In Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" is a fictional story that also has political interpretation. In the story, political interpretation can be explained through many elements of the story. The following paragraphs will explain the characters, dream, and the changes in the story according to a political interpretation. The plot in the story is that the main character in the story, Rip, goes off into the woods with his dog, Wolf, to go hunting. While in the forest Rip sees a bunch of small people and drinks some "flagon" and falls asleep for twenty years. When he wakes up everything is different. His wife is gone along with many of his old friends. Also, there was a war between the colonies and England. .
The first example of how there can be political interpretation in Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" is in the characters in the story. First there is Dame and Rip Van Winkle. Their marriage is symbolic for the union between the colonies and Great Britain. They both have almost complete opposite features and characteristics. Dame Van Winkle is always unhappy with Rip. She feels that a husband should provide for her and the family. She thinks that is Rip's obligation to her. When Rip fails to meet her expectations he gets verbally assaulted and this drives him out of the house and makes him want to go off by himself. Dame can be compared to England at this time because England had expectations of the colonies at this time. When the colonies ignored their obligations, it angered and frustrated the King. In the story Rip is portrayed as lazy and irresponsible, ignoring his duties to his wife and family. This description of Rip is what the British thought of its colonial subjects. Irving also describes Rip as ".one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who.if left to himself, he would have whistled his life away in perfect contentment." This quote seems to be subtly defending the colonists showing how they simply want to live a happy life but Great Britain will not leave them alone.
