Rip Van Winkle Conflict

An Analysis of Washington Irving’s Use and Theme of Marital Conflict

Today’s culture in most all parts of the world expect a married person to respect their spouse, however the world was not always so. At the time of Washington Irving’s life and writing career, men and women were not necessarily equal. Not to say that marital conflict was common, but it was far more easily accepted. Irving was no exception to this, but to make this clear, analysis is necessary of the closest thing available to his views which are found in his works. In his “Rip Van Winkle,” Washington Irving presents marital conflict through Rip’s attitude, a woman’s role, and the effect of relationships.

To begin, Rip Van Winkle obviously has a very strong opinion of his wife, her role, and his farm’s condition. Washington Irving makes it clear to the reader that “Rip was ready to attend to any body’s business but his own” (30). Irving also explains Rip’s inability to maintain his

Irving wrote “Rip Van Winkle” in 1819, a time when women were expected to be far more submissive and did not have an equal level of rights as men did. By having Dame Van Winkle voice her opinion so freely and clamorously, Irving attempts to present reasons why his society had it that way. Irving even describes Rip’s dog, Wolf, and his fear of Dame Van Winkle, as he was a courageous dog, “but what courage can withstand the ever during and all besetting terrors of a woman’s tongue?” (Irving 31). Furthermore, Tuttleton points out that Judith Fetterly went as far to say the subject of “Rip Van Winkle” is the avoidance of women or at least one’s wife (10). Furthermore, Fetterly asks how this impact of an American dream effects the woman’s role in America (Tuttleton 10). Perhaps the more relevant question here is how Irving’s hint on the American dream effects his definition of a woman’s