Rip Van Winkle characters

Appears from the start

A good-natured villager in the Catskill Mountains who readily helps his neighbors but avoids the work needed to maintain his own farm. Harried by domestic conflict, he prefers wandering with his dog, fishing, and talking with the village regulars. One mountain excursion carries him away from everything familiar.

Appears from the start

Rip's forceful wife, who repeatedly confronts him about his idleness, the declining farm, and the state of their household. Rip escapes their arguments by leaving home for the village or the mountains.

Also known as Judith Van Winkle

Appears from the start

Rip's daughter. She is a child when he goes into the mountains and a grown mother by the time he returns, making her one of the clearest signs of how much of his life has passed without him.

Appears from the start

Rip's son, who grows into a young man closely resembling his father and sharing his reluctance to work. Rip sees him before understanding who he is.

Appears from the start

The elderly innkeeper and presiding figure among the village regulars before Rip's disappearance. He spends long days beneath the inn's tree, quietly signaling his opinions while the others discuss old newspapers and local affairs.

Appears from the start

The village schoolmaster, who reads news aloud and supplies learned commentary to the group at the inn. The changed village later remembers him as a soldier and public official of the Revolutionary era.

Appears from the start

An old resident descended from a historian of the region. When Rip's strange account causes confusion, Peter identifies an established local tradition about Hendrick Hudson and his crew returning periodically to the Catskills.

Appears from the start

A solemn man in old-fashioned Dutch clothing whom Rip meets high in the mountains. He carries a keg and silently leads Rip to a secluded gathering whose uncanny drink brings on an extraordinarily long sleep.