In the story Rip Van Winkle by Washington, Rip sleeping for twenty years result in him missing the revolution of America altogether. During rip van winkle absence, his village developed and became crowded with a lot of transformations. According to the story, we can see a huge contrast with the village Rip was in 20 years ago and the one he finds himself in now. This distinction suggests Irving view of the clash between traditionalism and modernity. In the sight of Rip, “The very character of the people seemed changed.
There was a busy, bustling tone about it, instead of the accustomed drowsy tranquility”, the village and its resident are shown to be significantly transformed after the departure for 20 years by Rip (Washington 24). He seems to dislike some of those alterations in his village and believe that they are of the worse. He misses the revolution he might not even have taken part in and empire changes and the politics means so little to him. Rip rather uses his time to enjoy his wife absence after his return and he also returns to his old life, being idle, takes walk in the woods and also narrate his mystical event.
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Rip Van Winkle became glued to the past by going back to live a simple quiet life free from ambitions. He also held to his traditions. The village appear to have been changed entirely during Rip absence, but it is possible to glance the past beneath the new transformations. This can be observed at the inn where “A large, rickety wooden building stood in [the] place [of the inn]”, but King George III painting can still be seen (Washington 23). Although George Washington painting has been painted over King George III painting, but the face of king George can still be seen through. This portrait reveals the residue of the past on which the new village is based on, proposing that the past, present and the future are intertwined and part of the same continuity and inseparable.
With what is going on now with COVID 19, it seems like we all slept a long time like Rip and just woke up to find a new normal of staying indoors, wearing mask, and going out only when it is necessary. And there is this conflict as it happens to Rip between the old way of doing things and the new normal that is confused with conflicting messages in the country with what with should and shouldn’t do. I also recently watch tv program on investigation discovery where a man was accused of a crime and to jail during the 1970s and he was recently released, and he was narrating his story. He went to his neighborhood and like Rip, he was like a stranger there. A lot has changed there, with different faces he couldn’t recognized. But there was a few he could identify from the past.
The story of Rip Van Winkle tells us to be hardworking and live a good life so as not be a burden on others during old age. The story also let us to know how times flies and if we don’t do something meaningful with our lives while we are young, we will wake up one day and find out that we are old and we can no longer do anything meaningful with our lives.
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