When it comes to both the stories Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving and The Bride Comes To Yellow Sky by Stephen Crane they both share a similar yet different way of depicting the social dynamic of a small town. When it comes to the story Rip Van Winkle the people of the town do fit the way that people would normally think a small town would be. In the reading everyone knows each other and especially know who is Rip Van Winkle. Rip was known as the man that “would never even refuse to assist a neighbor”. When you think of small town peoples you think that everyone helps one another and is a peaceful town. So Irving took the more classic road when it came to describing the way the people of the town were. Especially with Rip.
When it came to The Bride Comes To Yellow Sky, Crane went in a different direction. He did not make the people of the town be as friendly with each other than how Irving did. In the story the drummer cried out “Scratchy Wilson’s drunk and has turned loose with both hands” meaning the old man that was in a gang once was so drunk that he is out and about to firing his revolver around town. Now when it came to this specific part of the story the towns people explained to the drummer that this was a normal thing that would happen in their small town and that when it did they would just close the door and lock themselves in because they knew that Wilson was a dangerous man when he was drunk. Now the drummer although he was scared that Wilson was outside drunk with his revolvers he saw that the people were not scared at all. When It comes to a small towns, people donât normally think that gun fights would be a regular thing to happen. So in the end Crane did not go for a typical depiction of a small town.
I think that the only similarities that both stories do share would be that both people of the town counted on someone to help them. In the story Rip Van Winkle the people of the town would count on Rip to help them with anything that they needed help with. And the people in the small town the story The Bride Comes To Yellow Sky would normally count on Jack Potter to help them when it came to Scratchy Wilson.
In the two stories Rip Van Winkle by Washington Irving and The Bride Comes To Yellow Sky by Stephen Crane, the social dynamic of these two towns can refer to how each major characterâs conduct has a result on the people and including the town itself. In one way, it makes us understand that these characters play a major part on their daily lives. In other words, Rip and Jack are essential characters to the well being of the town. Margarita gives good point in explaining how these major characters have a unique relationship with the people. Clearly, we can see that both towns have different environments. Indeed, in the story Rip Van Winkle you will sense a friendly environment. However, in The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky you will sense a hostile atmosphere. I agreed with Margarita. At the end of the day, both stories have a connection in how the characters play an important part in their towns.
This is a very fair compare and contrast analyzation between the two stories, although I would say Crane’s depiction of a small town is completly accurate to real life situation. Even with the town people’s reaction toward drunk Wilson is very accurate, just in a more dramatic situation. Being someone who came from a small town, it is true that everyone knows each other and we are very friendly to each other as well. And when you know each other so well, you would be very familiar to how to handle a common situation like that. To an outsider it will seems unusual, but it is just Crane’s dramatic depiction of the lifestyle in a small town, even in big city as well.
Using New York City as an example, to New Yorker when they are riding on the subway, we are very familiar with the sudden change of train stops, we would not panic if they train skip the stop of our destination, we know to go to the opposite direction and get off at the right stop. But to a traveler, they would get nervous and get lost.
I agree with this blog because in the story of Rip Van Winkle it does explain the peacefully environment of the village especially when Rip is around. The people love Rip they will shout with joy wherever he approached, this show that the people in the story are loving, caring and happy people. The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky, its true that doesn’t give a clear depiction of how the people are and act in the story but just as how Jack see them to be for what he did wrong. Jack Potter who know better as the marshal of Yellow Sky is show to be traitor for one small crime that really isn’t a crime by law. He married a woman from a different city and didn’t tell anyone of his friends and the people of Yellow Sky but he is a person who should be repeated and loved by the people for all the good things he has done especially save them multiple times from Scratchy Wilsonâs but all the people care about is what Jack has done wrong. He had to make a plan to avoid all the people from Yellow Sky until the time has past when the people will forget what Jack has done.
I do agree with your point in comparing âRip Van Winkleâ to âThe Bride Comes to Yellow Sky.â In my own experience I didnât really get a full grasp on what was going on in the story or what roles each person had until after I finished reading. But afterwards I got that Rip and Potter share similar roles in their communities as people everybody knows and likes, Rip for always helping out, Potter for dealing with Wilson. And in the same way that Rip disappears into the woods, Potter disappears from the scene to a far off land and gets married. Whatâs even more interesting is that both of them come back to their home towns out of place, unable to resume their previous function in the town due to age and marriage, and they both come back with a legacy of their past lives. ââI ain’t got a gun because I’ve just come from San Anton’ with my wife. I’m married,â said Potter. âAnd if I’d thought there was going to be any galoots like you prowling around when I brought my wife home, I’d had a gun, and don’t you forget it.â âMarried!â said Scratchy, not at all comprehending.â âYes, married. I’m married,â said Potter distinctly. âMarried?â said Scratchy. Seemingly for the first timeâŠâ As you can see in this short passage Wilson can barely grasp the idea of Potter who used to best him at shooting getting married, and Potter even reminds him that things would not have unfolded the way they did had he known, he would have been prepared to fight as usual.
I also agree with the similarities between the relationships between the protagonists and the members of the small town in both “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky”. In both stories, Rip Van Winkle and Jack Potter both have similar relationships with the members of their town. Even though Rip was lackadaisical in regards to most of the tasks that his wife asked of him, Rips relationship with members of the town was completely different. Rip was described as someone who was always willing to help any neighbor that needed it. In return, he was held in high regards by most members of his village.
A similar relationship can be seen with Jack Potter and the members of his town. In the beginning of the story, Jack Potter had just gotten married and was on his way home back to Yellow Sky. On his journey home, one of his biggest concerns was presenting his new wife to the members of the town. He had not alerted them of the decision to get married beforehand. The feelings that we see presented on his journey home show evidence of a family like relationship between Jack and the members of Yellow Sky.
I agree in “Rip Van Winkle” by Washington Irving and “The bride comes to yellow Sky’s” by Stephen Crane that both stories share similarities such as both settings being in small towns. In Rip Van Winkle the protagonist lives in a small community and likes to help people in need. He avoids all responsibilitys within his household however. A lot of people appreciate Van Winkles help and his effort. As so the people in the community of where the protagonist from Cranes novel is a sheriff and people admire him and expect him to protect them. Both stories characterization is very similar to one another.
I agree with Margarita of how different, but similar the two pieces are regarding the idea of a small town. Stephen Crane’s idea of a small town in “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” shows us how close nit the people of the town were due to the fact that they knew once Scratchy was “drunk and had turned loose with both hands” it was time to lock up the place and protect themselves. As small town people usually are, looking out for each other. I also noticed a difference in the way Stephen Crane shows the way Scratchy reacted when Jack explained to him who the woman on his side was, his whole attitude changed. He said “Married!” as if he were shocked to hear his usually enemy had gone out and did something strange. In a small town people usually want to settle and have children, chivalry usually exists in small towns. Stephen Crane gave us this new way of looking at a small town, because he allowed Scratchy to put his guns down, and walk away once Jack told him the news. In small town’s since everyone knows each other, it’s unlikely that people would have to go far to get married or bring in anyone they did not know. For Jack to do all of the above, it’s like Stephen is showing us a new idea of what a small town could be.
The only way I see a similarity is like Margarita described as both author’s having the protective character in both readings.
In “Rip Van Winkle” Washington Irving does depict the typical small town scene. Rip even after 20 years of being in the woods comes back to a new town that he is unfamiliar because of it’s new times. Rip was the man everyone looked to help “would never refuse to assist a neighbor” as Irving describes it. We know that people in small towns are usually helpful towards each other, always lending a helping hand around with the children, small fixes, carpools, etc. So Rip fit the script for the man of a small town. He is also an elder into the new town, so the children all want to hear his stories and so will the strangers who come for a visit. Washington Irving certainly kept is in tuned with what it was like to live in a small town with Rip.
I agree with your post with the similarities and differences with the two stories. The concept of a small town would usually provide community and help can sometimes gone one way. In after Rip’s return from the forest, the people of his town came depended on him to be a town leader. The town in the bride comes to Yellow sky, the comrade within the community was severely lacking as the dependence of taking down the town drunk would come down to seeking the help of Jack Potter. The towns depends on their citizens to step up but Rip’s town became reliant on his wisdom, the town of Yellow Sky became dependent on the gunslinging authoritative skills of Jack Potter to handle a person who is more irratic
This was a perfect comparison to Rip Van Winkle and The Bridge Comes to Yellow Sky with describing the how different the two towns were, but I say that the towns also have some similarities. Both town needed Rip Van Winkle and Jack Potterâs help. When Rip disappeared for 20 years, a war happen, and during the time Jack wasnât in Yellow Sky thatâs when Scratchy Wilson was causing trouble throughout the town. So itâs in the absence of the two main characters that there were differences in the their respective towns.
I agree with your take on comparing and contrasting both stories, and I think that Crane went in a different direction from Irving because of the fact that both stories are two distinct pieces. Irving did depict a peaceful, small town where everyone is kind and helpful towards one another, whereas Crane sets his story in a town that is hostile. Crane did this intentionally so that the story can correspond with the setting, which is a small âwild westâ town. When you think of the Wild West most people would think of guns, cowboys, hostile environment not really a peaceful place like in Irvingâs story. We know that itâs kind of a Wild West town because Crane mentioned ââWeary Gentlemanâ saloonâ, which automatically sends people into thinking of the Wild West.