Rip Van Winkle was a character in a Washington Irving short story. He fell asleep before the War of Independence and woke up only 20 years later, in an independent country. It was a great surprise for him to find out that his annoying and nagging wife had died, as he went to sleep just to run away from her. He had slept through vital family, political, social, and economic changes.

More Info: www.enotes.com