Rip van winkle is a short story by the American author, Washington Irving, first published in

1819. I my oinion The life lesson that can be learned from this story is: Time will go on and
things will continue to change no matter what people are.

In the story, Rip takes a 20-year nap, but time does not stop. The world keeps changing around
him. Even though Rip is not aware of all of the changes going on, they still happen. When he
awakes, Rip finds that there are some changes that he likes. The village was larger, more
populous, rows of new houses and others like the little village inn were gone . His own home
was dilapidated and falling apart. The people had different attitudes and at first, they no longer
recognized or welcomed him. The people were “busy,” “bustling,” with a “disputatious tone”
and no longer was there the “drowsy tranquility”. These changes in the peoples’ actions and
attitudes may have occurred from a more competitive economy. Beasides, he no longer has to
answer to his wife (because she has died) and does not have the same responsibilities and
burdens that he used to. Rip’s daughter lives in a “snug, well furnished” comfortable home with
a “stout, cheery” husband who works the farm. Even though Rip was upset that he missed a lot
of important events, the moral of the story is that time does not wait.

The world will continue to move forward and change even if people don't want to. Therefore,
people also have to learn to accept and change to fit the living situation as well as the times.