Critical Essay on ‘Rip Van Winkle’ – Free Essay Example

Rip Van Winkle experiences different types of tyrannical power. He experiences the tyranny of marriage, daily household tasks, and the tyranny of King George the Third of Britain over American. The tale tackles the matter of the possible solutions through which people can obtain their freedom in the presence of all these struggles. The story also encourages the reader to define the real meaning of freedom and what ways have to be followed to get rid of tyranny and oppression. In this tale, the reader can see that Rip’s long sleep was an effective means to walk away from the tyranny he had suffered from.

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Before Rip’s long sleep, he was suffering because he has to be under the reign of the British King, suffering from being an obedient husband and the responsible man of his family. Anyhow, the protagonist of this tale sleeps during the revolutionary war and wakes up to find the United States free nation, and his wife dies from breaking a blood vessel in a fit of passion at a New England Peddler. So, Rip finally becomes free from the King’s authority and from marriage’s tyranny. Rip is now an old man, in other words, he cannot be asked to do any rough work anymore. Through this story, Irving is trying to state the message that obstacles should be faced with firmness and inspiration.

Rip Van Winkle appreciate his own freedom, but he never really fought for it. He is a very good example of passive resistance. The reader can easily see this throughout the story. Rip meets his wife’s hard temper with careless movements or he tries to ignore her by either shaking his head or looking at the sky. These movements he is doing neither show refusal nor agreement. When Dame Winkle was still alive, Rip used to get rid of her by neglecting her. The reader never notices a verbal clash between Rip and his wife; this of course shows Rip’s passive resistance. His passivity in getting freedom from King George the Third is clear, thus, he becomes an independent citizen of the United States by sleeping peacefully during the revolution war. Rip’s passivity comes in contrast with other types of active resistance, which are performed by other characters; for example, one of Rip’s friends dies in war and another becomes a member of Congress. These men witnessed the birth of the United States. In one way or another, Irving is trying to say that passivity is effective, by making the protagonist a passive character. Thus, Rip is happy, kind, and generous without even making any effort.