A Hundred Years Difference By: Sarah

In Washington Irving’s short story, “Rip Van Winkle”, the title character falls asleep under a tree in the woods for twenty years. As humorous a tale it is, however, it makes one wonder what changes a person of one hundred years ago from today would find surprising. Of all the many changes our country has seen in the last hundred years, by far the most unexpected for someone of the past would be the social and technological changes we have made.

The social changes in America in the last hundred years would surely astound someone waking up from a hundred year slumber. Listing these changes would not only be monotonous but also frivolous. Anyone familiar with American history would be able to do so and most likely would be able to do it in the blink of an eye. But many of these changes, while surprising might have been pretty predictable to one of a hundred years past. One thing that has changed socially that would have been unpredictable is America’s new found fascination with all things “celebrity”. Go to any grocery store and the magazine racks are filled with personal information on all the big names in Hollywood. Turn on the television at any given time of day and you will find a channel solely dedicated to celebrity gossip. Even the local news channel will have at least one story pertaining to celebrity news. This particular social change would most definitely be surprising but also disturbing to one from the past. Irving briefly describes this type of social change when he illustrates Winkle’s conformation to his new society, “It was some time before he could get into the regular track of gossip, or could comprehend the strange events that had taken place during his torpor (964).” This quotation leads the reader to believe after a while Winkle was able to understand and take part in his new society and the gossip that went with it. This type of evolution in a person would be likely for someone who was only asleep for twenty years but nearly impossible if one had been asleep for a hundred years waking up to modern society. It is hard to imagine a person from a hundred years past would awaken and suddenly care what Bradgelina are doing or feel the need to model the latest fashion based on what Victoria Beckham is wearing. “Celebrity” would not have been defined in the same way a hundred years ago. However, a person like this would be waking up to their own brand of celebrity so caring about things like this would be the last thing on their mind.

The technological changes we have made in the last hundred years would also be mind boggling to a person of the past. However, like the social changes it would be the obsession we have with technology that would be most surprising. Since the invention of the computer our society has grown dependent upon it. Computers are all around us and are incorporated in most of our daily routines. For a person from a hundred years ago computers would not be a conceivable idea. While the computer would be an intriguing gadget it would be the internet and our addiction to it that would be in comprehendible to a person of the past. They would wonder what happened to our family values. They would not understand how spending hours at a time in front of the computer could compute to spending time with family. Winkle’s twenty year slumber cannot compare to the devastation that would go with waking up from a hundred year siesta as Irving illustrates, “Having nothing to do at home, and being arrived at that happy age when a man can do nothing with impunity, he took his place once more on the bench at the inn door (964).” It does not seem that Winkle had to deal with anything as detrimental as one would now; he was able to take up right where he left off. The computer alone would be intriguing but to someone of the past it would not be near as endearing as it is to us nowadays. The internet is vast with knowledge and shared data; but this would somehow not be as impressive as one might think to someone from a hundred years ago. They would be depressed at the deterioration of relationships due to this distraction.

In conclusion, it would be devastating for someone from a hundred years ago to wake up in our society. While there would be many changes, it would be the social and technological changes and the way we have handled them that would be most devastating. While it would seem these changes have made life easier and therefore better otherwise known as modern conveniences it would be viewed by one from a hundred years past as laziness. The advancements alone would have a wow factor for someone of the past but what these advancements have done to our humanity would not be appreciated.

Works Cited

Irving, Washington. "Rip Van Winkle." Norton Anthology of American Literature.Ed. Nina Baym. Vol. B. New York: Norton, 2007. 954-965