An Analysis of Irving's "Rip Van Winkle"

"Rip Van Winkle" had grabbed his gun and his dog, Wolf, and headed out to the woods. He rested under a tree where evening came on quickly. As Rip was getting ready to journey back home, he heard a voice calling his name. He went to see who was calling his name. He discovered an old man carrying a keg on his back. Rip and the old man walked to a ravine in the mountain. …

…went from an amphitheater ravine, to a mountain stream with no trace of the people or Rip Van Winkle's remains. Also I think that the stream might be a slight symbolization. Where it says the "water leaped from rock to rock" that almost sounds like the water was the men that had been there the night before. It is almost like they were having fun jumping from rock to rock to spite Rip Van Winkle.