Research Paper on:
Elements and Themes of Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
main character of "Rip Van Winkle" is a henpecked husband who sleeps for 20 years and awakes as an old man to find his wife dead, his daughter happily married,  and America now an independent country" (Anonymous The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving the_legend_of_sleepy_hollow.html). Yet, despite his simplicity, there is much to his character for he is a  useful member of society, a man that many would love to have as a neighbor. In the following paper we examine the story of "Rip Van Winkle" by Washington Irving.  The paper first discusses how he was a bad husband but a good member of the community, and then discusses his function in the community, both before and after his  sleep. The paper finishes with a section on the satire used by Irving in his portrayal of Winkle. Bad Husband, Good Member of the Community In all  honesty the only reason we see him as a bad husband is because his wife is a nag. She is one of those women who constantly berates her spouse for  everything he does and everything he doesnt do. Now, granted he was a man who did not pay much attention to the homestead and did not have a job, but  he was a good and kindly man, and in that there are admirable qualities of a husband. But, the fact that she nagged him incessantly and the fact that he  did nothing around the house, and did not work, presents us with a picture of a man who does not make the best husband. However, we note that  Rip Van Winkle was a very valuable member of society. He may not have liked working, but "He would never refuse to assist a neighbor even in the roughest toil,