Rip Van Winkle Literary Analysis
Cara Rosie
English 5 American Lit
December 6, 2015
Word Count: 887
Insignificant Time American legend Rip Van Winkle lives in a time when cities have the name villages and King George III still reigns, the eighteenth century. From the story “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving, the main character, Rip Winkle embodies an often quiet and lazy yet kindhearted man. Most of the town loves this man, largely because of his willingness to help others out, but his wife, Dame Van Winkle did not think mutually because of his lack of help to her. Dame Winkle perpetually nags Rip to help around the house and do something productive, instead he sits in his chair and smokes his pipe. One time she demands something of him and he leaves with his dog off to the Kaatskill Mountains to retreat from her nagging requests, not knowing that when he would return the world he lived in would look strangely different. Throughout the story Irving uses several literary elements and types of characterization to create Rip Winkle, Dame Winkle, and the townspeople and to reveal the themes of the story.
Having the largest and most poignant part of the story, evaluating the main character and examining how Irving portrays Rip seems crucial. Sluggishness, kind hearted to some, with no known astounding accomplishments could …show more content…
One major theme the reader can take away that was a popular idea throughout early America. That nature does not change, that the world will keep on developing and changing but the woods and mountains do not. This shocked the character as he returned, the next day as what he thought, to a changed town and world. Another unique element seen in “Rip Van Winkle” would be that the themes are more impressed on the reader than the character. He never realizes the insignificance of himself but rather we see from the character that laziness causes, insignificance in the changing
English 5 American Lit
December 6, 2015
Word Count: 887
Insignificant Time American legend Rip Van Winkle lives in a time when cities have the name villages and King George III still reigns, the eighteenth century. From the story “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving, the main character, Rip Winkle embodies an often quiet and lazy yet kindhearted man. Most of the town loves this man, largely because of his willingness to help others out, but his wife, Dame Van Winkle did not think mutually because of his lack of help to her. Dame Winkle perpetually nags Rip to help around the house and do something productive, instead he sits in his chair and smokes his pipe. One time she demands something of him and he leaves with his dog off to the Kaatskill Mountains to retreat from her nagging requests, not knowing that when he would return the world he lived in would look strangely different. Throughout the story Irving uses several literary elements and types of characterization to create Rip Winkle, Dame Winkle, and the townspeople and to reveal the themes of the story.
Having the largest and most poignant part of the story, evaluating the main character and examining how Irving portrays Rip seems crucial. Sluggishness, kind hearted to some, with no known astounding accomplishments could …show more content…
One major theme the reader can take away that was a popular idea throughout early America. That nature does not change, that the world will keep on developing and changing but the woods and mountains do not. This shocked the character as he returned, the next day as what he thought, to a changed town and world. Another unique element seen in “Rip Van Winkle” would be that the themes are more impressed on the reader than the character. He never realizes the insignificance of himself but rather we see from the character that laziness causes, insignificance in the changing