SymbolsandReferencesinRipVanWinkle

By:WashingtonIrving

AmericanRevolu<onInthestory,aprominentthemeisthethemeoftheAmericanRevolu<on.BeforeWinklegoestosleephelivesinavillagethatiss<llruledbyEngland.Thiscanalsobeshown

throughRip’sandhiswife’srela<onship,shenagsonhislikeEnglandnagsonAmerica.Ontheotherhand,whenWinklewakesuphisvillagenowbelongstoanewcountry,theUnitedStatesofAmerica,NolongeristhevillageruledbyEngland’sKingGeorge,butinsteadbyGeorgeWashington.WhenRipwakesupandgoesbacktohistown,peopleactfriendlytowardhimwhichshowshowpeoplewerechangingtothenewAmerica.

ThisisexactlywhathappenedintheAmericanRevolu<on,thepeopleofAmericafoughtfortheirrightsandtheirfreedomandeventually

becametheirowncountrythroughthewinningoftheRevolu<onaryWar.

MarriageThisstorycontainsathemeofmarriage.ThewholereasonRipVanWinkleleaveshomeandwalksintotheforestisbecauseheis<redofhiswife,Dame’s,nagging.Inthisstory,marriageisn’tconsidereda

goodthing,butinstead,it’sconsideredanundesirablechore.ManyquotesfromthestorytellRip’sfeelingstowardshiswife,includingtheonesbelow.Inthisstory,marriageisn’tconsidereda

goodthing,butinstead,it’sconsideredanundesirablechore.

‐“FromeventhisstrongholdtheunluckyRipwasatlengthroutedbyhistermagantwife,whowouldsuddenlybreakinuponthe

tranquilityoftheassemblageandcallthemembersalltonaught;norwasthataugustpersonage,NicholasVedderhimself,sacredfromthedaringtongueofthisterriblevirago,whochargedhimoutrightwithencouragingherhusbandinhabitsofidleness.”‐“PoorRipwasatlastreducedalmosttodespair;andhisonly

alterna<ve,toescapefromthelaborofthefarmandclamorofhiswife,wastotakeguninhandandstrollawayintothewoods.”

ChangeAnotherthemeinthisshortstory,isthethemeofchange.Irvingconveysthemessagethatalthoughchangeisneeded,peoplealsohavetokeepsomeoftheoldtradi<onsandrulesandintegrateitwiththe

newones.WhenRipVanWinkleawakesandgoesbacktohimtownheno<cesmanychanges,includinga

changeinthetown’sinn.Heno<cesGeorgeWashington’spictureinsteadofKingGeorge’sandhealsono<cesanAmericanFlag.Eventhoughtherewere

dras<cchangestheinns<llremainedinthesameplace.ThenthestorygoesontodescribehisvillagewhenRipwakesup.Thisquoteforexampledescribesoneformofchangeinthevillage.“Theveryvillagewasaltered;itwaslargerandmorepopulous.Therewererowsofhouseswhichhehadneverseenbefore,and

thosewhichhadbeenhisfamiliarhauntshaddisappeared.”Thisvillageiss<llthesamevillagebutit’s

beenmodernizedandhasgrown.

ReferencetotheAmericanFlag

“InsteadofthegreattreethatusedtoshelterthequietliXleDutchinnofyore,therenowwasrearedatallnakedpole,withsomethingonthetopthatlookedlikearednight‐cap,andfromitwasfluXeringaflag,onwhichwasasingularassemblageofstarsandstripes‐all

thiswasstrangeandincomprehensible.”

‐ThisquoteisareferencetotheAmericanFlag.BeforeRipVanWinklefellasleep,theAmericanFlaghadnotbeeninventedsothisflag

seemedforeigntohimwhenheawoke.

ReferencetoGeorgeWashington

“Herecognizedonthesign,however,therubyfaceofKingGeorge,underwhichhehadsmokedsomanyapeacefulpipe;buteventhiswas

singularlymetamorphosed.Theredcoatwaschangedforoneofblueandbuff,aswordwasheldinthehandinsteadofasceptre,theheadwasdecoratedwithacockedhat,andunderneathwaspaintedinlarge

characters,GENERALWASHINGTON.”

‐ Thisquotereferencesthenewleaderofthenewcountry,GeorgeWashington.BeforeWashingtonwaspresident,thena<onwasundertheruleofKingGeorgeofEngland.