“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” – Washington Irving

 

Summary

This is a narration whereby that character, Ichabod Crane, a superstitious school teacher, moves to the village of Sleepy Hollow where he finds himself in love with a farm owner's daughter, Katrina Van Tassel. The love of Ichabod for Katrina is rivaled by his rival; that is, Brom Bones, a local man who also wants her. After a party, Ichabod comes across the ghostly Headless Horseman who is said to chase him through the woods, and suddenly, he disappears. While the townspeople speculate about the cause of his disappearance, Brom Bones seems to take delight in the mystery. This story works romance, superstition, and mystery together into an eerie ending that leaves the question of Ichabod's fate open for interpretation.

 

Characters:

Ichabod Crane

Katrina Van Tassel

Brom Bones

The Headless Horseman

The Van Tassel Family

 

Plot Elements:

Exposition – The setting is the village of Sleepy Hollow-another quiet and mysterious little corner of the countryside just off the banks of the Tappan Zee River. Tall, gawkish, schoolmaster supremely superstitious heads into the village with the avowed persuasiveness that he is out to teach children but which he knows himself to be only embarking on an attempt to line into the local legends, particularly that concerning the Headless Horseman. Ichabod finds himself infatuated with the fair daughter of a well-to-do farmer, and the jealousy in Brom Bones, a local who wants Katrina for himself, rises.

 

Rising Action – The more time Ichabod spends courting Katrina, the more money and beauty he sees in her; Brom Bones, on the other hand, is an imposing, really buxom, and athletic man, and he practices some tricks on Ichabod to keep his insecurity alive. At a party at the Van Tassels house, Ichabod finally admits it in front of Katrina but she seems disinterested. After that party, Ichabod goes home in his troops across dark, creepy woods, where he meets the headless horseman, who chases him.

 

Climax – Climax of the tale is when Ichabod is chased by the Headless Horseman. With the help of the ghostly figure, he throws his head to Ichabod, coming into collision with him from unbalancing him from his horse. He disappears without leaving a trace behind and in the next morning is found, mere to that horse near the bridge that borders into Sleepy Hollow.

 

Resolution – It is very much towards a resolution for the residents of this town to converse concerning the disappearance of Ichabod. Some believe that he was whisked away by the Headless Horseman while others speculate that he fled under the cloak of disgrace after being spurned by Katrina. Brom Bones, married to the now smug Katrina, seems to be crafted with some hint of involvement in the case-the man who played an act of the Headless Horseman in order to frighten Ichabod away.

 

Analysis

Superstitions, rivalries, and the unknown hang like a dark cloud over the story of Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod Crane's fully convinced mind sees visions of spirits and legends, and it is his perpetual weakening to fear that entertains the more mischievous and pragmatic efforts of Brom Bones. The rivalry between Ichabod and Brom and Ichabod's greed for Katrina fuels a competition and a rivalry altogether. The supernatural atmosphere of Sleepy Hollow over the foreboding figure of the Headless Horseman brings in the horror and suspense. 

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