Reflection Of Rip Van Winkle

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Recommended: Importance of setting in literature

Irving Washington's story Rip Van Winkle is a true reflection of the emergency of America's mythology. Irving comprehensively describes the life and transformation of Rip Van Winkle in a comical manner that by the end of the story plot makes the reader realize that Rip Van Winkle is actually a reflection or image of America. Throughout the plot of the story, Irving successfully incorporates and develops three traits in the story that are peculiar in mythological stories; the setting of the story geographically and time wise, the characters and more specifically the character of Rip Van Winkle and the events that occur in the course of the story are all descriptive of a mythological story.
To start with, Irving's story Rip Van Winkle is set at the foot of the fairy mountains, the Catskills. The environment is quite exciting. "…and they are regarded by all the good wives, far and near, as perfect barometers. When the weather is fair and settled, they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky" (Washington, 2014, paragraph 4). The story is in...

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