A Comparison Of Rip Van Winkle And Devil And Tom Walker

Society repeatedly tells the general public time after time how important helping each other is. Everyone has been in a situation where they thought they were doing something for the welfare of others, but somehow they manage to do something wrong? In literature, the theme of youthful innocence and purity is common. In “Rip Van Winkle” and the “Devil and Tom Walker” ,written by Washington Irving, generally the romantic hero's will be seen caught in situations much like those. The romantic heros Rip Van Winkle and Tom Walker both exhibit characteristics of being innocent and pure of purpose driven by their own moral conduct.
In “Rip Van Winkle,” Rip, without hesitation is always known for helping others in his hometown. Rip Van Winkle, is the kind of good natured man that would bend over backwards for anyone in any kind situation. Rip helps people of all ages tremendously, so much that he often doesn’t have anytime to tend his farm or his family. Irving makes note of this by saying, “The women of the village too used to employ him to run their less errands and to do such little odd jobs as their less obliging husbands would not do for them-in a word Rip was ready to attend anybody’s business

We observe Rip showing acts of affection, when he goes wandering up the mountains and helps the short, stocky, and bearded man. Irving once stated, “He bore on his shoulder a stout keg that seemed full of liquor, and made signs for Rip to approach and assist him with the load.” Most people when stumbled upon a odd man carrying a keg in the woods would run the other way, but not Rip. Rip Van Winkle, makes the mistake of helping the strange man and then falls asleep for twenty years. Although, we are told time after time it is good to help people, in a situation like this most of us would reconsider our options. This example of Rip Van Winkle undoubtedly shows Rip’s good intentions and