Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” exemplifies the theory of imagination using escapism. After sleeping for 20 years, readers are forced to distinguish between Rip’s fantasy and his past. In addition, Rip awakens in another time, therefore his imagination, and intelligence is more developed than the townspeople, or his wife ever thought. Rip’s imagination not only created a free nation, he also freed himself from a nightmarish marriage.
Throughout the tale of “Rip Van Winkle,” Irving paints a clear picture of the protagonist’s personality. Rip is flawed, not horribly, but enough for him to face unendurable henpecking from his wife. He is incompetent with household work. After years of consistent belittling from his wife, Rip only finds solace outside. …show more content…
the impression-idea-relation and 2. Memory” (16). Obviously, Rip has ideas for his imagination to think about, this includes the treatment he receives from his wife. After he consumes a bit too much alcohol, his imagination ponders what life would be like without his incessantly nagging wife. According to Klein, Damm, & Giebeler “imagination it is possible to conceive "another world": imagination overcomes the limits of concept usage derived from the material world, because it is free of the necessity to follow the correspondence theory of truth” (17). Thus, he created a “universe,” so to speak, where his wife no longer exists. Rip literally imagined away his wife.
Moreover, Rip sleeps through American’s most defining historical moment and he doesn’t care. Rip’s escape in the woods was about freeing himself; therefore, the American Revolution does not concern him. As far as Rip is concerned, he only needs freedom from his wife. The words “Oh, she too had died but a short time since; she broke a blood vessel in a fit of passion at a New England peddler” (Irving 39) were all he needed to hear as "There was a drop of comfort, at least, in this intelligence" (Irving 39). This freedom is all Rip
Throughout the tale of “Rip Van Winkle,” Irving paints a clear picture of the protagonist’s personality. Rip is flawed, not horribly, but enough for him to face unendurable henpecking from his wife. He is incompetent with household work. After years of consistent belittling from his wife, Rip only finds solace outside. …show more content…
the impression-idea-relation and 2. Memory” (16). Obviously, Rip has ideas for his imagination to think about, this includes the treatment he receives from his wife. After he consumes a bit too much alcohol, his imagination ponders what life would be like without his incessantly nagging wife. According to Klein, Damm, & Giebeler “imagination it is possible to conceive "another world": imagination overcomes the limits of concept usage derived from the material world, because it is free of the necessity to follow the correspondence theory of truth” (17). Thus, he created a “universe,” so to speak, where his wife no longer exists. Rip literally imagined away his wife.
Moreover, Rip sleeps through American’s most defining historical moment and he doesn’t care. Rip’s escape in the woods was about freeing himself; therefore, the American Revolution does not concern him. As far as Rip is concerned, he only needs freedom from his wife. The words “Oh, she too had died but a short time since; she broke a blood vessel in a fit of passion at a New England peddler” (Irving 39) were all he needed to hear as "There was a drop of comfort, at least, in this intelligence" (Irving 39). This freedom is all Rip