In this classic tale, Rip Van Winkle is portrayed as a victim of circumstances beyond his control. Further reading might perhaps reveal a different Rip Van Winkle, one who pursues a path of passive resistance in response to a life he feels is out of his control. Passive resistance is usually linked to famous people such as Henry David Thoreau who developed the principle of civil disobedience. For Thoreau, the idea was to choose not to support taxes and government policies that he believed were wrong. This theme was later used by Mahatma Gandhi in his struggle for Indian independence. In the 1960s this method was used by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to bring racial injustice to the public's attention. In all of these cases, men who followed the ideal of passive resistance were willing to suffer the consequences of their actions to draw attention to their causes. Similarities can be found between the actions of Rip Van Winkle and the actions of those pursuing passive resistance. resistence. In Rip's case, the "governing" authority he was struggling with is the responsibilities in his life. This is very clear if you compare your farm to those of others at that time. He did not take care of his farm as was expected of him. Rather, he led a life that at the time would have been considered lazy, discussing current events with his friends, befriending local children and animals, and doing various favors for neighbors while his property suffered. When confronted by his wife, his response was neither to argue nor to change his behavior. A simple silent shrug was all the response he offered. In all of this, Dame Van Winkle was portrayed as the villain. H...... middle of paper ...... urn 20 years later, after the death of his wife, he does not take responsibility for her departure. Instead he makes up a story that shows how this situation was totally out of his control. Rather than admit that he was unable to fulfill his responsibilities or that his wife was a shrew and he could no longer tolerate it, he makes up a story about sleeping in the woods. Then he returns to his previous life. Curiously, the community and even his daughter do not seem to seriously question his explanation. It is unclear whether this was due to their collective superstition or whether they internally understood her need to walk away from a difficult marriage. What is clear is that Rip Van Winkle failed to support his family and then abandoned them. He chose a path of imperfect passive resistance that did not accept the consequences of his actions.