Nature In Rip Van Winkle

When I first heard of the Romantics era of literature I thought of the common love story with all the authors extending about how two people or two creatures fell in love. Then we learned about the romantics little “r” and the romantics big “R.” The difference between these two is the little “r” is what I thought and the big “R” is about nature and its beauty. This era pays respect to the world’s beautiful scenery. There are many themes and characteristics that Washington Irving expresses in his short story, “Rip Van Winkle.” I chose to interpret “Rip Van Winkle,” because the main character is unique through his actions, especially how he spends his time at the end of the story, and his actions show comfort, even though it seems that he shouldn’t

It says that when it came to his things everything that could go wrong did. He even began to lose acres of land until he had a little patch but even then, it was the worst farm in the town. Rip would lose acres of land but he still lived comfortably because he would have “whistled life away, in perfect contentment” (473). This proves my point that Rip Van Winkle lives comfortably and doesn’t stress too much even though others would think otherwise. Rips’ wife was “continually dinning in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he was bringing on his family” (473). I interpret his carelessness as he gave up on his own property, but he can still find peace in helping others. I think we could say he was nonconforming and he did what he believed is right. He came to the conclusion that there is no use in maintaining his farm so he would help others; that way he can still be helping society and making himself feel better. He was not like anyone else; most people don’t help others instead of doing their own chores. Rip was individualistic and that was a big characteristic of the Romantics era. Rip’s reaction to his wife’s lectures was “He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, cast up his eyes, but said nothing” (473). His reaction would make his wife mad and he would go outside, where “in truth, belongs to a henpecked husband” (473). This part shows that nature is the only

He ended up walking to the top of one of the Kaatskill Mountains. Right when he started his descent he heard someone call his name and it was someone from the neighborhood that could use some help. Rip helped carry a keg of liquor for the man. They walked into the man’s town and Rip noticed that the people and objects were different. The man signaled for Rip to wait while he went into the amphitheatre. When no one was looking, Rip took a sip and kept drinking until he passed out. He then woke up, without his gun or his dog, and eventually he went back to town where he finds out that he has been asleep for 20 years. During those 20 years, he learns there were so many changes like the American Revolution and how America has established a government. After all these changes, he “resumed his old walks and habits” (481). It’s amazing how 20 years went by and instead of finding all the things that are new he goes back to his old ways of sitting in front of the inn and talking about the town gossip. Clearly Rip Van Winkle is led by his emotions because the emotional thing is gossip and the adult thing is to become knowledgeable about what has changed. The Romantics era is all about the individual experience. Rip did not conform to any expectations, he helped others but never himself. Sometimes I think Rip loved nature so much that he fell asleep in it for all those