Is Rip Van Winkle only a funny story or is there something else going on?

Answer 1

It depends on which version you are familiar with. In the original there is a tragic subplot while Rip was on his twenty year nap- among other things the war broke out- the American Revolution, and his wife died- of natural causes. In The Flintstones variant, which was precipitated by a construction accident ( Maybe his Dinosaur crane had a heart attack- err motor failure- crane keeled over and Fred was unconscious.) to report this to OSHA!- well over the same span, no wars, but his kids grew up and Wilma re-married. crazy as it sounds this type of re-take is more humanitarian of sorts and there were similar time-warp plot devices dealing with travellers stranded ( maybe not stranded) but reported missing in action and presumed dead- this was the plot line of a popular film around l96l)- numerous variations in Olive Drab, and so on. It gets into heavy waters, methinks. So there is serious stuff in old RIP.

Answer 2

"Rip Van Winkle" is often seen as a satirical commentary on American society and the impact of the Revolutionary War on the country's identity. Through Rip's character and his experience of sleeping through a significant period of change, Washington Irving explores themes of tradition, change, and the passage of time. So, while the story has humorous elements, it also carries deeper symbolic meanings.