Rip’s Dependence on Society for Self-Identity Essay -- Rip Van Winkle

squanderers Dependence on Society for Self-Identity Rip cutting edge shine After falling dozy in the forest, a man returns to find his house abandoned, his town modify his friends dead or missing and his own identity in drab doubt. Suddenly he recognizes his exact likeness walking down the passageway and for a moment he loses his identity. This is not a science manu particularure piece but rather the well known tale of Rip wagon train Winkle by Washington Irving. In the moment when vanguard Winkle sees his exact likeness walking up the mountain, he lets taboo an anguished cry, . . .I cant tell whats my name, or who I am I am (Page 410) With that one statement we understand Van Winkles predicament. Without his community to define him Van Winkle is lost, for he only exists through the eyes of others. To understand smash Van Winkles predicament we must first understand his character and how he was viewed by his community. Examining the text we find ample e xamples of both. Irving describes his main character as an amiable fool. As stated in the text Van Winkle is . . . one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy, eat white lettuce or brown, which ever can be got with least thought or trouble, and would rather starve on a penny than work for a pound. (Page 404) He is also said to be a man who, If unexpended to himself would whistle his life away . . . (Page 404) Clearly Van Winkle has exact concern for the matters of getting ahead. Yet one has to look at how he fits into his rustic community to get a clearer impression of him. Although much satire is made of Van Winkle being a henpecked save, the story al... ...n to an old woman who finally comes forward and proclaims, Sure generous it is Rip Van Winkle -- it is himself. (Page 411) After her identification is corroborated by the immemorial Peter Vanderdonk, Van Winkle is Van Winkle once more. one time he is id entified, Van Winkles place in the community is reinstated. In fact his status even improves to the point where he is considered, one of the patriarchs of the village, for in their eyes he is now a town historian. The story of Van Winkle shows us how dependent he was on the community, without which he could not exist. His place within the society and the acknowledgment of others were crucial to how he delimitate himself. Works CitedIrving, Washington. Rip Van Winkle. The Heath Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Paul Lauter. capital of Massachusetts Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998.