The story of Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving is about a man who shares the same name as the title of the short story. It is set during two different times, before and after the American Revolution. The tale is in the beautiful land of the Catskill Mountains in New York where a Dutch colony had settled. Rip Van Winkle had contrasting traits, which makes him very real and grounded. It is said that he is “a kind neighbor and an obedient, henpecked husband” (6). He had a wife who constantly nagged him for his idleness and carelessness. However, he was always very quick to lend a helping hand to his fellow townsmen. The women and the children of his town adored him since he was very friendly and would always offer to do favors. When it comes to his own household, he “would rather starve on a penny than work for a pound” (11). He was a type of character that might have seemed odd during the time this tale was written. He was very fond of nature, he had a dog named Wolf whom he loved and did everything with. He tried to escape his wife’s nagging by going off into the woods. During a time when there was no divorce or marriage counseling, having a spouse you do not get along with just meant that you had to deal with it. One time when Van Winkle was killing time in the woods, he saw a strange figure that he decided to follow. He entered a room where he played ninepins with his new acquaintance and had a bit to drink. Van Winkle them fell asleep for twenty years. When he awoke, he thought that he only took a short nap. He revisited his village where he knew no one. People found him very strange as he did not look familiar and he had a beard which grew a foot long. A character named Peter confirmed that he was in fact a member of the village a long time ago. He said that “Catskill Mountains had always been haunted by strange beings” (58). The story of Rip Van Winkle has a bit of ambiguity. It can have two meanings depending on your point of view. The first, is that it is an escapist story and representation of the Romantic era. The second is that it is a representation of America as how the English saw it. This paper focuses on the imagery and symbolism used by Irving to paint a picture of America using an escapist point of view.
The first thing that needs to be sorted out is that when this tale was written, Irving was not in America, he was in England. He admitted in an interview that he had never visited Catskill Mountains before he wrote the short story, Rip Van Winkle. This is an important detail because we can see how a European might view America. There are elements of supernaturalism and a heavy theme in nature used. These two themes are widely used in the Romantic era of literature. For Europeans, the setting of Catskill Mountain is very exotic and even enchanting. This area is said to have magical qualities which vary depending on the season or time of year. Irving says that the mountain summits omit a certain glow during the last rays of the sun. This glow is said to look like a “crown of glory” (4). All the animals and each landscape are described with incredible detail, suggesting that they all had a part to paint the entire story. Irving personifies nature, giving the story more emotion and suspense. For example, when Van Winkle went out squirrel hunting, he looks into a mountain glen which was described to be deep, wild lonely and shagged. The area was said to have little light which gives a sense of mystery. Readers will feel that not many people have visited this mountain glen. Depicting this area as lonely is quite interesting since a mountain glen is a void, or a hole (18). This choice of words adds drama, which is seen in a lot of pieces written during this time. Readers can get a clear picture of the scenery which makes them feel as if they are part of the story. Irving uses descriptions of the landscape, imagery and animals around in order to give the feeling or mood of the setting.
Supernaturalism is an evident theme in the story. This kind of mystery is found in Gothic literature and is reminiscent of the Romantic period. Irving used the word “strange” a lot, especially when he encountered the “strange figure slowly toiling up the rocks” (19). And he repeats it “yet there was something strange and incomprehensible about the unknown” (21) as he describes his new acquaintance as well as his companions “such strange, uncouth, lack-luster countenances” (23). Once he woke up, he started describing things in the same way “strange children”, “strange faces”, “strange names” (30) to emphasize Van Winkle’s confusion. This kind of confusion and supernaturalism is representative of how the older Dutch settlers might have felt during the war. They might have not fully understood the hardships they had to go through, so the events that occurred might have felt supernatural or “strange”. This theme brings out the escapist characteristics of this story. Instead of wanting to face the realities of the revolution and the war, the other villagers (or even, the real Dutch Settlers) might have wished that they had escaped it just as Van Winkle did. Van Winkle was seen as blessed to have been able to go back to his normal daily routine, “Having nothing to do at home, and being arrived at that happy age when a man can do nothing with impunity” (61).
Individualism is seen as a resounding theme in the story. In the more obvious aspects of the story, Van Winkle is seen as an individual because he enjoyed going off on his own. Even though he enjoyed company, he liked going out and escaping from his reality. However, individualism can also be seen within the characters and is actually one of the main themes in the roles. This was representative of how America was free from British rule. We can see that Van Winkle was American through his traits and how the English might have viewed Americans. He was lazy and let his children become “ragged and wild as if they belonged to nobody” (10). The English saw Americans as idle and careless, happy with being foolish. His character suggests that the English feel that Americans feel no need to respect their roots and would rather run away from the firm hand or rule of their motherland. Dame Van Winkle was England “a tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener by constant use” (13). Her traits were that of England that she knew better as she was older and she only wanted the best from her husband in order to keep the household fit. It was obvious that Rip was free from Dame Van Winkle after he woke up since America was free from British rule. The theme of individualism is seen in the characters played.
The element of the past is a strong theme in the story. However, this is only seen towards the end. Irving makes a great contrast between the two settings and describes those who were present during the war to be “worse for the wear and tear of time” (60). This was Irving’s style of diction, how he describes the place before and after the American Revolution. Van Winkle was enclosed in a specific time frame, meaning that he has experienced how life was before the war, without seeing the gradual change. Instead of accepting the current situation and understanding why it was so, he was confused and could see the difference. The new age Van Winkle steps in was busier, things were bigger and overall people were different. Irving contrasts the past and the present by using elements of the past with his story. This kind of theme is seen a lot on the Romantic period and is a great representation of it. The character, Vanderdonk, is a clear example that the past, as well as of the older Dutch settlers, this is a resounding theme in the story because he is a historian. He studies the past and has stories that have been past down from his ancestors.
The interesting tale of Rip Van Winkle has four main themes. It is of nature, supernaturalism, individualism and the past. The story is representative of the escapist nature the Dutch settlers had during the time. This was seen in how they would have rather run away from the war than bore the pain and heartache that came with it. You can clearly see this in Van Winkle’s character, how he would run away from his wife whenever she were to nag him. The characters are symbolic of different countries. Van Winkle was America according to English view because of his characteristics of being lazy, idle and careless. Dame Van Winkle was England, the cause of pain of America, the nagging mouth and know-it-all wife. She seemed to have Van Winkle stuck in a corner, during the time before the revolution, Americans might have felt that way about British rule. Peter was representative of Dutch settlers, he stood by and watched; he saw what happened before and after the war. The story of Rip Van Winkle is definitely an escapist tale of how the Dutch wished they were asleep during the years of war.
Works Cited
Washington Irving. “Rip Van Winkle”. Bartleby. Web. http://www.bartleby.com/195/4.html
