Rip Van Winkle and American Dream Essay

After Rip returns to town from his 20-year nap, the full effects of the American Revolution can be seen. When Rip says, “I am a poor quiet man, a native of the place, and a loyal subject of the king, God bless him!” the townspeople roared with rage at the sight of what they thought to be an act of treason by an English loyalist (Irving). This emotion of fury at the sight of treason against America came with the newfound American identity that could be observed after the Revolution that brought the people their freedom. This was the American identity that Irving was trying to bestow upon his readers. And what came with this identity was a strong unifying sense of patriotism and nationalism that could not be found in the old colonial America that existed before the war. It was only after Rip found out that Dame was gone from his life however, that he was able to live out the remainder of his time happy. Irving put this detail in his story because believed that American identity could have only come after their freedom from

He ‘s a lazy and obedient hen-pecked husband. “In a word, Rip was ready to attend to anybody’s business but his own; but as to doing family duty, keeping his farm in order, he found it impossible.” His idleness to his responsibility can be seen as American’s unwillingness to be a servant of England. “There is phlegm and drowsy tranquility” around the town before the revolution war. However, after Rip awakes from his sleep for twenty years, everything in the town has changed. “There was a busy, bustling, disputatious tone about it, instead of the accustomed phlegm and drowsy tranquility.” Also, the sign outside the tavern where he spent much of his time has changed from King George to General Washington. After seeing all of these changes, at first Rip doubts his own identity, especially when he sees his son who is” a precise counterpart of himself.” However, before long, “he resumes his old walks and habits,” because he doesn’t compelled to change himself into a post Revolutionary American. Since it never happens as an event in his life, it makes no drastic change in Rip’s life. Because he has no indent to fit in the new society to be who he has to be at the new age, he tries to retreat or stay in the past which is what the Americans need to lead their cultural life.

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.

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

Washington Irving is known as being one of the most famous American authors in history. He has created fresh and exciting stories such as “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” “The Devil and Tom Walker,” and “Rip Van Winkle” that continue to captivate those who read them even today. In these three stories, Irving takes a stance on what the early Americas were like as he creates settings full of both mystery and wonder. His settings are symbols of both America’s mystery and potential, and he uses personification and motifs to convey this message.

Washington Irving was one of his country's first professional writers, and one of the first American writers to gain an international reputation. A major part of Washington Irving's legacy was his ability to draw on European folk tales he heard throughout his trips to Europe to create a fabricated history of his home state in some of his most famous literary pieces such as “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Author’s Background and Historical Context Washington Irving, named in honor of George Washington, was born on April 3, 1783 in Manhattan, New York. Irving grew up in a Scottish and English household next to a large Dutch population that had inhabited the area of New York City where he grew up. Young Irving would listen to the Dutch neighbors tell of their overseas adventures which

Irving uses the pseudonym to create a persona in the name of fiction. This rising form of literature seats itself well in the Romantic Movement where creativity is honored over reason. Irving wrote about a guy named Rip who was really a big hearted guy, always ready to help others in need, but didn’t always take care of his own priorities. He lost some of his motivation from his nagging wife to carry out what needed to be done to take care of his family. After he slept for 20 years and in the absence of his wife, he is finally relieved of being hindered and heckled by his wife. Hawthorne shows the value of being honest by an example of Young Goodman Brown who was susceptible to suspicious acts. If you go behind someone’s back, more than likely it is not a good act to carry out and more times than not, you will probably get caught and suffer some sort of consequence. Poe shows us that fear is a

“Rip Van Winkle” was based right around the time of revolutionary America, one exciting place within the story was a quaint little village full of life, color, and culture. “…There were some of the houses of the original settlers standing within a few years, with lattice windows, gable fronts surmounted with weathercocks, and built of small yellow bricks brought from Holland” (Irving 62). When Irving described this village he was sure to include the heritage found within this small mountain town, the brightly colored yellow bricks from Holland and lattice windows, each detail shows just how important culture was in early American lives. Irving was not only able to show the importance of culture, he was also able to illustrate life in the village. When Irving said, “There were some of the houses of the original settlers” he showed the importance of past in this village and how an interesting land can also have an interesting history. Irving also showed histories yet to be discovered. When he said, “… Every hour of the day produces some change in the magical hues and shapes of these mountains…” (Irving 61). Another very exciting place in “Rip Van Winkle” is the Kaatskill Mountains Irving describes these mountains with such beauty. When Irving describes this mountain he shows them as changing, as if each time you looked at them there was a new

Before the American Revolution, people used to have determined beliefs, traditions and government, but after the war, society was confused. For example, the website saylor.org stated, “Politically, the American Revolution carried significant and historic consequences … established a republican form of government out of what had been a monarchical and colonial political system. It altered the position of American people from being subjects of the British crown to citizens and political participants of a republic” (How Revolutionary Was The American Revolution?). Now, people had more freedom and the ability to express their thoughts on what they wanted for their country. As a result, people was struggling to leave old habits. The symbolism in this quote emphasizes how America had to adapt: “Rip now resumed his old walks and habits; he soon found many of his former cronies, though all rather the worse for the wear and tear of time; and preferred making friends among the rising generation, with whom he soon grew into great favor” (Irving, 1014). This quote is of great importance because it shows the reader that Rip Van Winkle himself represents the old country. Since all the news about the revolution and his family happened so fast to him, he does not know how to deal with them. For this reason, he kept his “old habits”, while at the same time, he adapted to his environment. Given these points, “Rip Van Winkle” can be analyzed as a story about the struggle for identity because of the

I strongly agree the statement “Washington Irving found in legend and folklore a view of the natural world colored by emotion, by superstition, and by the ancient belief that supernatural beings inhabit the wild places of the earth. He wrote stories that illustrated old truths about human nature and the dramatic possibilities of the American landscape.” Although Irving wrote over twenty volumes, including essays, poems, histories, biographies, and more, in class, we have focused on his fiction. Irving dispersed many beliefs and legends of his time, and the past, into his stories. He also made great use of American themes in these literary pursuits. Such details along with existent people and events interlaced in his fanciful tales are some of the reasons I find his work so distinctive and enjoyable.

The first qulity Irving associated with a Romantic hero was being an individual. Rip clearly did not follow the social norm of men in the village. While all other men went to work, Rip, “would sit on a wet rock( Irving” or “assist a neighbor”. He was willing to help anyone but his family. If Rip had followed the crowd, he would not have had the the calling and would never have been able to go into the

Irving describes the sights Rip is seeing for the first time, “the very village was altered; it was larger and more populous” not only that but, “he found his beard had grown a foot long” (6). When Rip arrives to the town the only thing he is worried about is finding his wife and receiving the fire he knows his wife will spit at him. Rip arrives in the town shocked when he finds the image of King George III replaced by George Washington. As Rip continues through the town he becomes confused and unable to understand that there is an election currently going on. When he is questioned by townspeople as to “which side he voted?” (7). Rip says, “ ‘I am a poor quiet man, a native of the place, and a loyal subject of the king, God bless him!” (7). Rip is hearing the townspeople talk so freely of elections and politics, it’s all very new, and it represents the freedom of speech these citizens now have and the responsibility of the new democracy. A main struggle of the story was one of identity, especially at this time in history. The citizens of America, twenty years after Rip Van Winkle finally awoke, found their identity. Rip, who was having difficulty finding himself throughout the story, finally finds his identity when his own identity after he is told about his wife’s passing and being

The turning point of the story occurs when Rip walks deep into the woods and encounters a mysterious band of oddly dressed strangers with foreign customs. These strangers represent the tribes of Indians who dwelled in villages outside the colonial settlements. In the short conscious time Rip spends with them, he takes the time to notice a great deal about how their small town works. Throughout their entire party, the group remained completely silent, although they were definitely happy. This portrays the Indians apprehension to interact with the settlers. Rip also takes note of a leader of the group. This leader wears a large, outlandish headpiece, and is shown to be a respected elder of the group. The entire scene where Rip waits on them out of fear, parodies the capturing and enslavement of the settlers by the Indians. This part of the story is a bit vague to the reader. The little men

I strongly agree with the statement “Washington Irving found in legend and folklore a view of the natural world colored by emotion, by superstition, and by the ancient belief that supernatural beings inhabit the wild places of the earth. He wrote stories that illustrated old truths about human nature and the dramatic possibilities of the American landscape.” Although Irving wrote over twenty volumes, including essays, poems, histories, biographies, and more, in class, we have focused on his fiction. Irving dispersed many beliefs and legends of his time, and the past, into his stories. He also made great use of American themes in these literary pursuits. Such details along with existent people and events interlaced in his imaginary tales are some of the reasons I find his work so distinctive and enjoyable.

National mythology can give people illusions that they are greater than what could have been and often cause conflicts between nations, so why are they pushed so much into society? Americans often believe they live in the greatest country in the world, because of our history, our wars. In paintings from hundreds of years ago you’ll see a white man heroically allying himself with a group of “savages” that he somehow befriended, or a white man perched on his white stallion riding off to save the world. National mythologies were important during this era, because they represented what your nation was and how it was viewed. How people should or shouldn’t live. In Rip Van Winkle some of the national myths were freedom, progress/change as a country. In the American Revolution we fought for freedom in the same way Rip fought for freedom from his wife. After the American Revolution we progressed by trying to make the states work together by creating a new government just like the change Rip had to go through after he woke up from his 20 year slumber. Irving needs readers to understand the importance of the setting, the characters and events because they are what brings national mythology to life.