than is necessary in life; Rip Van Winkle sleeps away twenty years of his life without missing a beat. “Surely,” thought Rip, “I have not slept here all night” (Irving 70). Washington Irving, author of “Rip Van Winkle”, takes readers on a journey through time and change. Irving created a national mythology in “Rip Van Winkle”, using strange and exaggerated characters, magical and mysterious events and a positive message about a nation that is changing. Rip Van Winkle is a man whose company is enjoyed…
that “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving is a story that was written with the American people in mind. Written at a time when America was in a constant state of change, and as its citizens were struggling to form their own identities, “Rip Van Winkle” speaks to the alienation many Americans felt during the late 1700s and early 1800s. Fresh off of the American Revolution, America was trying to form its own identity as a country free from English culture and crown. Irving’s main character, Rip Van…
convey a positive message about a nation or it’s people. One of the most well known American mythology is Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving and Charles Burke. The first characteristic Rip Van Winkle fits into is that it is set in the past in remote and exciting places. The story is set during the time King George lll had control over the colonies. Which was around the late 1700s. Rip Van Winkle had fallen asleep on the highest point of a mountain, which was miles and miles away from the village.…