What Was the Theme of Rip Van Winkle?

Washington Irving never tells of the true theme of the story of Rip Van Winkle. Rip Van Winkle seemed to be lazy and enjoyed life as long as he wasn't being hassled by his wife or doing work. What can we learn from that? Is the lesson that we shouldn't be lazy? Being lazying made him happy and isn't happiness what we are all seeking? He got drunk with some Dutchmen in the forest. Maybe one of the lessons Washington Irving was trying to convey was that bad things might happen to you if you start drinking with strange people in the forest. However, Rip Van Winkle's life wasn't ruined after that so we can toss that idea out as one of the themes. I began to think Washington Irving never really have a theme to the story. After doing some research, I found that others, with perhaps a little stretch, were able to come up with possible themes that Washington Irving may have had in mind.

When Rip Van Winkle returns to his village after his super long sleep, everything had changed. There were more buildings in the town and they all looked different. The main topic of discussion was politics. Before Rip Van Winkles went into the forest, the village was small and simple. People weren't concerned with politics and they were content with the rule of the King. All this change was brought about after the Revolution. Perhaps Washington Irving's theme was that with progress comes change. Although there are drastic changes, many traditions are kept such as the gossip at the tavern and idle people can always be idle. Progress may seem overwhelming at first, but it's worth the change. At first, Rip Van Winkle was concerned with all of the change, but as time went on, he was able to accept it and live happily (http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/Guides3/Winkle.html).

Several other themes could be discussed about this story. It could be about Rip Van Winkle's loss of himself and then having to find others who remember him to explain his identity to the new generation. Maybe Washington Irving wanted to show the importance of work ethic and if you don't keep up with society, you get left behind. The theme could have just been about American life after the Revolution. The switch of the King above to tavern to George Washington was a significant part of the story. Rip Van Winkle could have even been a symbol representing the new country (http://www.123helpme.com/view.asp?id=18848). The change seemed to happen over night and Rip was unsure how to deal with the change and uncertain about the future. The country and Rip Van Winkle enjoyed the progress but were both still reluctant to give up all of their traditions (http://people.morrisville.edu/~pisiakr/English203/RipVanWinkle.htm).