Universidad Nacional de Colombia

Facultad de Ciencias Humanas

Departamento de Lenguas Extranjeras
Literatura Inglesa I
Andrés Mosquera
March 29, 2016

Rip Van Winkle and Dame Van Winkle´s Marriage: Escape from the Suffering to be
Free.

Suffering, escape and freedom constitute the relationship between Rip Van
Winkle and Dame Van Winkle. In the American Revolutionary Era, the role for the most
of married women was centered on the home (Nelson Burns, n.d.).In one hand,
women functions were basically restrained to feed the family, made clothing, do the
housework essentials –cleaning the house and clothing -, take care about the children,
and serve as a nurse and midwife (Nelson, n.d.). On the other hand, the men functions
in that time were being the head of the household and provide sustenance. In this
sense, the configuration of the relationship between Rip Van Winkle and his wife was
not different from the rest of the marriages. However, the way in which they dealt
with their respective functions – especially Rip Van Winkle duties as a housekeeper-
affects the perception and opinion about each other; that leads to stormy and
unbearable coexistence.

Rip Van Winkle character is a simple good-natured man, a kind neighbor, and
an obedient hen-pecked husband. (pg. 8). In contrast, Dame Van Winkle is basically a
shrew (pg. 8). Her dominant and recalcitrant mood constantly collide with the
appeasable personality of her husband. Moreover, Rip Van Winkle´s idle disposition
toward work is synthetized by Irwing´s Knickerbocker persona: “In a word, Rip was
ready to attend to anybody’s business but his own; but as to doing family duty, and
keeping his farm in order, he found it impossible” (pg. 10). It is clear that all this is
source for constant quarrels and discontentment in the couple. A sample, but not the
unique, upon the Dame´s Van Winkle disapproval of her husband´s actions is that she
“continually dinners in his ears about his idleness, his carelessness, and the ruin he was
bringing on his family” (pg. 10). One must ask to oneself if it is worthy to keep a
marriage in such conditions, particularly if one is not enough wicked to kill the wife and
divorce was rarely conceded at that time (Nelson, n.d.). The marriage is a complete
suffering for Rip Van Winkle; though, life sometimes offers unforeseen way outs.

It is natural for every single person to look for refugee in order to manage with
feelings as sadness and desperation. The intention of the protagonist is only to ramble
for a while in order to have a breath from his suffering, and not being absent too much
time (pg. 13). In the Kasstkill Mountains, Rip Van Winkle was really afraid to see the
termagant face again: “and he heaved a heavy sigh when he thought of encountering
the terrors of Dame Van Winkle “(pg. 14). Consciously he wanted to have an escape
from his sorrow. But unconsciously, he is lucky enough to sleep for twenty years and
not realize about it.

Fortunately for the sleeper, his wife had already passed away when he arrives
to the town after such a long time (pg. 22). After all, the worst tragedy was being in the
state before his lethargy. Although the cost of expend twenty years absent from home
and the consequences derived such as not rising his children is heavy, for the good-
natured Van Winkle that is nothing. He enjoys his freedom as an old widower and
matured man and as citizen. Released from the yoke of matrimony overnight
apparently guiltless, Rip Van Winkle “having nothing to do at home, and being arrived
at that happy age when a man can be idle with impunity, he took his place once more
on the bench at the inn door, and was reverenced as one of the patriarchs of the
village, and a chronicle of the old times “before the war” (pg. 23). Also, he enjoys his
freedom as “a free citizen of the United States” (pg. 23), while he does not care the
latter but the former because his apathy toward politics. Just being free to go
whenever he wants without being frightened of the “tirany of Dame Van Winkle” (pg.
23) is enough to be happy for him.

The relationship between Rip Van Winkle and his wife is a suffering for him. He
undergoes a matrimony under the rule of his wife. His relaxed and neglectful character
crashes with Dame Van Winkle´s firm and rigid mood. Unexpectedly, he is escapes
from that suffering through a twenty-years-sleep in the mountains. He is lucky enough
to adapt himself to his new life and enjoys his freedom to do what he pleased without
the turbulent presence of his wife.
References:

• Nelson, L. The Contemplator's Short History of Women in the Revolutionary

Era. Contemplator.com. Retrieved 27 March 2016, from
http://www.contemplator.com/history/revwomen.html