In "Rip Van Winkle," Washington Irving conveys the theme of a changing world with the essence of an underlying sentimentality. This story shows the radical changes that affect a small Dutch village in the Catskill Mountains after the Revolutionary War. The sense of sentimentality is shown in Rip's yearning for the twenty years he missed while sleeping, and also in the simple times villagers lived in before the revolt against Great Britain. In The Reference Guide to American Literature, Daniel Hoffman says, "Irving's pervasive theme of nostalgia for the unrecoverable past is here at once mythologized and made unforgettable" (456). This observation is the central idea in "Rip Van Winkle" made apparent to the reader through several specific occasions.
The first occasion where Rip feels a strong sense of nostalgia is when he sees his dog, Wolf, whom he believed was dead or lost after not finding him in the mountains. Wolf is Rip's closest companion, and together they suffer through many lectures from Rip's wife, Dame Van Winkle. Rip finds solace in spending time with Wolf, whether they are taking leisurely walks or going hunting. Wolf is even present in Rip's venture through the mystical mountains that would eventually result in his twenty-year slumber. As Rip returns to the village the morning after he wakes up, he is confused because he doesn't recognize anyone walking on the street, and his own home is dilapidated and abandoned. When he sees Wolf he is immediately excited to return to his normal life and hopeful that everything is all right. However, Rip is disappointed when his best friend, Wolf, scoffs at him as if he were a stranger. Irving says, "Rip called him by name but the cur snarled, showed his teeth, and passed on" (161). This outright display of hatred gives Rip his first pang of sentimentality for the old days he spent with Wolf. Although Rip does not realize the reality of the events taking place, it is obvious to the reader that he feels a great longing in his heart for the companionship he shared with Wolf.
