Many times in life, people are rewarded or punished for the things that they do right or wrong. Usually, one is rewarded for doing things right and punished for doing things wrong, however, that is not always the case. An example of someone being rewarded for being unproductive and avoiding work, is Washington Irving’s Rip Van Winkle. Rip does nothing productive to benefit himself or his family, yet he is still rewarded in the end. In this story, Irving uses juxtaposition to enforce his theme that punishments are not always given to those who deserve them. When Rip awakens from his slumber and is exploring the town, he finds that the image of King George has been replaced. “The red coat was changed for one of blue and buff; a sword was held in the hand instead of a sceptre; the head was decorated with a cocked hat, and underneath was printed in very large characters GENERAL WASHINGTON.” This quote juxtaposes the two leaders and the change from King George to George Washington shows that he is no longer under the rule of a tyrant and is now a citizen of democracy. While Rip was sleeping in the woods, attempting to…show more content… Rip never did anything productive to provide for his family or work on his farm, yet during his slumber in the woods, his country fought in a revolution, meaning he is no longer under tyrannical rule, his daughter grew up and is able to provide for him even though he was not there to provide for her, and his wife passed away and is no longer there to nag him when he wants to do nothing. Upon awakening, it seems that he has gotten everything he was longing for before he fell asleep. In life, people are usually rewarded for doing good and punished for doing bad, but that is not always the case. Sometimes, those who do right are given hardships and misfortune and those who do wrong are
