Comparison Of Rip Van Winkle And The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow
The short story, “Rip Van Winkle”, was published in 1819 by American author, Washington Irving. The story is about a man who falls in a twenty year slumber. This story is one of the Irving’s prominent works along with “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. The story is set during the colonial times, both before and after the American Revolution, in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. This story can be considered one of fairytales and folklore. The aspects of ghosts and time travel make the story a fantastical tale. This is also what makes the story as captivating as readers may find it to be. These aspects give Irving’s story its mysterious edge, inciting questions such as, “Why did the ghosts choose Rip Van Winkle?”, “What caused Rip Van
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One of the very differences besides his age is that he goes around to tell his story to all that inquire. The story ends on that note. One might wonder what happened to Rip Van Winkle and how the story of his twenty year slumber impacted the other villagers. It is revealed that ghosts of Henry Hudson’s crew were the men Van Winkle had met before his slumber. His twenty year slumber can be seen as a lesson that change in life is inevitable and, as Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Van Winkle could have found some way to life the rest of his life to the fullest in order to avoid missing it like he did when he fell asleep for twenty years. Unfortunately, Rip Van Winkle fails to see this and lives his life the same way it was before. It’s upsetting to find that no one had tried to find out more about them and search for the connection between the ghosts and Van Winkle’s slumber. Everyone, including Van Winkle himself, just accept that it has happened and moved on from it. To conclude, the story of Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving is an American classic as well as a fantastical tale of fantasy. It’s timeless and unforgettable as well as influential to popular culture and society. However, it feels as if the story is unfinished. The ending is similar to “happily ever after” and raises many questions about his lengthy
One of the very differences besides his age is that he goes around to tell his story to all that inquire. The story ends on that note. One might wonder what happened to Rip Van Winkle and how the story of his twenty year slumber impacted the other villagers. It is revealed that ghosts of Henry Hudson’s crew were the men Van Winkle had met before his slumber. His twenty year slumber can be seen as a lesson that change in life is inevitable and, as Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” Van Winkle could have found some way to life the rest of his life to the fullest in order to avoid missing it like he did when he fell asleep for twenty years. Unfortunately, Rip Van Winkle fails to see this and lives his life the same way it was before. It’s upsetting to find that no one had tried to find out more about them and search for the connection between the ghosts and Van Winkle’s slumber. Everyone, including Van Winkle himself, just accept that it has happened and moved on from it. To conclude, the story of Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving is an American classic as well as a fantastical tale of fantasy. It’s timeless and unforgettable as well as influential to popular culture and society. However, it feels as if the story is unfinished. The ending is similar to “happily ever after” and raises many questions about his lengthy