Answer:
D: The tongue
Step-by-step explanation:
Rip Van Winkle didn't have the best of relationships with his wife, shoe would nag at him every now and then. As times grew worse with Rip Van Winkle as years of matrimony rolled on a sour temper.
The book stresses how, "a sharp tongue would be the only edged tool that grew keener with constant use"... A reference to how his relationship would be in terms of communication with one another.