likes to watch a film or read a story with a dead hero. In the original narrative, Ichabod portrayed the hero. As a well liked gentleman with a kind and helping heart, it would seem odd for one to have opposition against him. Through a series of events, Ichabod was never again seen after his encounter with the headless horseman. Added to the unsuspecting plot in the film was the "happily ever after" theme. The protagonist eventually killed the antagonist and he lived happily ever after. The film seems much more ideal for society today through the transformation of a fable into a fairy tale. But why should the film be transformed to fit society’s changes? By all means, the story itself is simple, with a clear plot and plenty of descriptions to visualize. However, the details given were not bloody and grossly entangled within. There were no such descriptions of blood and gore, but rather a clear account of the encounter between Ichabod and the headless horseman. The film on the other hand, gives gory detail after detail to the fight scenes and encounters with Ichabod and other characters as they try to escape the headless horseman. The short story contains a moral, which is revealed at the very end by the storyteller. Its intent was to prove "That there is no situation in life but has its advantages and pleasures, provided we will but take a joke as we find it: That therefore, he that runs races with goblin troopers, is likely to have rough riding of it: Ergo, for a country schoolmaster to be refused the hand of a Dutch heiress, is a certain step to high preferment in the state." If the film were to have a moral to its story, it may read something like this: " Kill the antagonist and live happily ever after." ...
