Rip Van Winkle - Essay Example

Rip Van Winkle Washington Irving is conveying the message about the necessary changes in the Rip Van Winkle story. In his life, Rip slept for twenty years and when he woke up, even in the place of his gun was an old firelock. The story shows changes in the environment due to the activities of people like new houses. The village grew bigger with changes in the houses, other structures, and the environment. Besides, the story shows the change in people with most of them not recognizing Rip when he first returns to his village including his daughter.

The dress the people wore changed and they looked different. The villagers’ characters changed from being drowsy and phlegm to being busy (Perkins 204). The story shows that the changes in society accompany a loss of some values and customs. The characters in the story convey the theme of revolution in society. The characters such as Rip, Dame, Judith, and other villagers assist in building this theme. The character Dame assists in showing how Rip acted before the change and the reason he ran from home.

In his return, Dame being deceased shows the changes that occurred in society. The villagers also become hard-working in the changed society. Rip’s memory shows the changes that occur in society while he was away. Most of his friends were either dead or in different locations and statuses. He also shows a change in making friends with the new generation (Perkin, 206). Judith grows into a woman on his father’s return and is also having rip III in his hand (Perkin, 205). Judith welcomes his father on his return to the village showing the development of new America after the revolution.