“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a short story by Washington Irving. Based on a well-known legend, this story tells the tale of the disappearance of the main character, Ichabod Crane. An effective ghost story, Irving leaves you guessing what the truth is behind the ending. The movie Sleepy Hollow is Hollywood’s portrayal of Irving’s original story. Although the movie is similar to the story in the beginning, the movie takes a twist that leads in another direction that strays far from the original plot.The original story by Washington Irving starts out in a small town of Sleepy Hollow. Irving paints an image of bountiful crops, beautiful scenery, and prosperous landowners. Ichabod Crane was a local pedagogue, who taught at the local schoolhouse. He was known for his strict ways and yet he was very popular amongst the families of his students- especially the ones who had “pretty sisters.” Ichabod enjoyed spending fall evenings with the old widows as they sat by a fire and told stories of ghosts and demons and other supernatural beings. One story that was always told was one of the legendary Headless Horsemen. The tale tells of a soldier who had his head shot off with a cannon ball. His ghost now roamed Sleepy Hollow on his horse, looking for his lost head. In place of his head, sits a jack-o-lantern, which had a fiery glow.Intertwined with this short story is a love story, or rather a story of pure lust and greed. Ichabod Crane was in “love” with a girl named Katrina Van Tassel. Katrina was the daughter of the wealthy and prosperous landowner, Heer Van Tassel. Ichabod’s pursuit of Katrina was for purely physical and lustful reasons. His desires to be wealthy and own the Van Tassel estate along with Katrina’s beauty drove him to pursue her. Unfortunately, standing in Ichabod’s way was the handsome Brom Van Brunt, otherwise known as Brom Bones. Brom was a ...
