Passivity of Rip Van WinkleIn life, you meet many different types of people. Some people worry about everything, are always in a hurry and seem not to enjoy life. Others seem to take a more passive approach to life, rarely seem to worry about what's going on around them, and are content to simply be happy with their lives. Rip Van Winkle is a character who doesn't seem to care about anything. He’s happy to let life happen. “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving is a short story about a man who falls asleep and wakes up twenty years later. Although the reader will find Rip's actions very careless towards his own life, it will also be seen that Rip enjoys helping others instead of caring about himself and the responsibilities he has. The dictionary defines passivity as one who does not react to something that might produce an emotion or feeling. His wife, Dame Van Winkle, often harassed Rip Van Winkle due to his lack of motivation to help around the house and farm. To fully understand the significance of the story, one must decide why they think Rip Van Winkle entered the mountains. Was he trying to escape his wife? Was he trying to avoid all of life's responsibilities? Or was he just going on a carefree hike in the mountains? Many believe that Rip spent most of his life trying to avoid harassment from his wife; however, Rip really wanted to live his life and be happy. It is likely that it was a combination of the three reasons he went to the mountain. He loved being able to do what he wanted and enjoy the peace and quiet of his wife and not having to think about the daily responsibilities of life.Story begins with description...... middle of paper .. ....to discover who he really is, but also to convince himself that he is not going crazy. Rip Van Winkle is happy to let life happen. By reading Rip Van Winkle, the reader will see how Rip spends his life in a very carefree manner. He does not care about the responsibilities of a husband, father or breadwinner. Some people take this approach to life, but we find that it doesn't always work out well in the end. Rip spent his life living for the moment, but eventually discovered that he had missed out on many important life events. By living with a passive attitude, life may seem easier until you realize that you are all alone. Even though Rip managed to get rid of his wife by going up the mountain and sleeping for 20 years, the shock of waking up and going to the village to find that no one knew who he was hit him even harder..