Imagine waking up one day and realizing your whole life has moved on without you and now you are left to wander. That is exactly what happened to Rip Van Winkle, the protagonist of the similarly titled work by Washington Irving. Rip Van Winkle’s story is an interesting one, and it explores ideas of nature and changing tides. In this post, we are going to summarize the story and expand on its meaning and impact.