National Mythology In Rip Van Winkle

Not too far from the apostle Island is town of Superior, which is home of the Fairlawn Mansion. The mansion was built by Martin Patterson and used as a resting spot for immigrants from Canada. Every immigrant that came in and out of Mr. Patterson home he treated as if they where family (Lewis & Fisk 50). Also the house at one time was an orphanage in which two girls drowned in the pool (Lewis & Fisk 51). Various people believe that the house is haunted by a servant girl that was murder by her husband shortly after moving in with him (Lewis & Fisk 51). It is said that her ghost haunts the Fairlawn Mansion because she felt most happy there in her short life (Lewis & Fisk 51). Also in Superior there is a road called Billings Drive and that is said to be haunted, a women with red hair has been seen walking across the street with her dog, and then she disappears in the woods (Lewis & Scott 48). Other cities in Northern Wisconsin include: Rhinelander with Molly’s Rock, Chippewa Falls with Sheeley House, and just one more city is Eau Claire with Cobblestone Bar, The Opera House, Rope Swing, Stones Throw Bar/Club, UW Eau Claire, and Vine Street (Lewis & Fisk 177, 45, 54; Haunted Place in Wisconsin 7). You can’t talk about Northern Wisconsin without move south to talk about Central Wisconsin.

Through the course of “Rip Van Winkle” you stumble upon many remarkable and strange characters. Washington Irving reveals these complex characters through humor and exaggeration. Irving not only gives readers the characters

The great story “Rip Van Winkle” is an excellent example of an American Mythology. The three characteristics of an American mythology is Set in the past, often in remote or exciting places and times, Filled with remarkable, strange, or exaggerated characters, and Feature incredible, heroic, impressive, magical, or mysterious events and their consequences.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, written by Washington Irving, fits nicely into the Romanticism period due to its eloquent descriptions and detail to the nature around the village, the attention and focus on the main character and the addition of ghost stories and superstitions. These pieces come together to build a story of conflict and adventure. To further describe how all of the pieces fit together, we must first begin with the author. Washington Irving, born in 1783, was a well-traveled and well-educated young man. He dabbled in the areas of law, family business and even a diplomat for Spain but found the most success in his writing. Irving was considered the first author to write American Short Stories (Irving Biography). The two he is most well-known for is Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was written in 1819, contains elements from light romanticism and humor (Dincer 219). The piece is about a young man by the name of Ichabod Crane whom tries to win the heart of a young lady by the name of Katrina Van Tassel. This story takes place in a small rural

In Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle,” an allegorical reading can be seen. The genius of Irving shines through, in not only his representation in the story, but also in his ability to represent both sides of the hot political issues of the day. Because it was written during the revolutionary times, Irving had to cater to a mixed audience of Colonists and Tories. The reader’s political interest, whether British or Colonial, is mutually represented allegorically in “Rip Van Winkle,” depending on who is reading it. Irving uses Rip, Dame, and his setting to relate these allegorical images on both sides. Irving would achieve success in both England and America, in large part because his political satires had individual allegorical meanings.

Certain it is, the place still continues under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given to all kinds of marvellous beliefs; are subject to trances and visions; and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; stars shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her

In Rip Van Winkle, Irving shows his doubts in the American Identity and the American dream. After the Revolutionary war, America was trying to develop its own course. They were free to govern their own course of development; however, some of them had an air of uncertainties on their own identity in this new country. Irving was born among this generation in the newly created United States of America, and also felt uncertainty about the American identity. Irving might be the writer that is the least positive about being an American. The main reason for this uncertainty is the new born American has no history and tradition while the Europe has a great one accumulated for thousands of years. Therefore, in order to solve this problem, Irving

In the novel there are many Americans that depict the “American Myth,” for example Ann she was typical of the low wage working people ( Shipler, pg. 24-25), but the thing is Ann did not point fingers of blame at anyone, she excepted that she got herself into the situation that she is now. Even though she knew that the credit card companies rates were high she made the option of using them, but that is not because she had a choice or not but only because she had to. The lease on Ann truck was about to expire and her ex husbands child support of $100 was about to stop because her daughter was about to turn 18. Ann only had one option left which was bankruptcy but then she found

Furthermore, Rip Van Winkle’s identity itself represents America’s journey before and after the American Revolution and the difficulties that were faced. When the reader is first introduced to Rip Van Winkle, he is a well-known man. The community loves him and he has made a name for himself based off the needs of others. He is very dependent on the community and the community is dependent on him. The following citation how well-liked Rip Van Winkle is before he takes his trip to Kaatskill mountains. “Certain it is, that he was a great favorite among all the good wives of the village […] The children of the village, too, would shout with joy whenever he approached.”(https://www.ibiblio.org/ebooks/Irving/Winkle/Irving_Winkle.pdf, Page 8) When Rip returns, he is faced with the reality that he has lost any form of identity he once had. Nobody recognized him, the children laughed at him, and even the dogs barked after him, none of these were the case before his trip. Irving used Rip Van Winkle to represent America

"Rip Van Winkle" has been a well-known story told throughout time. There is not a doubt that as a child, many of you heard the words of Washington Irving's famous tale of the man who slept for twenty years. Nor can one forget the "elves" that Rip Van Winkle spent the night with in the amphitheater. Like many stories, Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" has been told so many times throughout American history that it has lost its original purpose. The story is now remembered for its fairy tale like quality and its appeal to the children and the young at heart. However, when given the chance to delve into the depths of what Irving was trying to portray, one may see the

The Ohio State Reformatory opened in 1886 and closed in 1990 and has been haunted by thought to be civil war soldiers because it is “ Located on land once used as a training camp for Civil War soldiers”(Nix). This could be the closest to proving ghost exist scientist have ever been. This ghostly spot has had multiple troubled souls as its main goal was “ to rehabilitate young male offenders and give them a chance to learn a trade.”(Nix). Prisoners were not treated well and some died it would be a tragic death if you died here and the

Rip Van Winkle, a story written by Washington Irving in the early 1800s, demonstrates the emergence and development of American Mythology. Packed full of mythological elements, Irving’s tale depicts a man who encounters mysterious and fantastical characters in equally intriguing settings. Rip Van Winkle displays three major factors that contribute to mythology: mysterious, historical setting, remarkable and strange characters, and heroic, magical events and their consequences.

Have you ever wondered if Rip Van Winkle was an interesting character or not? The author of “Rip Van Winkle” has made sure to make his American Mythology one of the most unique by setting his character in interesting and exciting places. He also exaggerated his character to a level of of remarkableness and strangeness. Near the end he does portray Rip’s nation, and people to be good. Look forward to more interesting facts about this man in the rest of the paper.

When read at first glance, Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" seems to be a tale of a lazy man who just wanted some peace and quiet, and ended up with almost too much of it. When analyzed at a deeper level however, "Rip Van Winkle" is more a symbolic story about the changes in the world going on at the time the story was written. Irving wrote "Rip Van Winkle" to show the world the struggle of the newly independent Americans trying to cope with life after English rule.

From the postscript, readers know that the narrative is a synthesis of German folklore and Indian legends. Irving explicitly demonstrates knowledge of the Trickster figure by citing the “Manitou or Spirit…who kept about the wildest recesses of the Catskill Mountains, and took a