Rip Van Winkle Compare And Contrast Essay
Mikayla Souza
Elisabeth Bell
ENG 241-0001
April 1, 2014
Comparing and Contrasting the Two Stories of Rip Van Winkle.
The story of Rip Van Winkle was written in 1819 by Washington Irving. It was the first American short story. Robert Coover wrote Rip Awake 153 years later. It is his version of the continuing story of the man named Rip Van Winkle. Although both these stories have obvious similarities there are also many differences. These differences include the setting of the story, the character of Rip himself, and the mood of the story.
Rip Van Winkle was written as a short story. This is one of the many differences between Rip Van Winkle and Rip Awake. Coover’s version of Rip Awake was written as a play. The format in which a literary piece is written can drastically alter the way the audience perceives the work. If a piece is presented dramatically, all the audience knows is what they see and hear. They have no way of knowing a character’s thoughts. Alternatively, if the audience reads a piece of work for themselves, they do not have the benefit of dramatic inflection. Each of these forms of presentation are intriguing and unique. However, they both have there …show more content…
personal benefits as well as there downfalls.
Another difference in the structure of Irving’s Rip Van Winkle and Coover’s Rip Awake is the point of view in which it is expressed. Rip Awake is written as a first person narrative. The narrator of Coover’s piece is Rip Van Winkle himself. The literary piece was meant as a monologue and being able to hear the story completely from Rip Van Winkle gives the audience a deeper understanding of him as a character. On the contrary, Rip Van Winkle is written as a third person narrative with the narrator being Diedrich Knickerbocker. Diedrich Knickerbocker was Washington Irving’s pen name. Because the story was written in third person we do not always have to focus on Rip Van Winkle. We can observe the other characters because the narrator is reliable and omnipresent. Like the forms of presentation, each point of view has its strengths and weaknesses. Because Rip Awake is written as a first person with Rip himself as the narrator we are able to better understand him as a character. We are able to understand what he thinks and why he thinks that way. However, we are unable to observe the other characters in the story without Rip being present. Consequently, because Rip Van Winkle is written in third person we are not able to understand Rip as completely as we can. However, the benefit of an omnipresent and reliable narrator may make up for that.
Rip also does not have the same personality traits in both stories. In Irving’s story of Rip Van Winkle Rip is a very kind man. He is easy going, humble, and although he is lazy when it comes to his own chores he often sets out to help people with theirs. Because of this, he is an extremely well liked man. In the story, Irving describes him saying “I have observed that he was a simple good natured man; he was moreover a kind neighbor, and an obedient, henpecked husband.” After Rip awakens from his 20 year sleep, he goes back down to the village extremely frustrated and confused. Once he tells the towns people his story, they begin to think he is crazy and he fears they may be right. He finds out his belligerent wife has passed away and he is relieved. He then goes to live with his daughter. He is much happier there and spends the rest of his days as a lazy man once again well-liked by his peers.
This varies greatly with the personality of Rip in Rip Awake. In Coover’s story, Rip is an extremely angry man. He is angry because of his circumstances and it has driven him to resentment. In Rip Awake, Rip demonstrates some of that anger and resentment when he says “I mean, you think about it, just think how it’d be to go to sleep at- how old are you? Twenty-five?-all right, and so you wake up and you’re suddenly fourty-five! You drop off in your late thirties, which ain’t so young itself, and you come to already pushing sixty, how would that make you feel?” He also continuously complains about the fact that his body has deteriorated. He speaks of his sunken muscles, long beard and overgrown toenails. Almost everything coming out of his mouth is a hate fueled complaint. Irving’s Rip does not carry that same resentment. In fact, he is actually happier with his new life with his daughter than he was twenty years ago with his wife. These are two completely different attitudes displayed by the shared character.
Although angry, crazy and resentful, Coover’s Rip did not always hold those traits. In fact, one of the similarities in the two stories is the description of Rip before he traveled up that mountain. As stated earlier, Irving describes Rip as a kind, care free, and well liked man. Coover’s “old” Rip is not described as much different. In Rip Awake, Rip talks about his prior self, saying “Sure, we know what old Rip’s like, he’s that lovable local character from the little village of yellow brick houses and great antiquity down there at the foot of those fairy mountains, so-called—old Rip, who helped everybody else with their chores but never done his own, fooled away his days at Nick Vedder’s inn, fished with a rod as long and heavy as Chinaman’s whatsit, and let old Dame Van Winkle wear the family galligakins!” This proves that is not so much the character himself who is different, but the way he responded to his circumstances.
Rip Van Winkle also displays two very different levels of sanity in these stories. The Rip in Rip Van Winkle is much saner than the Rip in Rip Awake. Although the Rip in Irving’s story fears his sanity, it is nothing like the loss of sanity Coover’s Rip experiences. Irving’s Rip is extremely confused by the events that took place and eventually believes he may be insane. However, he comes to grips with the situation and ultimately lives happily ever after. Coover’s Rip never moves past the situation. In every word we read we can tell he is neurotic and insane. The way he speaks is like a mad man. He speaks of attempting to never sleep again by starvation and pacing back and forth until he couldn’t walk any longer. Throughout the story, he constantly breaks down in tears.
His insanity is also reinforced in the fact that he constantly loses his grip on what is a dream and what is reality. Hallucinations become a common occurrence for him. We often see him having conversations with people that aren’t even there. His insanity even drives him to murder. In one occasion, he accidently shoots his beloved dog Wolf thinking it was another animal. In another, he accidently murders his daughter believing it to be his deceased wife. This is a major difference between Coover’s and Irving’s Rip. Coover’s Rip because overwhelmed with insanity resulting in him becoming a murderer while Irving’s Rip manages to keep himself under control.
Although insane, in some ways Coover’s Rip seems to be more aware than the Rip in Irving’s story. He is thrown back into reality and feels abused by his creator. He does not know who his creator is but he feels like his fate was unfair. Irving’s Rip is much less perceptive. He does not dwell much on the past. In fact, he is so impartial to the past he does not even care much that he has slept through the entire Revolutionary War. Coover’s Rip can only see the past, never moving on and constantly demanding to understand why. He is so focused on the past that at the end of the story he travels back up the mountain to face his creators in the hopes of fixing his fate. In contrast, Irving’s Rip closes the story spending his days lazily in the comfort of his daughter’s home.
A major difference in these two stories is the mood. Rip Awake is a much darker tale than the story of Rip Van Winkle. Irving’s story is a tale of magic, escapism, and ultimately a happy ending. It is much lighter and happier than the story told by Coover. Coover’s story is extremely dark and heavy. It is a story of pain, anger, insanity and lack of control. It is a dark story that portrays a man destroyed by fate and his creators. Although these stories talk about the same man, they have completely different moods.
In conclusion, both Rip Awake and Rip Van Winkle are interesting, well told stories.
They have their similarities but they also have their differences. Rip Awake is dramatic action told in the first person while Rip Van Winkle is a short story written in third person. Rip’s character also greatly varies in both stories. Irving’s Rip is a sleepy soul, kind at heart, and well liked by his peers. Coover’s Rip starts out the same way but develops into an angry, resentful and ill minded man because of his circumstances while Irving’s Rip ultimately stays the same. Lastly, Rip Awake is a dark story driven by anger and confusion while Rip Van Winkle is a lighter story run on escapism. Both of these stories tell a tale of the same man but they do it in a way that is completely unique of the
other. `
Word Count- 1611
Works Cited
Baym, Nina, Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. "Rip Van Winkle." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2007. 953-64. Print.
Coover, Robert. "Rip Awake." A Theological Position: Plays. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1972. 101-19. Print.
Elisabeth Bell
ENG 241-0001
April 1, 2014
Comparing and Contrasting the Two Stories of Rip Van Winkle.
The story of Rip Van Winkle was written in 1819 by Washington Irving. It was the first American short story. Robert Coover wrote Rip Awake 153 years later. It is his version of the continuing story of the man named Rip Van Winkle. Although both these stories have obvious similarities there are also many differences. These differences include the setting of the story, the character of Rip himself, and the mood of the story.
Rip Van Winkle was written as a short story. This is one of the many differences between Rip Van Winkle and Rip Awake. Coover’s version of Rip Awake was written as a play. The format in which a literary piece is written can drastically alter the way the audience perceives the work. If a piece is presented dramatically, all the audience knows is what they see and hear. They have no way of knowing a character’s thoughts. Alternatively, if the audience reads a piece of work for themselves, they do not have the benefit of dramatic inflection. Each of these forms of presentation are intriguing and unique. However, they both have there …show more content…
personal benefits as well as there downfalls.
Another difference in the structure of Irving’s Rip Van Winkle and Coover’s Rip Awake is the point of view in which it is expressed. Rip Awake is written as a first person narrative. The narrator of Coover’s piece is Rip Van Winkle himself. The literary piece was meant as a monologue and being able to hear the story completely from Rip Van Winkle gives the audience a deeper understanding of him as a character. On the contrary, Rip Van Winkle is written as a third person narrative with the narrator being Diedrich Knickerbocker. Diedrich Knickerbocker was Washington Irving’s pen name. Because the story was written in third person we do not always have to focus on Rip Van Winkle. We can observe the other characters because the narrator is reliable and omnipresent. Like the forms of presentation, each point of view has its strengths and weaknesses. Because Rip Awake is written as a first person with Rip himself as the narrator we are able to better understand him as a character. We are able to understand what he thinks and why he thinks that way. However, we are unable to observe the other characters in the story without Rip being present. Consequently, because Rip Van Winkle is written in third person we are not able to understand Rip as completely as we can. However, the benefit of an omnipresent and reliable narrator may make up for that.
Rip also does not have the same personality traits in both stories. In Irving’s story of Rip Van Winkle Rip is a very kind man. He is easy going, humble, and although he is lazy when it comes to his own chores he often sets out to help people with theirs. Because of this, he is an extremely well liked man. In the story, Irving describes him saying “I have observed that he was a simple good natured man; he was moreover a kind neighbor, and an obedient, henpecked husband.” After Rip awakens from his 20 year sleep, he goes back down to the village extremely frustrated and confused. Once he tells the towns people his story, they begin to think he is crazy and he fears they may be right. He finds out his belligerent wife has passed away and he is relieved. He then goes to live with his daughter. He is much happier there and spends the rest of his days as a lazy man once again well-liked by his peers.
This varies greatly with the personality of Rip in Rip Awake. In Coover’s story, Rip is an extremely angry man. He is angry because of his circumstances and it has driven him to resentment. In Rip Awake, Rip demonstrates some of that anger and resentment when he says “I mean, you think about it, just think how it’d be to go to sleep at- how old are you? Twenty-five?-all right, and so you wake up and you’re suddenly fourty-five! You drop off in your late thirties, which ain’t so young itself, and you come to already pushing sixty, how would that make you feel?” He also continuously complains about the fact that his body has deteriorated. He speaks of his sunken muscles, long beard and overgrown toenails. Almost everything coming out of his mouth is a hate fueled complaint. Irving’s Rip does not carry that same resentment. In fact, he is actually happier with his new life with his daughter than he was twenty years ago with his wife. These are two completely different attitudes displayed by the shared character.
Although angry, crazy and resentful, Coover’s Rip did not always hold those traits. In fact, one of the similarities in the two stories is the description of Rip before he traveled up that mountain. As stated earlier, Irving describes Rip as a kind, care free, and well liked man. Coover’s “old” Rip is not described as much different. In Rip Awake, Rip talks about his prior self, saying “Sure, we know what old Rip’s like, he’s that lovable local character from the little village of yellow brick houses and great antiquity down there at the foot of those fairy mountains, so-called—old Rip, who helped everybody else with their chores but never done his own, fooled away his days at Nick Vedder’s inn, fished with a rod as long and heavy as Chinaman’s whatsit, and let old Dame Van Winkle wear the family galligakins!” This proves that is not so much the character himself who is different, but the way he responded to his circumstances.
Rip Van Winkle also displays two very different levels of sanity in these stories. The Rip in Rip Van Winkle is much saner than the Rip in Rip Awake. Although the Rip in Irving’s story fears his sanity, it is nothing like the loss of sanity Coover’s Rip experiences. Irving’s Rip is extremely confused by the events that took place and eventually believes he may be insane. However, he comes to grips with the situation and ultimately lives happily ever after. Coover’s Rip never moves past the situation. In every word we read we can tell he is neurotic and insane. The way he speaks is like a mad man. He speaks of attempting to never sleep again by starvation and pacing back and forth until he couldn’t walk any longer. Throughout the story, he constantly breaks down in tears.
His insanity is also reinforced in the fact that he constantly loses his grip on what is a dream and what is reality. Hallucinations become a common occurrence for him. We often see him having conversations with people that aren’t even there. His insanity even drives him to murder. In one occasion, he accidently shoots his beloved dog Wolf thinking it was another animal. In another, he accidently murders his daughter believing it to be his deceased wife. This is a major difference between Coover’s and Irving’s Rip. Coover’s Rip because overwhelmed with insanity resulting in him becoming a murderer while Irving’s Rip manages to keep himself under control.
Although insane, in some ways Coover’s Rip seems to be more aware than the Rip in Irving’s story. He is thrown back into reality and feels abused by his creator. He does not know who his creator is but he feels like his fate was unfair. Irving’s Rip is much less perceptive. He does not dwell much on the past. In fact, he is so impartial to the past he does not even care much that he has slept through the entire Revolutionary War. Coover’s Rip can only see the past, never moving on and constantly demanding to understand why. He is so focused on the past that at the end of the story he travels back up the mountain to face his creators in the hopes of fixing his fate. In contrast, Irving’s Rip closes the story spending his days lazily in the comfort of his daughter’s home.
A major difference in these two stories is the mood. Rip Awake is a much darker tale than the story of Rip Van Winkle. Irving’s story is a tale of magic, escapism, and ultimately a happy ending. It is much lighter and happier than the story told by Coover. Coover’s story is extremely dark and heavy. It is a story of pain, anger, insanity and lack of control. It is a dark story that portrays a man destroyed by fate and his creators. Although these stories talk about the same man, they have completely different moods.
In conclusion, both Rip Awake and Rip Van Winkle are interesting, well told stories.
They have their similarities but they also have their differences. Rip Awake is dramatic action told in the first person while Rip Van Winkle is a short story written in third person. Rip’s character also greatly varies in both stories. Irving’s Rip is a sleepy soul, kind at heart, and well liked by his peers. Coover’s Rip starts out the same way but develops into an angry, resentful and ill minded man because of his circumstances while Irving’s Rip ultimately stays the same. Lastly, Rip Awake is a dark story driven by anger and confusion while Rip Van Winkle is a lighter story run on escapism. Both of these stories tell a tale of the same man but they do it in a way that is completely unique of the
other. `
Word Count- 1611
Works Cited
Baym, Nina, Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gura, and Arnold Krupat. "Rip Van Winkle." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2007. 953-64. Print.
Coover, Robert. "Rip Awake." A Theological Position: Plays. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1972. 101-19. Print.