Do you think that modern man regards nature as a source of solace, joy, and escape? Do you think Rip Van Winkle symbolizes man's desire to flee from responsibility? Explain your answer.
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Rip Van Winkle was written in 1819. The main event in the story is the American revolution. Rip's idleness could be perceived as the British perception that America was unwilling to focus on their duties as servants of the Crown just as Rip would do everything possible to escape his overbearing wife. Today, in the 21 century, Rip is representative of modern man who desires to flee from responsibility and pressure from this money-oriented life. .
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Rip is more than a good-natured man. He is ready to help everybody, but at home he is unable to keep his farm in order and to help do his family duties. His house, farm, even children are all in the worst condition. Rip takes his life and the world very easy. Besides the dominace and aggressiveness of his wife, he is satisfied with his own life and his idlenss. But this kind of living condition could be regards as one's incapacity and failure of dealing with life. Man is taught since childhood that, in a family, he is responsible for building and supporting whole family. To be more successful, he must try to earn more money to make life better. No time could be wasted on doing nothing. For Rip, he would seek refuge from these tirades by going to town to sit in front of the tavern and remain idle with friends. But this kind of deliberate escape from resposibility is unforgiving and unacceptable. Dame Van Winkle has her very reasons to nag her husband over his idleness in modern women's eyes. .
To live in a competitive world, man has to accept the reality which force him to work on what he doesn't like, to attain a living standard what he doesn't demand, to earn a big fortune what he doesn't need.Driven by these high expectations from the environment as well as self-awareness, modern man is enduring heavy pressure.
