Rip Van Winkle: The Stallion
In Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle, the main character, Rip Van Winkle, is presented as "a kind neighbor, and an obedient hen pecked husband." He is depicted as the victim of a vicious prank that causes him to sleep twenty years. His disappearance in the Catskills has been analyzed and approached in various ways. Marcel Heiman psychoanalyzes the nap, Philip Young comments on its mythic significance, and Amanda M. Ellis doesn't interpret the disappearance at all, but relies on it as an actual supernatural occurrence. It is speculated, however that his missing twenty years were not spent in slumber, but were more likely a timely journey of a promiscuous individual. Classifying Rip Van Winkle as an innocent victim may not be entirely accurate, for he may be more like a devious scoundrel. Through puns and imagery, Irving depicts Rip Van Winkle as an unfaithful husband who eventually abandons Dame Van Winkle and their children for a twenty -year romp in the hay. One prime example of this, brought to attention by William P. Dawson, is presented as an innocent description, but reveals far more:Certain it is, that he was a great favorite among all the good wives of the village, who, as usual, with th
Dawson states that the physical features of these men relate to male sexuality. Sometimes, they are ghost, other times dwarfs, or even the crew of a ship that sank in the Hudson. Irving does this again when Rip Van winkle is examining the landscape. " The Hudson can be a representation of his wife, Dame Van Winkle, being the ruling factor in his life. " Later, when he awoke, crows circled him and "seemed to look down and scoff at the poor man's perplexities" (McQuade 854). The children of the village, too, would shout with joy whenever he approached. It may be that he was no longer able to lead a reckless life, and that his rusty firearm may represent impotency. Rip Van Winkle surrendered his identity and roots in the pursuit of a promiscuous lifestyle. Through cleverly placed imagery and puns, Irving gives the reader an inside look into the life of this deviant which may help to explain the true purpose of this story, other than a fairy tale. Zlogar interprets Rip Van Winkle's urge to join the party as a direct result of an overindulgence of liquor. He may be the favorite among the village's wives due to his proclivities and the reason that the dogs do not bark at him is more than likely because they are familiar with him, due to his frequent visits to the wive's homes. (McQuade 849) Though the passage does not directly point out Rip Van Winkle's misconduct, it is full of small notions suggesting just that.
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Acceptance Essays
