In Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle", Dame Van Winkle is described as "a termagant wife" (p. 574) with "a tart temper" and "and sharp tongue" (p. 575). In fact, Dame Van Winkle was so domineering that Rip frequently sought solace outside of his own home. However, his wife could have simply been completely frustrated by his lack of initiative to assist in the upkeep of his home and family and stunned by the depth of laziness. Perhaps this was Dame Van Winkle's attempt to get Rip to actually do something useful for his own family. Rip's response to being confronted by his wife was to shrug his shoulders, shake his head, roll his eyes and remain silent (p. 575). .
During the time period this classic was written, a woman was dependent upon her husband as the sole financial supporter of the family. Dame Van Winkle may not have known the extent of Rip's idleness prior to their marriage. Many marriages were arranged by parents versus entered into by consenting and in love adults. A wife was expected to keep the home and raise the children. A husband was to provide for the family. By Rip's own admission in referring to the house, Dame Van Winkle "always kept in neat order" (p. 579). However, Rip was not willing to provide for his own family choosing instead to assist his neighbors (p. 374). Since his was not living up to his familial responsibilities, Dame Van Winkle took every occasion to bring his failings to his attention in the hopes of changing him. At the time, her options were limited and her dilemma maddening at best. Rip must have had some love for (or fear of) his wife for upon awakening from his sleep his first thoughts were not of his faithful companion Wolf, but of his wife (p. 578). Yet consistent with his lazy nature, Rip's thoughts were of the excuses he would use when he encountered the dreaded Dame Van Winkle. .
Upon Rip's return from the mountains, he found that his wife had recently died; "she broke a blood-vessel in a fit of passion at a New-England peddler" (p.
