Рецензия на книгу

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  Eliry30 января 2015 г.

  In his story “Rip Van Winkle”, Washington Irving shows the evolution of the American society and its values. Main character, Rip Van Winkle is just a “simple, good-natured fellow,” “kind neighbor and an obedient, henpecked husband”, loved by children and “great favorite among all the good wives” and living in the little village up the Hudson. The protagonist seemingly cannot find his place in life as for the “great error” in his composition was “an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor,” which led to his inability to support his family while willingly helping other families.

  The description of Rip’s hunting trip is full of symbols and metaphors; reading between the lines, one can interpret it as an allegory of the journey to Europe, where his “thirsty soul” got drunk on the flagon of enlightenment ideas. The mysterious trip to the Catskill Mountains became a life-changing adventure, his personal Odyssey and led to his spiritual awakening. “Everything’s changed, and I’m changed, and I can’t tell what’s my name, or who I am!” Rip exclaimed upon his return home, 18 years and one revolution later. His termagant wife, a possible allusion to Great Britain, is now dead, and the face of King George on the flag mysteriously “metamorphosed” into a one of George Washington. Local folks only confused him in their attempts to categorize him by asking “on which side he voted” and “whether he was Federal or Democrat”, but ended up labeling him as a Tory anyways.

  The story brings up the problem of personal identity crisis in the ever-changing conditions of social and political environment, and in its own way teaches us to “cultivate our garden.”

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