his Neighbors are out of bed" (843) Franklin was an ideal Yankee in that he worked hard to get what he had. At the end, Franklin was a very wealthy man. On the other hand, Rip Van Winkle did no work and when he returned from his slumber he found his daughter married to a very wealthy man. Rip Van Winkle's daughter takes care of him for the rest of his days. Rip did not have to work hard for "his" money. Also, Franklin says, "I had form"d most of my ingenious Acquaintances into a Club for mutual Improvement, which we call"d the Junto" (842).


Essays Related to Washingtons Irvings Rip Van Winkle

1. Irving "Rip Van Winkle"

Washington Irving "Rip Van Winkle" The short-story "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving can be looked at from many aspects. ... In the short story "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving, it seems as though "Rip Van Winkle" has slept through the American Revolution. ... In Washington Irving short story "Rip Van Winkle" was seen as "a kind neighbor, and obedient henpecking husband"(page#450). ... In this short story the antagonist is none only then "Rip Van Winkle's" wife "Dame Van Winkle". ... Rip Van Winkle is a rounded short story. ...

  • Word Count: 437
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Rip Van Winkle

"Rip Van Winkle- Washington Irving (1783-1859) was the youngest of eleven children born in New York City to an English mother and a Scottish father. ... In "Rip Van Winkle,"" Washington Irving creates his masterful story by using imagery, irony, moralism, mysticism, and symbolism. To begin, Washington uses imagery to help produce his masterpiece, "Rip Van Winkle."" ... Irving has created the plot of "Rip Van Winkle- by using irony. ... Washington Irving used Rip Van Winkle to symbolically foreshadow the mass awakening of America. ...

  • Word Count: 1583
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

3. Rip Van Winkle

One particular criterion character effectively supports the central idea in "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving. ... The following chart represents the characters used by Washington Irving in "Rip Van Winkle": Character Location Type Style Rip (Pro) Paragraph threeLines seven and eight R S Dame Paragraph four R S Wolf Paragraph nineLine one and two F S Derrick Van Bummel Paragraph ten Line seven R D Nicholas Vedder Paragraph tenLines one, two, and three R D Rip Jr. ... "Rip Van Winkle", Washington Irving uses one main character to play both the role of the protagonist and the antagonist. ......

  • Word Count: 1162
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving

Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" has become an American classic. ... Using this theme, Irving sets the stage to compare the old Van Winkle's struggles to those faced by Americans both pre and post Revolutionary War. ... Irving starts off his short story describing Van Winkles lifestyle. ... Dame Van Winkle (his wife) would always get angry with him over his duties, enough so for Van Winkle to run away. ... Rip Van Winkle might as well be one of the most famous a pieces of art ever to come out of our early country. ...

  • Word Count: 1834
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Rip Van Winkle

Literary analyses of "Rip Van Winkle" Rip Van Winkle is a man from a small village located at the foot Kaatskill Mountains. ... His son, Rip Van Winkle, was just like his father. ... Rip Van Winkle is a man of many traits. ... In the short story "Rip Van Winkle", Washington Irving uses simple, henpecked, lazy and friendly to describe the main character Rip Van Winkle. ... The last trait to describe Rip Van Winkle is friendly. ...

  • Word Count: 932
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Rip Van Winkle

Parents often read Washington Irving's, "Rip Van Winkle," to their children at bedtime. ... Irving opens the story by saying that the story of "Rip Van Winkle" was, " found among the papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker-(pg. 428). Then Irving begins to describe a little village at the foothill of the Catskill Mountains where a man by the name of Rip Van Winkle lives. ... This is the same of Rip Van Winkle and Dame Van Winkle. ... It appears that others should learn from Rip Van Winkles mistakes. ...

  • Word Count: 900
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Rip Van Winkle

Rip Van Winkle Washington Irving was one of the first American writers to win fame outside of his own country. ... Irving wrote with great humor and imagination, which in part is why Rip Van Winkle is still read today. ... Rip Van Winkle is a leisurely tale as was Washington Irving. ... Washington Irving sets the story up in a small village where Rip lives with his constant nagging wife. ... Rip Van Winkle also has a moral. ...

  • Word Count: 643
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Political interpretation in Rip Van Winkle

In Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" is a fictional story that also has political interpretation. ... First there is Dame and Rip Van Winkle. ... Dame Van Winkle is always unhappy with Rip. ... The second example of how there can be political interpretation in Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" is in Rip's dream in the story. ... Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" is a story that is read to children but also story that is more complex than most realize. ...

  • Word Count: 783
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Rip Van Winkle

Washington Irving's story, Rip Van Winkle, proves "Every change of season, every change of weather, indeed, every hour of the day, produces some change"(449). ... The story of Rip Van Winkle conflicts with this truth by allowing Winkle to achieve his dream life without having to change to suit his new time period. ... "Rip was ready to attend to any body's business but his own"(450), and this inescapable flaw lead to his unhappiness. ... The reader now assumes when Irving states, "Rip's heart died away, at hearing of theses sad changes in his home and friends, and finding him...

  • Word Count: 465
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

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