Transformation and Freedom in Rip Van WinkleWashington Irving, "Rip Van Winkle" presented the story of a "dreamer." Rip Van Winkle was a family man who did odd jobs around town, but managed to avoid doing his own work on his farm. He was "one of those happy mortals... who take the world with ease." (p. 404). He constantly struggled with his wife's "beating". Van Winkle found refuge and comfort by hunting squirrels with his dog. “RipVan Winkle” describes the story of a man who longs to be free and the transformation that occurs in him and the city. Van Winkle “would have taken his life away with a whistle” (p. 404) if it had not been for his wife. This served as an omen for what was to come. Van Winkle wanted peace and to be left alone. He was like a child; he often "made their toys, taught them to fly kites and throw marbles..." (p. 403). He always did what he could "generate with the least thought or effort" (p. 404) just as a child often does. He merely "shrug his shoulders...but said nothing" (p. 404) at Dame Van Winkle's lectures. He was tired of listening to her, but he did nothing to change his behavior or at least try to please her. Van Winkle "dreamed" his life. He had been gone for twenty years and returns to find his city and his life different from how he left it. I think one day he left, and before he knew it, twenty years had passed. Dame Van Winkle represented the Revolutionary War. “Changes of states and empires made little impression on him” (p. 412), but he displeased the “petticoat government.” He describes the government as if it were a woman. “Petticoat” is a play on Dame Van Winkle. Van Winkle doesn't pay attention to his wife or react, just like he didn't fight in the war. Or was this the war he was fighting? When Van Winkle reflected on the mountaintop, he "heaved a deep sigh at the thought of meeting the terrors of Dame Van Winkle." (pg. 406) When you think of war, “terrors” come to mind. Van Winkle does not consider Dame to be his wife, rather he considers her "Dame Van Winkle", without affection.