Title: Rip Van Winkle Summary - eNotes.com
Headings: Rip Van Winkle Summary
Rip Van Winkle Summary
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Content: He leaves Dame Van Winkle to run the house, care for the children, and work the farm. Yet, Rip Van Winkle is not a lazy man. He is good at hunting and fishing and is willing to do things for others. When it comes to his own land, however, he seems to have bad luck. He can’t make anything grow and, out of frustration, often spends time away from his nagging wife and failing farm. Rip likes to spend time with his friends, who are other idle men like him, on a bench in front of the inn. They are called the town’s “philosophers,” and their musings are languid and lighthearted. The main leader of the group of men is the inn’s landlord, Nicholas Vedder, who never speaks and always smokes. The other men who hang around the inn include Van Brummel, the school master, and Brom Dutcher. Dame Van Winkle believes that these men are a bad influence on Rip Van Winkle.