Rip Van Winkle
Sentimentality In Changing Times
In ?Rip Van Winkle,? Washington Irving conveys the theme of a changing world with the essence of an underlying sentimentality. This story shows the radical changes that affect a small Dutch village in the Catskill Mountains after the Revolutionary War. The sense of sentimentality is shown in Rip?s yearning for the twenty years he missed while sleeping, and also in the simple times villagers lived in before the revolt against Great Britain. In The Reference Guide to American Literature, Daniel Hoffman says, ?Irving?s pervasive theme of nostalgia for the unrecoverable past is here at once mythologized and made unforgettable? (456). This observation is the central idea in ?Rip Van Winkle? made apparent to the reader through several specific occasions.
The first occasion where Rip feels a strong sense of nostalgia is when he sees his dog, Wolf, whom he believed was dead or lost after not finding him in the mountains. Wolf is Rip?s closest companion, and together they suffer through many lectures from Rip?s wife, Dame Van Winkle. Rip finds solace in spending time with Wolf, whether they are taking leisurely walks or going hunting. Wolf is even present in
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