Title: Characters - Rip van winkle
Headings: 
Character list
Analysis of major characters

Content: He is well liked among the villagers, and especially the children, because of his gentility and lackadaisical personality. The truth is, instead of feeling remorse after having lost twenty years of his life, he is relieved. As an old man, his aversion to work and his incapable attitude is societally acceptable. He no longer has to be responsible, and his wife is not around to tell him otherwise. Rip's life exemplified perfectly the escapist fantasy in which he is no longer in charge of himself or his family. Dame Van Winkle As Rip's wife, Dame Van Winkle acts as a controlling authoritative figure. She constantly diatribes and reprimands him like one of her children. She is depicted very negatively and is even disliked by the members of her village who consistently side with Rip over her. She is even blamed as the reason for Rip's deeply rooted escapist fantasy. However, despite all of her negative attributes and her lack of sympathetic charm, she is not without reason.