The characters Anton Rosicky and Rip Van Winkle share many common traits regarding themselves and their destinies. They both go through an event that changes their life and makes them approach it differently, primarily due to them both being close to death. The primary similarity between their experiences is related to how they faced these changes – they both were able to adapt and be happy afterward. While some similarities between Rip Van Winkle and Anton Rosicky are evident, they are different in the aspects of their journeys, relationships with others, and intelligence.
It is necessary to clarify what their journeys exactly are. Whereas Rip goes through a physical journey where he falls asleep after drinking a beverage suggested to him by a stranger, Anton’s is related to the way he accepts his near death and reflects on his life. Rip does not change much as a person due to the turning point of his journey – it is not him who has changed, it but the world around him. “The very village was altered: it was larger and more populous” (Irving, 1820). Anton faces the opposite situation, as nothing has changed in the place he lives and his close ones. The few differences from the past are his further inability to work as much as he did before and the possibility of near death. “You’ve got to be careful from now on, and you can’t do heavy work anymore” (Cather, 2002, p.3). For Anton, a lot changed in the way he reflected on his life, as previously, he did not have an opportunity to do that much. “So he never had time to figure out what ailed him” (Cather, 2002, p.12). As it is possible to argue that Rip went through physical changes as well because he became older, the counterargument for it would be that it is not the physical condition that is significant. The changes that matter in these regards are internal.
Relationships with other people are another difference between Anton and Rip. Anton’s relationships with other people seem to be more caring and deeper, and that was even before he was diagnosed with heart disease. Nevertheless, that turning point changed his attitude toward others as well. He became more generous and caring about his family, as he seemed to understand that he could not help them in the way he previously did anymore. An example of the additional concern that he felt about those around him is the situation with his son’s wife, Polly. “I don’t like to see nobody lookin’ sad,” said Anton after he noticed that because of her spending time on the farm, she did not look as happy, and to help, he offered his son to take her to the town on Anton’s car (Cather, 2002, p.14). Their relationship changed over time because of Anton’s care, and she finally called him father, which made him very happy. The amount of compassion and love Rosicky showed to his close ones after he knew about his disease was considerable. With Rip, it is not the opposite, yet it is hard to say that his relationships with others changed a lot after the turning point of his story. “Rip now resumed his old walks and habits” is said in the story at the point when everything about changes around him settled down (Irving, 1820). It is not only dedicated to Rip’s activities, as he attempted to make everything, including relationships with others, the same as they were before. The reason for this is that he did not find anything to change within himself, and therefore his personality and attitudes toward others did not experience significant changes.
Possibly, this is related to the third difference between Rip and Anton, which is intelligence. It might seem that both men are not the smartest characters in literature, but there is an important nuance to be considered – none of them is an educated person. Moreover, even in other cases, it is a frequent misconception that intelligence should be judged by the knowledge that a person possesses. In this case, knowledge is not an obstacle to judging these characters in terms of their intelligence and how it affected their journeys, as both of them are not as educated. Though, it can be judged based on their perception of life and what conclusions they make from what happens around them. Anton seems an intelligent person because he is never pessimistic; he is capable of finding a method to be happy even in difficult situations. Moreover, he was always able to cope with them and cheer others up as well. “Your father wouldn’t ever take nothing very hard, not even hard times”, said Anton’s wife about him (Cather, 2002, p. 18). The way Anton reflects on his life before being diagnosed with the disease and the changes he makes in his perception is remarkable as well and are proof of his intelligence. Rip, on the other hand, does not seem an intelligent person for several reasons. “Rip Van Winkle, however, was one of those happy mortals, of foolish” (Irving, 1820). Drinking a beverage suggested by an odd man in an even odder place is not a decision that a smart person would make, yet it is not the main representation of his lower intelligence compared to Anton. The way he approached changes is another aspect that points it out, even though anybody would be terrified and disoriented in a similar situation. Rip panics and calms down only when he realizes that he will be able to live his old life – he will not have to make any changes and adapt to significantly different conditions.
In conclusion, there are many similarities between Rip and Anton and their stories, as both of them were men who lived on a farm and worked for their families for their whole life. Nevertheless, they are different in terms of their journeys, intelligence, and relationships with others. Their journeys are particularly different in the dimensions – Rip’s journey significantly affects the world around him and slightly changes his personality as a side effect. On the other hand, what happened to Anton mostly affected him as a person, even though it changed the life of his family, as after he got diagnosed with heart disease, they had to work more. In terms of their intelligence, even the author mentions that Rip is not a smart person, whereas Anton is very reflective about his life after the diagnosis. How he thinks about himself and others are evidence of his intelligence, even though he tends to be impulsive due to his habits. Relationships with others changed for Anton more, as he became more caring towards others, whereas Rip’s did not change much.
References
Cather, W. (2002). Obscure destinies [PDF dcoument]. Web.
Irving, W. (1820). Rip Van Winkle. Web.