After Rip gets up from his long sleep, he goes to the village and is estranged by many things and people he sees. He first notices all the things that have changed and later on he begins to recognize what remained, as well as how there's a kind of contuinity that emerges. The theme here seems to be how time changes things radically, pushed by a society that thrives to evolve; but tradition must be protected. There has to be continuity for advancement to be fruitful. Newer generations have to build upon the old ones.
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