Strange And Exaggerated Characters In Rip Van Winkle

In Washington Irving’s work “Rip Van Winkle,” Irving demonstrates all characteristics of an American Mythology rather humorously. These characteristics affect the story attracting the attention of readers and impacting the reader’s experience of the story by relishing America’s unique attributes and values. In “Rip Van Winkle,” Irving incorporates attributes of American Mythology by setting the story in exciting pastimes, filling the story with strange and exaggerated characters, and featuring magical mysterious events.
“Rip Van Winkle” is set during the reign of King George the Third in a small village near the Catskill Mountains. Rip, the protagonist, states his residence is “a little village of great antiquity,” (page 62). In the opening of the story, the village where Rip held residence was remote and of great age. Villagers did not expand and can be described as complacent. Upon Rip’s return to the village after a mystical event, Rip is perplexed to see that the only thing recognizable is the natural surrounding features of the Catskill Mountains. The small village was now “larger and more populous. There were rows of houses which he had never seen before, and those which had been his familiar haunts had disappeared,” (page

72). Also, Van Winkle happened upon a sign which he remembered as King George the Third, was metamorphosed. On the sign, the familiar red coat “changed for one of blue and buff.” Instead of the familiar scepter in hand, the man held a sword, and underneath the man was painted “General Washington,” (page 73). With this the reader can infer that the changes were made during the American Revolution, an exciting time in American history featuring battles for independence from Britain.
Irving did not fail to illustrate an array of strange and exaggerated characters in his literature.

Protagonist Rip Van Winkle possesses mystical and entertaining characteristics that captivate the reader. Rip Van Winkle regards all of his neighbors with kindness continuously. He shows the depth of American values such as kindness and the love of the neighbor. Van Winkle’s great kindness is illustrated by his helping of others. On page 62, the narrator states “He inherited, however, but little of the martial character of his ancestors. I have observed that he was a simple, good-natured man; he was moreover a kind neighbor, and an obedient, henpecked husband,” confirming that Van Winkle is a kind person and a loving

neighbor.
Another exaggerated character in Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle,” is Nicholas Vedder. Nicholas Vedder is “a patriarch of Rip Van Winkle’s village and the landlord of the inn outside of which the men gather to gossip,” (Rip Van Winkle and Other Stories Characters). Nicholas is exaggerated in the way he reacts to something that is presented to him. “When anything that was read or related displeased him, he was observed to smoke his pipe vehemently, and send forth short, frequent, and angry puffs; but when pleased, he would inhale the smoke slowly and tranquilly, and emit it in light and placid clouds,” (page 66). If Nicholas Vedder was unhappy he would smoke his pipe violently, and if he was satisfied he would smoke peacefully. Thus Vedder’s followers could gather his opinions without him having to speak.