Rip Van Winkle 🔒 Members

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Age and build

middle-aged man before the enchantment

“a simple, good-natured fellow, of the name of Rip Van Winkle” (Sketch Book, part 4)

aged and stiff after waking

“he found himself stiff in the joints, and wanting in his usual activity” (Sketch Book, part 5)

Face and hair

long grizzled beard after the enchantment

“his beard had grown a foot long” (Sketch Book, part 5)

gray beard in the village after waking

“The appearance of Rip, with his long, grizzled beard, his rusty fowling-piece, his uncouth dress” (Sketch Book, part 6)

Dress

ragged and worn clothing

“certainly as ragged” (Sketch Book, part 6)

rusty gun and uncouth dress upon return

“his rusty fowling-piece, his uncouth dress” (Sketch Book, part 6)

Voice and speech

silent response to his wife's lectures

“He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, cast up his eyes, but said nothing” (Sketch Book, part 5)

bewildered and confused speech after waking

“Rip stared in vacant stupidity” (Sketch Book, part 6)

Signature words

exclamation about the flagon

“Oh! that flagon! that wicked flagon” (Sketch Book, part 5)

repeated reference to Dame Van Winkle

“what excuse shall I make to Dame Van Winkle” (Sketch Book, part 5)

despairing question about his identity

“Does nobody here know Rip Van Winkle” (Sketch Book, part 6)

Gait and mannerisms

habitual shoulder shrug and head shake

“He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, cast up his eyes, but said nothing” (Sketch Book, part 5)

involuntary stroking of chin when seeing others do so

“The constant recurrence of this gesture induced Rip, involuntarily, to do the same” (Sketch Book, part 5)

ready to assist neighbours

“He would never refuse to assist a neighbor even in the roughest toil” (Sketch Book, part 4)

Strengths

patient and persevering at leisure pursuits

“he would sit on a wet rock, with a rod as long and heavy as a Tartar’s lance, and fish all day without a murmur” (Sketch Book, part 4)

willing to help others with their tasks

“He would never refuse to assist a neighbor even in the roughest toil, and was a foremost man in all country frolics” (Sketch Book, part 4)

Flaws

aversion to profitable labour

“The great error in Rip’s composition was an insuperable aversion to all kinds of profitable labor” (Sketch Book, part 4)

neglect of family duty and farm

“as to doing family duty, and keeping his farm in order, he found it impossible” (Sketch Book, part 4)

foolish disposition and avoidance of work

“one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well-oiled dispositions, who take the world easy” (Sketch Book, part 5)

lack of political understanding

“Rip, in fact, was no politician; the changes of states and empires made but little impression on him” (Sketch Book, part 6)

Traits

simple and good-natured

“a simple, good-natured fellow” (Sketch Book, part 4)

meek and obsequious

“that meekness of spirit which gained him such universal popularity” (Sketch Book, part 4)

sympathetic to fellow sufferers

“Here he would sometimes seat himself at the foot of a tree, and share the contents of his wallet with Wolf, with whom he sympathized as a fellow-sufferer in persecution” (Sketch Book, part 5)

naturally thirsty

“He was naturally a thirsty soul” (Sketch Book, part 5)

Lines in their own words

upon waking and recalling the flagon

“Oh! that flagon! that wicked flagon” (Sketch Book, part 5)

to the villagers after being recognized

“I am your father!” cried he-“Young Rip Van Winkle once-old Rip Van Winkle now—Does nobody know poor Rip Van Winkle” (Sketch Book, part 6)

asking after his old friend

“Where’s Nicholas Vedder” (Sketch Book, part 6)

in despair at the changes

“Does nobody here know Rip Van Winkle” (Sketch Book, part 6)