Rip van Winkle

Washington Irving

Set in the Catskill Mountains: exotic looking from a distance

Rip van Winkle: "a simple good natured man; he was a kind neighbor, and an obedient, henpecked husband:" qualities of a Romantic hero

• "patient"--the severity of Rip's wife's anger is not enough to rouse him to anger
• liked by the "good wives of the village" because he was nice to people; most blamed his wife for their troubles
• "children...would shout with joy" because Rip is childlike himself; suggestive of the youthful qualities of the Romantic hero
  • this description is meant to endear Rip to our hearts, maybe so we will feel sorry for him when tragedy (?) strikes
• Rip's weakness is an aversion to work;
  • this seemingly ironic quality is more than compensated by his willingness to assist everyone else in the toughest of labors
  • Rip is the best stone wall builder, corn husker, and field plowman in the village--all without being able to complete his own chores
• he was perfectly at peace with himself, willing to "whistle his live away in contentment"

Transcendence

• Rip's wife is a constant nag
  • she represents the uglyside of modern life
  • it is no surprise Rip seeks to escape outside
  • he first seeks refuge in the solace of other lazy men in town--one is so lazy, the town can "tell the hour" as he move with the shade of the tree
  • Rip's wife (progress) eventually "breaks in upon this tranquility" and ruins it
  • eventually, Rip's only "escape": comes from a retreat to the "woods"
• Rip's 1st (and only) "escape" coves when he meets the stranger; there should be no one in the wood, but is, and he even knows Rip by name (evidence of the supreme power in nature/supernatural)
  • Rip assists (as all good heroes must) to carry a keg of liquor (it is important to note that this is a spirit) up the side of the mountain
  • Rip knows this action is unusual, but the "unknown...inspired awe and checked familiarity"--nature and the unknown are an adventure awaiting to be experienced
• In the "amphitheater": this is another way to escape
  • the inhabitants/occupants are dressed "outlandishly"
  • they are playing ninepins
  • no one is working--almost a dream come true for Rip
  • all the figures look like the first settlers of the village--reminders of a "simpler time"
• The game of ninepins is really thunder, suggesting that Rip has left the real world and stumbled (or reached through a kind act/benevolent act) upon a "playground" for the supernatural
  • when Rip imbibes this supernatural spirit, it is too much for his body
  • it is no surprise that Rip is so strangely affected, and falls into a deep sleep
• Twenty years later, Rip awakens
  • he tries to find the tricksters, but his access to the supernatural has expired
  • the path he used previously is not a lively river--effectively stopping the amphitheater
  • as he returns to the village, he knows he is bewitched, or the village is bewitched; this superstition is further proof of the power of Romantic vision, that entire villages could be changed by one voyage into the unknown
• Rip's story is "corroborated" (made true) by another, older member in the village
  • Rip was freed from the harsh tongue of his wife and the oppressive yoke of English tyranny
• Instantly, Rip has every desire he had in his youth answered in just "one" night
  • through supernatural assistance, Rip is able to leave all his trouble in the past
  • Rip's experience is one Americans wish to experience over and over again--to be free from all trouble simply by sleeping them away