Sleepy Hollow Research Paper

Unlike “The Tell-Tale Heart”, ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ plot is built around the main theme of superstition. Ichabod tends to be horrified and terrified with the Headless horseman stories. ‘Irving depicts a strong, controversial understanding between the supernatural superstitions the townspeople believed and the natural Sleepy Hollow setting ‘(Hoffman, 425). Despite the story describing in details the natural setting such as trees and birds of the area, there is also a vibrant understanding of privileging supernatural ideas. For instance, Irving believes that it is simply Brom Bones in disguise when finally, the headless horseman appeared.

Washington Irving’s, the author of the story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, uses imagery throughout the story to interpret the setting and mood of the story. At the beginning of the story, Erving uses suspenseful imagery to describe the location of the valley that he lives in as one of the quietest places on earth . He ackno in the story “Not far from this village, perhaps about two miles down the road, there is a little valley or lap of land among the hills, which is one of the quietest places in the world.” The main character Ichabod Crane is a school teacher, Erving the author uses imagery in such a way to give the readers the full effect of what his classroom looks like. “His schoolhouse was a low building of one large room, rudely constructed of logs; the windows partly glazed, and partly patched with leaves of old copybooks,” he says this in such a way that the reader can imagine the school room as if they were there and it adds suspense to the rest of the story. Washington Irving set the mood of thrilling suspense and the spooky setting of a quiet town by using imagery throughout his story of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is short story of speculative fiction written by Washington Irving, published in 1820. It follows the journey of Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones in their attempt to win over Katrina Van Tassel. Many adaptions have been made of Irving’s original story with one of the most known being “Sleepy Hollow” a 1999 American horror film directed by Tim Burton. The movie follows a different but similar plot to the original story with the murders of the headless horseman being the main focus of the movie. In both versions it can be clearly seen how the setting has a huge impact on all aspects of the book and film particularly the themes, values and characterisation.

They fought over the affection of a woman, this women invited them both to a party. When he saw how much Ichabod and the woman talked, Brom Bones became jealous. Soon after Ichabod left the party to go home, Ichabod reasoned that he was being chased by The Headless Horseman, a legend from Sleepy Hollow in which a ghost chases riders before they get to a certain point in the town. The fear indicated while Ichabod was being attacked by what he perceived as a ghost, was further developed using diction to create a more realistic experience for his reader. Irving writes in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow; “As yet his panic had given his unskilful rider an apparent advantage in the chase; but just as he had got halfway through the hollow, the girth of his saddle gave way, and Ichabod felt it slipping from under him.

Over time, a change has occurred from the typical horror story to a violent and bloody legend. The original short story " The Legend of the Sleepy Hollow" is an example of a simple, yet mysterious fable in which Ichabod Crane acts as the protagonist. Ichabod becomes the victim of the feared headless horseman after believing the superstitious tales of this spirit preying in the night. The film that is supposedly based upon the tale provides a deceiving, yet compelling title of Sleepy Hollow, as one might assume that the film is a reenactment of the short story. The film and original tale differ in that the film has blood, gore and controversy while the story depicts a

One dark and lonely night, after a dance at the Van Tassel estate, Ichabod attempted to travel home. On his old horse, Gunpowder, he slowly made his way through the dark woods that crossed his path. Unfortunately, appearing from the dark shadows came a headless figure, which frightened Ichabod. In an attempt to escape, he ran to the covered bridge where the horseman was supposed to disappear into a burst of fire. Unfortunately, the figure flung its pumpkin head at Ichabod, knocking him off his horse and knocking him unconscious state that the next day, all that remained was a smashed pumpkin. Ichabod had disappeared. The story leaves you guessing what really happened. Did Ichabod run away, or did the Haunted Horseman kill him? Or was it Brom Bones, who married Katrina shortly after his opponent?s disappearance, and laughed every time there was mention of the pumpkin.

Many connections to famous books or movies can be made to the Headless Horseman or the "Heissan" as he is referred to many times in the original "Sleepy Hollow". The Headless Horseman has a few key traits: engimatic, supernatural, and terror raising/feared. Only a few have ever come face to face with the Horseman, the nemesis of Ichabod Crane (main character) Brom Van Brunt has a supposed run in with the horseman and lives to tell the tale, while the village elders go off of stories. When his name is spoken townsfolk quiver at the stories and terror brought about by the mistery of the supernatural. This horseman is no ordinary horseman, he frightens the whole town, patrolling the church grounds where he is supposedly buried, he makes quick work of anyone who dares go near.

Ichabod loved marvellous things, and equally loved deciphering it. These had both grown because of the region he was currently staying in.No tale was too big or crazy for him to digest. After the school day ended, he enjoyed to relax on the riverbed of clover that bordered the brook that traveled by his schoolhouse. There he would read over Mather’s book, until it got to dark out for him to see the words. As he would stroll home to the place he was being quartered, every little noise of a plant or animal would catch his attention. Some of these were the moan of the

“In the dark shadow of the grove… [Ichabod] beheld something huge, misshapen, black and towering...up in the gloom...some gigantic monster” and “summoning up, [from his trembling body] a show of courage...he demanded in stammering accents- ‘Who are you?’”. In the short story, the “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, Washington Irving, tells the adventures of a schoolteacher, Ichabod Crane, in the haunted town of Sleepy Hollow. There, he pursues the local beauty, Katrina van Tassel, competing with the town’s rowdy prankster, Brom Bones. As the plot intensifies, Ichabod’s superstition eventually leads to his downfall when he is chased by the legendary ghost of the Headless Horseman in a terrifying and vivid scene after a party at Katrina’s house. The next day, Ichabod has disappeared, his fate unknown. Throughout the story, Irving creates suspense with the use of imagery to build up a frightening scene in the reader’s mind and ambiguity to make them anxious as they feel a sense of mysteriousness as to what really happened.

The film Sleepy Hollow directed by Tim Burton, centres around a detective who is sent from the city to a small country town to investigate a series of bizarre murders. While he is in town he has to deal with love, past issues and also discover why the horseman has returned from the dead to kill townspeople. The story is based around the battle of good and evil with Ichabod Crane being good as he believes in finding the truth in everything and the Horseman being evil personified as he will not stop killing. Burton displays the constant battle between good and evil throughout the film through the characterization of Ichabod Crane and the Hessian. Burton also uses settings to show what each thing represents like the forest is the gateway to hell

If someone is afraid of ghost and goblins, they should not go to Sleepy Hollow! In the passage “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, there are two characters named Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane. These men are very different from each other, though Ichabod and Brom think similar about some things.

In preparation for the party at the Van Tassel mansion, Ichabod takes extra time to get ready, wears his best clothes, and even borrows a horse in order to attempt a noble and valiant façade. But, Ichabod’s foolish and strange appearance can never be disguised. Not only was the broken-down horse a pathetic sight to be seen, but Ichabod’s clumsily large stature overtook it in the most ridiculous of ways. “He rode with short stirrups, which brought his knees nearly up to the pommel of the saddle; his sharp elbows stuck out like grasshoppers’…and, as his horse jogged on, the motion of his arms was not unlike the flapping of a pair of wings” (Irving 5). There is nothing glorious or particularly attractive about Ichabod’s physical presence, which is the initial indication of his incompetence to fulfill the role of hero. His physical appearance exudes weakness and vulnerability, and it should not come as a surprise that his personality matches his anti-heroic appearance.

The conclusions of the book and movie greatly differ from one another. In the end there seem to be one major relevant point. The short story’s main closing idea is Katrina did not choose Ichabod. Whereas the film’s final note is the Headless Horseman is gone and no longer out to kill. Ichabod and Katrina’s fate together are not the same in the book and movie. They do not end up together in the book but they do in the movie. Ichabod’s future also contrasts. There are rumors on what happened to him in the story, but mainly he simply disappears after facing the Headless Horseman. Shown in the film, Ichabod survives his meeting with the evil specter and together he and Katrina move to New York. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow the book and Sleepy Hollow the movie’s closure are immensely differentiated.

Fifty-three sketches are scattered in the 121 pages of Browns edition. The depiction of Ichabod Crane does not match his illustration. He is drawn as handsome as Brom Van Brunt and is not long armed, lanky, and long-legged with a pointy nose (Brown 21). The Headless Horseman is illustrated to description having sharp and jagged edges with a frightening look. The three books share the narrative style and ending with only Ichabodâs hat and a crushed pumpkin found and the "old country wives" retelling the tale of the Headless Horseman (Rackham 101).

"Sleepy Hollow" season 4 will see Ichabod Crane with a new partner in the person of Diana Malhotra. However, fans are still reeling from the death of their favorite character Abbie Mills. More so, some fans are saying that the new plot for the upcoming season closely follow "Lucifer."