Essay On The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

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The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, written by Washington Irving, illustrates the clash between two juxtaposing ideals. However, unlike other stories, these two ideals are present in one character, Ichabod, the protagonist, who ultimately fails at getting the love of his life Katrina. Love however, does not guide the story; instead, the antagonist Brom Bones does as he fights for, and steals, Katrina. Although Brom Bones successfully rides off Ichabod, it is the supernatural present in the story that leads to his downfall. The ghost of the headless horseman pulls both sides of Ichabod’s brain and forces him to quit and leave his life in Sleepy Hollow. Through the use of a romantic short story, Irving says that both rationalism and romanticism are plagued by the same challenges; in the case of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow it is the supernatural.
In the short story Ichabod attempts to use his …show more content…
Ichabod’s over-imagination not only leads to his gullibility and credulity, but also to his downfall. After the party, Bones presumably follows Ichabod on horseback, acting as the headless horseman. When he encounters Ichabod he throws a pumpkin at him. The rest is a mystery for the reader to presume, as we are only told that Ichabod was spotted years later working as a judge. Brom Bones was able to use Ichabod’s grand imagination against him, ultimately driving him out of the village, and securing Katrina Van Tessel for himself. Milne claims, “Because he [Ichabod] does not understand that the story of the headless horseman is just a story, he is easy prey for Brom” (145). Similarly, Theodore concurs with Milne suggesting, “Ichabod is also a very gullible individual who believes in the supernatural, thus providing his opponent with the weapon that will destroy him” (Theodore 1210). Both writes agree that Ichabod’s over-imagination leads to his
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