The story is told from a third-person point-of-view by the fictive "historian" of the old Dutch in America, Diedrich Knickerbocker, but let's look a bit deeper at Irving's technique.

If we imagine the story filmed, with the narrator carrying a movie camera on his shoulder, we see that the adventure starts from afar. We begin with a sweeping view of the Catskill ("Kaatskill") mountains, then zoom in closer on a particular quaint village, and then on a particular man, the happy-go-lucky and hapless Rip van Winkle, as seen first from the point of view of his neighbors and then shown in general going about his typical business. It is not until several pages into the story that we focus in on a particular adventure concerning Rip. It begins here:

In a long ramble ... on a fine autumnal day, Rip had unconsciously scrambled to one of the highest parts of the Kaatskill mountains.

From now on, we will see the world through Rip's eyes, as told by the narrator. Now we are no longer perceiving everything from the outside but are placed inside Rip's head, hearing his thoughts and what he felt. For instance:

...he saw that it would be dark long before he could reach the village, and he heaved a heavy sigh when he thought of encountering the terrors of Dame Van Winkle. 

That we perceive the bulk of the story now through Rip's perceptions is important because it relates to the theme: the far-reaching changes American independence and the new government have brought even to remote places.

Rip represents the sleepy old world, the colonies under King George, a place without individual or group initiative and locked in backward ways. When Rip awakes after twenty years, we experience the new country through his eyes and feel more fully the shock of how everything has changed. Irving emphasizes through Rip his underlying message (theme) that achieving independence and taking responsibility for one's destiny are invigorating and life giving. 

The story is written in third person omniscient point of view.  The "omniscient" narrator isn't a character in the story of Rip Van Winkle, but comments on all the other characters and what those characters are thinking.  However, Washington Irving has created a character by creating the narrator.  The writing is supposed to have been done by Diedrich Knickerbocker, an American writer who passed away before this story was published.  In truth, Irving created the character of Knickerbocker to tell a few of his different stories, giving the writer a distinctive voice and making him seem like a pompous but distant observer of American life.

The theme of this story, Rip Van Winkle, relates to the new America, the America after the revolution.  The protagonist returns to the village to see a more active a busy populace, with the average man vocally engaged in politics.  But as he hears what these men have to say about their new leader, Van Winkle feels that not much has changed since the time of King George.  Irving suggests that politically changes do little to change the character of human beings.

What is the theme of "Rip Van Winkle"?

Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" is a satire; so the author uses it to critique certain aspects about American society. One of the most notable themes is marital discontent. Rip and his wife obviously do not share a functional relationship. In addition to their constant arguing, each views the other with disdain (Rip's Wife) and resentment (Rip). Rip is not completely lazy because he is willing to work for others, but his wife's harping has driven him to resent her and eventually not to mourn when he discovers that she has died. Interestingly, Irving often features the termagant wife in his stories (see "The Devil and Tom Walker"); so one wonders why this theme is prevalent in his works--perhaps he endured a marriage filled with friction, or perhaps he is simply trying to illustrate the differences between men and women and how marriages of convenience--which were common in Rip's time period--are not always so convenient.

Another prevalent theme is the tension between Britain and the Colonies (mirrored by the relationship between Rip and his wife). When Rip wakes up, he finds out that he missed the American Revolution, and that King George's portrait has been replaced at his favorite haunt. However, from Rip's observations, nothing has changed in his town except the portrait switch, implying that the Revolution was just an exchange of one ruler for another.

Finally, "Rip Van Winkle" illustrates a common theme of Romantic authors: the importance of nature. It is only when Rip escapes to the mountains and nature's solitude that he seems content. Similarly, while asleep for all those years in nature's cocoon, Rip misses all of the familial and political conflict. Irving implies that if humans would seek the serene environment of nature rather than society's bustling atmosphere, they will be at peace and content.

What is the theme of "Rip van Winkle"?

Washington Irving's short story "Rip Van Winkle" tells the story of the titular character, who while beloved by his neighbors, children, and animals, is made miserable by his wife. When hunting squirrels in the Catskills one autumn day, Van Winkle encounters a strange little man dressed in antique Dutch clothes; Van Winkle assists him in carrying a keg up the mountain, where he sees a band of similarly attired little men. He then takes a few sips from their keg and falls asleep; when he awakens, he discovers that he has slept for many years, that his wife is dead, that his children are grown, and that the world has changed around him. 

Thematically, the story deals with conflict in marriage, the changes brought about by the American Revolution (through which Rip slept!), and the passage of time. 

What is the theme of "Rip van Winkle"?

Rip Van Winkle is a short story about a lazy man who escapes his nagging wife by hiking to the Kaatskill mountains in 1766. Once there he falls asleep, and when he wakes twenty years later things appear different, and Rip is confused. The theme of the short story is change and the true meaning of the story is its underlying commentary of a pre-revolutionary and post revolutionary America. The relationship between Rip and his nagging wife can be paralleled to the relationship between England and the colonies. When Rip speaks to a grown woman in town she realizes she is speaking to her father. She welcomes him into her home and in a sense integrates him into the new America. The story is an allegory of the entire revolutionary experience.

What is the theme of "Rip van Winkle"?

Another theme that runs through Rip Van Winkle is  lazines. Rip's laziness is eventually punished.  His punishment was to remain asleep for 20 years.  As a result of his 20 year nap, he misses watching his children grow up, his wife dies, and the village changes. He also sleeps through the entire American Revolution.

However, the story also suggests that laziness has been rewarded.  His wife, who was very critical of his lack of initiative, when he wakes up, is dead, and, therefore, he is freed from her nagging and her constant criticism.  He no longer has to run and hide in the woods to find peace in his life.

His life, after he wakes up, is better than it was before he fell asleep. 

What is the theme of "Rip van Winkle"?

Visit the eNotes study guide link below. There you will find a discussion of two themes of the story: the American Revolution and marital conflict.

Another theme is change. When Rip van Winkle awakens from his nap, the entire world has changed. Everything he was used to before is gone--even clothing styles have changed. Although so much is different, there are still some links to the past; his children, now adults, serve to link his old life to the new reality.