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... Dame Van Winkle antagonizes her husband, "hen-pecking" him, causing him dread in being at home. Irving accurately describes the stereotypical troublesome wife of American history. Women have been and continually are stereotyped as the downfall of her husband or his stature. Dame Van Winkle, with her arrogant and demanding characteristics, represents England. The Townspeople mirror American society before and after the American Revolution. Dame Van Winkle’s harsh control over her husband represents King George and the English rule of the colonies. Rip's return is a balancing of his own confusion of his long sleep with an equally confusing long sleep of the burgeoning united colonies. The silliness of the mayor (Tim Conway) suggests the subtext that the changes in Rip's village--astounding...