Title: Rip Van Winkle Characters - eNotes.com
Headings: Rip Van Winkle Characters
Rip Van Winkle Characters
Characters
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Rip Van Winkle
Dame Van Winkle
Judith Cardenier
Rip Van Winkle, Jr.
The Stranger
Hendrick (Henry) Hudson
Nicholas Vedder
Derrick Van Bummel
Brom Dutcher
Peter Vanderdonk
The Self-Important Man
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Content: She represents commerce, growth, and hard work. Rip is the antithesis of Dame Van Winkle in that he enjoys an idle and gentle rural life. Dame Van Winkle and Rip show the contrast between rural peace and urban expansiveness among early American colonies. During Rip’s disappearance, his way of life begins to disappear as well. Dame Van Winkle’s lifestyle and work ethic ends up taking hold of the village and colonies instead. Rip’s rural, simple, and idle life stands as a relic of the past. Rip’s disappearance results in his stopping in time and never changing. Dame Van Winkle continues to live in the rapidly changing town before her death, showing her ability to work and change. Dame Van Winkle's death also highlights her modern sensibility, as she dies in a fit of energy and passion. Judith Cardenier
Judith is Rip’s daughter, who takes him in when he returns from the mountains.