ipl-logo

Mutability In Irving's Rip Van Winkle

149 Words1 Pages
Throughout the story of Rip Van Winkle there is a theme of mutability. Mutability can be described as an "ability to change". In the story of Rip Van Winkle, Irving's main theme seems to be the mutability of both the individual American and American society itself. In the first part of the story Rip and those in his community are loyal to the King and the old world, when Rip returns following his long sleep, his community and their loyalties have changed. Those whom he associated with have also changed, throwing off their sedentary intellectual pursuits to become men of action in their new nation. The village that Rip had remembered had changed as well, new buildings had been constructed and old ones either remodeled or allowed to fall into
Open Document