The story "Rip Van Winkle" is about a man that left his home one day and wondered off into the mountains. Rip could usually be found at the local inn, escaping his chores and duties given to him by his wife. He stumbled upon a man that led him into a cave. In the cave, he encountered a group of men playing a game that seemed to be a lot like bowling. These men invited him to join in on the game so Rip eagerly accepted. The men were drinking and having a good time. One of the gentlemen offered Rip something to drink which he accepted. Rip strangely fell asleep for about twenty years and when he awoke, everything was different. Rip is portrayed not only as an irresponsible man, but a lazy man as well. During Rip's time of rest, he was completely oblivious as to what went on around him. He slept through the entire American Revolution and when he awoke, everything had changed. The fact that Rip's wife had always nagged on him didn't make him sorry that he"d slept for as long as he did. He then returned back to the town square and realized what had happened. Not too many people believed his story but reality struck and people started believing him. .
The tale has been regarded as the first American short story. The original author Washington Irving wrote the story in 1819, and the story was part of the book, The Sketchbook. The story "Rip Van Winkle," is more than just children's favorite night stories. When we analyze the story with depth the readers see many references to the American history. Irving was called the literary vagabond in England, Holland, France and Italy and frequently wrote using the creative tools of fiction to comment on historical background and events of American history. .
The setting of the story is somewhere in New England while the country was yet the province of Great Britain. The story tells us a lot about how the people where living back then. The people lived in diminutive villages, and each villager knew all their neighbors.
