Editor's Choice
Why does Rip enjoy listening to the junto in "Rip Van Winkle"? Describe his character in relation to his neighbors' habits.
Quick answer:
Rip enjoys listening to the junto because it provides a peaceful escape from his wife's constant scolding and allows him to engage in idle talk without any obligations. He is a carefree, happy-go-lucky character who prefers socializing and helping neighbors over attending to his own responsibilities. Rip is well-liked by children and women in the village due to his willingness to help and engage in gossip, contrasting with the industrious nature of his neighbors.
Rip is uninterested in completing the domestic chores that are his responsibility at home, and his wife is a scold, always after him to get to work. The time that he spends with the junto is a physical and psychological escape from his wife's punishing tongue-lashings. Even so, she often bursts in and disturbs "the tranquility of the assemblage."
The junto gathers under the tutelage of Nicholas Vedder, the village patriarch, who silently presides over the men who gather to voice their opinions. Unlike Rip's wife, Vedder does not interrupt or correct what they have to say. Here, Rip can enjoy a peaceful respite among his fellow men.
Rip becomes a sort of surrogate parent to the children of the village, presumably because their parents are industrious and do not have the time to do what Rip does: "he assisted at their sports, made their playthings, taught them to fly...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
kites and shoot marbles, and told them long stories of ghosts, witches, and Indians." Rip's neighbors do not resent him; in fact, he is a great favorite among his peers because Rip also pitches in and helps them with their projects, like building stone walls and husking corn.
The "junto" is a group of men who sit in front of the town's small inn, under the sign depicting King George III. These men tell "endless" stories about "nothing." If not telling stories, they trade idle gossip. When they do discuss politics, it is always old news. The narrator tells us, tongue in cheek, of the junto:
how sagely they would deliberate upon public events some months after they had taken place.
Rip finds this social group attractive because they don't do anything but talk. Nothing is required of him but chit chat. It's not as if he or the other men would ever do anything politic.
This completely suits Rip, as he is an unfocused, day-by-day, happy-go-lucky type.
The point of mentioning this junto is to compare it to the new breed of men who Rip sees at the inn after his twenty years of sleep. The inn now sports a portrait of George Washington, rather than George III. In contrast to the sleepy old colonial days, people are excited, active, and engaged politically in the new republic. Gaining freedom from Britain has energized and galvanized the young new country. Rip is more than ever a throwback to an old, apathetic, forgotten time.
Rip Van Winkle is a carefree man. He will play any sport or game with the children of the village. He will fish for hours on end, even without the faintest hope of catching anything. He will do most anything except attend to his own work on his farm. His wife is frustrated with this behavior and constantly accosts and scolds him for letting the family down. Rip looks for any way to get away from his work and his "termagant" (violent or hot tempered woman) wife. In addition, he likes the atmosphere of the junto (political or social group). They discuss politics, tell stories, and talk as if they were the sage philosophers of the village. Their functional leader, Nicholas Vedder, is so laid back that his contributions to the discussion consist of angry or tranquil puffs from his pipe. This is the kind of idle, relaxing hobby that Rip loves.
Rip is a child at heart and also a kind, helpful neighbor. He would sooner help a neighbor than do work on his own farm. He is a favorite with children but also the women of the village. This is on account of his preference for gossip, but also because he lends a helping hand to them as well. And he takes errands that their husbands would tend not to do. So, if he is similar to his neighbors in habits and hobbies, his similarities lie mostly with women and children. He will engage in anything that provides a carefree atmosphere. This is why he enjoys talking with the men (junto) at the inn. The fact that he avoids his own work is what makes him different from his neighbors.