Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Mrs Rip Van Winkle" by Carol Ann Duffy is a poem from her collection "The World's Wife," where Duffy explores the perspectives and experiences of the wives of famous male characters in literature and mythology. This poem specifically gives voice to the wife of Rip Van Winkle, the protagonist of Washington Irving's famous story about a man who sleeps for twenty years and wakes up to a world that has moved on without him.

In Duffy's rendition, Mrs. Rip Van Winkle narrates her experience and the personal transformation she undergoes while her husband is asleep. The poem begins with a somber tone, describing how she "sank like a stone into the still, deep waters of late middle age," suggesting a descent into a period of life marked by stillness and perhaps melancholy or resignation. The physical aches she mentions reinforce this sense of enduring life's burdens alone.

However, the poem quickly shifts to a more empowering narrative. With her husband asleep and out of the picture, Mrs. Rip Van Winkle takes the opportunity to explore her own interests and desires, which she had likely set aside for much of her married life. She "took up food and gave up exercise," a decision that she finds gratifying, symbolizing a rejection of societal expectations about female appearance and behavior, especially as they relate to aging.

Mrs. Rip Van Winkle's newfound independence is further illustrated through her travel and hobbies. She visits iconic wonders of the world—The Leaning Tower, The Pyramids, The Taj Mahal—places she had always dreamed of seeing. Her creation of watercolors of these sites signifies not just the act of travel, but an active engagement with her experiences, capturing them in her own artistic way, thus reclaiming her identity and creativity that had been suppressed.

What she values most about her time alone, however, is the liberation from sexual obligations, as she mentions that what beat everything else was "saying a none-too-fond farewell to sex." This line suggests a release from another aspect of her life that perhaps felt more dutiful than enjoyable, highlighting her relief at no longer being defined or constrained by her sexual relationship with her husband.

The poem ends with a humorous twist. When Mrs. Rip Van Winkle returns from her travels, proud of her pastel painting of Niagara Falls, she finds Rip awake and "rattling Viagra." This abrupt ending with the mention of Viagra introduces a comic irony. It suggests that while she has grown and evolved, embracing a life of personal fulfillment, her husband remains fixated on physical desires, unchanged by the passage of time.

"Mrs Rip Van Winkle" serves as a commentary on marriage, independence, and personal growth. Duffy portrays Mrs. Rip Van Winkle's journey from a submerged state of existence to one of self-discovery and fulfillment, emphasizing the potential for transformation even later in life. The poem challenges traditional roles within a marriage and celebrates a woman's right to find herself, regardless of societal expectations or marital obligations.

Copyright (c) 2025 PoetryExplorer

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...