The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Summary
Major Themes
Veracity
in Storytelling
Veracity
in storytelling is a defining theme of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The story
is distantly removed from the reader—Crayon has found the story in Diedrich
Knickerbocker’s papers, who is dead, and who at the end of the story writes
that he heard it from an old gentleman, who claimed to not have even believed
half of it himself, ultimately getting much of the story from primary or even
other secondary sources. Thus, even where the story is told with confidence,
the narrator has given us reasons to doubt evrything. We become critical
readers, unlike Crane, who believes the ghost stories he reads.
The
narrator also admits to complete ignorance of one of the defining moments of
the story—Katrina’s imagined rejection of Ichabod—as well as to its ending. He
does, however, relay a scene which he can only have knowledge of if Crane (or
the horseman) has told his story. There were no other witnesses. Given the
narrative frame of the tale, we know that the narrator is not omniscient but
has had to rely on others' tales.
Yet,
the narrator has not demonstrated that factuality is the point. It is likely
that the point of telling the story, just as it has been passed along from one
person to another, is in the telling, the enjoyment of the tale. On the one
hand, we are critical readers, because otherwise we would not figure out who is
playing the role of the horseman. On the other hand, we shouldn't act like a
boring schoolmaster but like a true listener, enjoying the tale.
Crayon
almost seems to be challenging the reader to enjoy the story even though he
doubts most of it, for in the postscript to the story, in which we find out
that the previous narrator does not even believe it, the one man who does not
enjoy hearing the story says that the reason he cannot enjoy it is that he does
not believe it. This man is presented negatively as some kind of dour doubter,
however, thus emphasizing the fact that one is better off suspending disbelief,
at least enough to enjoy the tale as it is presented. This is a lesson for some
literary critics and professors who lose the joy of reading in the course of
minute interpretation.
The
Power of Imagination
The
power of imagination is very prominent in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and
throughout Crayon’s collection as a whole. In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,”
Ichabod is a rather comedic and foolish protagonist. This comes, largely, from
the strength of his imagination, and this leads to his downfall.
Ichabod’s
primary enjoyment is reading stories about ghosts, demons, and witches, or
hearing stories about the same; yet, because his imagination is so powerful, he
pays for this dearly, having great frights every time he walks or rides home
after dark. The littlest things frighten him, and he can convince himself that
almost anything is supernatural.
Ichabod’s
imagination thus makes his life more difficult, but it does not seem to alter
his behavior, since his imagination leads him to think the supernatural things
are real. He continues to read these stories, and he continues to walk home
after dark. His imagination in its fantasizing function does, however,
seriously affect his life in that it reinforces his impotence. Ichabod’s
imagination is so powerful that he believes himself essentially already the
owner of the Van Tassel farm. Because he gets so much joy out of this fantasy,
he forgets that he has to put forth an effort to make it into a reality, so he
does not.
Ichabod
also tries to woo Katrina, imagining his future life with her. But he does not
take Brom seriously enough as a rival, nor does he do anything to prove that he
could be a husband who would offer anything to Katrina besides singing lessons.
Thus Ichabod’s powerful imagination renders him impotent in reality.
Lack of
Class Structure in America
The
theme of lack of class structure in America is most clear when reading “The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow” in the greater context of The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon,
Gent., which offers the European contrast. It is still apparent here,
however. Sleepy Hollow is an old town inhabited mostly by descendants of its
original settlers. This would seemingly make it prone to family prejudices, a
younger parallel to the European aged communities, yet there is no evidence of
this kind of hierarchy. Instead, people are valued for their merits, such as
their book learning or their ability in teaching, activities requiring
strength, or singing.
Katrina
Van Tassel is desired by almost every eligible young man in Sleepy Hollow,
being the rich farmer’s daughter. In Europe, her lack of title would have
limited those who would be interested in her to others of similar status, but
in America (or at least this sleepy town) her abundance of resources, combined
with her good looks, youth, and charm, are enough to make her very desirable.
This is more of a unique money issue than a general class issue. Even as the
most desired bachelorette in the neighborhood, moreover, she ends up choosing
between a well-liked but irresponsible and rowdy young man, with no fortune
that we know of, and a very poor and homeless school teacher with an obsession
with ghost stories.
In
their community, Ichabod is recommended by his comparatively good education;
Brom, by his physical skills and likable personality. Their titles, families,
and even money are not explicitly brought into consideration. This contrasts
greatly with, for example, “The Pride of the Village,” another story in
Irving's collection, in which a beautiful and virtuous young English woman ends
up dying of heartbreak because the man she loves could not conceive of marrying
her because of her comparatively low class.
Abundance
of Resources in America
Although
the source for “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is believed to be an old European
folktale, in the context of The
Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., it is a very American story. This is
clear, first of all, in the fact that it is set in America at all, when the
primary cohesive factor of the collection is Crayon’s travels in Europe. Thus
its being set in America is not just arbitrary but is an active choice and is
thus essential, and this is reflected in several themes. While Europe has
history, America has youth, promise, and resources.
Ichabod,
like Rip Van Winkle, is indolent and impotent, barely able to provide for
himself, producing nothing. He is, however, still able to eat almost
constantly, as his appetite demands, because of the plentiful resources
available in Sleepy Hollow. That this abundance is important is very clear, for
almost half of the story is spent describing commodities: the Van Tassels’
land, farm, animals, house, possessions, and food. Whereas Katrina is described
as youthful and pretty, each individual animal, each dish, is described in much
more sensuous detail than she is. Thus resources become one of the most
important features of the story, which goes along with Crayon’s belief that
America’s advantages are in its natural resources and beautiful landscapes,
while if one is looking for the best people and histories, Europe would be the
better place to go.
Lack of
History and Continuity in America
The
lack of history and continuity in America, like the lack of class structure, is
apparent in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and is even more apparent in the rest
of the collection, which offers the European contrast. Sleepy Hollow’s
overabundance of ghost stories, when compared to other American neighborhoods,
is explained by the fact that it is an old village, whose inhabitants are largely
descendants of the original settlers. Thus, even though it is an American
village, it is presented as more like a European village than most American
neighborhoods, which allows it to have legends.
However,
its youth in comparison to European towns is still very clear, as when Diedrich
Knickerbocker says, facetiously, that the story he is going to relay happened
during a very “remote period of American history, that is to say, some thirty
years since” (274). In Europe, thirty years is barely a generation, not quite
"history," but in America, even a twenty-year nap like Rip Van
Winkle’s can result in missing a defining period of history.
Knickerbocker
also emphasizes that a town like Sleepy Hollow is unusual in America, for most
towns do not develop ghost stories, since no ghosts would come back to haunt
people who move along so quickly. Sleepy Hollow is disconnected from other
towns to the degree that even though Crane is alive somewhere, the people of
the town never hear about him. The lack of history and continuity give people
in America more freedom, such as freedom of movement, because it is accepted
that people come and go and have to succeed on the basis of their talents.
People do not have to live up to any expectations set by the generations that came
before them.
The
Natural and the Supernatural
Irving
paints a strong contrast between the natural setting of Sleepy Hollow and the
supernatural superstitions of the townspeople. Were it not for the people, with
their stories of ghosts and their fears of ghosts, there would be no ghosts.
Meanwhile, much of the tale focuses on the natural setting: the birds, trees,
and the rest of the flora and fauna of the area, as well as the bodies of
water, all described in beautiful detail.
Was
Ichabod hit by a ghostly head or a natural pumpkin? It seems clear that the
natural explanation should make more sense. But in Sleepy Hollow, there is a
vibrant tradition of privileging ideas of the supernatural, and despite all the
natural evidence, many people in the town blame the Headless Horseman for
Ichabod's disappearance.
Finally,
folklore about supernatural beings often focuses on ways that they can be
controlled by natural things. For instance, because of the idea that ghosts
haunt specific areas, people imagine that they cannot cross a bridge over a
body of water, which would take them into a new area. Althouh the supernatural
is by definition beyond the natural world, people seek to rationalize, contain,
and contain it through storytelling and folklore.
Human
Selfishness
Although
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a light-hearted story, told in a humorous
manner, it does not paint the most flattering picture of humanity—it probably
does not “prompt a benevolent view of human nature” as Crayon says he desires
to do in his writing. This is particularly true in the rampant selfishness seen
in most of the characters. Most obviously, Ichabod desires Katrina most of all
for the increase to his material wealth she would represent, and he even
imagines himself selling off her family’s farm once it would be in his
possession, for the money. Even when Ichabod shows his better characteristics,
helping out around the farms he stays at and keeping the children and wives
happy, his primary goal in doing so is to keep his hosts content so that they
will let him stay, and continue to feed him.
Yet
this is not the only example of greed or selfishness. Katrina uses Ichabod to
secure Brom’s affection---she may understand Ichabod’s true motives, but either
way, it cannot be denied that she does not hesitate to use him to suit her
purposes. That this selfishness, or at least self-centeredness, is not confined
to a few characters becomes very clear when Ichabod disappears. A search party
is created, but only because Hans Van Ripper wants his missing saddle back, and
when there is no sign of Ichabod, nobody cares. This is because has no debts,
the assumption being that if he had owed anyone any money, they would have put
much more effort into finding him. Thus Sleepy Hollow is a collection of people
who, as in most places, put their self-interest first.
The Legend
of Sleepy Hollow Summary
“The
Legend of Sleepy Hollow” tells the story of Ichabod
Crane and his
hapless attempt to win the heart and hand of Katrina
Van Tassel in the
context of a comical ghost story. Ichabod comes to Sleepy Hollow, New York,
from his home state of Connecticut, to be the schoolmaster of the village.
Sleepy Hollow is a small, very quiet town said to be under some kind of
enchantment. Its residents all seem to move a little slower, daydream a little
more, and be more prone to believe in the supernatural. Sleepy Hollow, maybe
for that reason or maybe because its residents are almost all descended from
its original Dutch settlers, has more than its fair share of supernatural
occurrences, or at least stories of them.
Sleepy
Hollow’s most famous supernatural phenomenon is the ghost of the Headless
Horseman, said to be a Hessian soldier who lost his head to a cannon ball
during the Revolutionary War. The Horseman is seen most often riding by the
church, where local historians say he was buried. He is believed to be always
in search of his head. Ichabod is fascinated by this story, being especially
interested (and prone to believe) in tales of the supernatural.
Ichabod
is a strict teacher but not a cruel one, doling out his punishment of the rod
only to those who can handle it. Ichabod makes almost no money, and it is
customary in the village for the farmers whose sons he teaches to feed and
board him in rotation. Along with this, Ichabod makes some extra money teaching
singing lessons—he prides himself greatly on his magnificent voice. This
arrangement keeps him employed and gives him many opportunities to hear ghost
stories from the farmers’ wives and eat meals with the farmers’ daughters. He
also has an insatiable hunger and a taste for the finer things.
Katrina
Van Tassel, a beautiful young woman of eighteen, is one of Ichabod’s students.
She is also the only child of Baltus
Van Tassel, one of the more successful farmers in the area. Ichabod is
quickly taken in by her flirtatious charms, but it is when he first visits her
father’s abundant farm that he considers himself truly in love with her, or at
least her likely inheritance.
He
quickly sets out to win her hand in marriage, coming by the Van Tassel farm
frequently to woo her. Ichabod is not alone in his attentions to Katrina,
however. Her beauty, charm, and wealth have entranced many other men in the
village, especially the formidable Brom
Van Brunt, also known as Brom Bones. Brom is notorious for his boisterous
personality, love of pranks, and great skill at horseback riding—all of which
make him something of a village hero.
Brom
has already scared off many of Katrina’s other suitors, but Ichabod is harder
to shake, avoiding physical confrontation with Brom, which is Brom’s main
method of intimidation. Without that option, Brom turns to his next best
skill—pranks. He fills the school house with smoke, trains a dog to follow
Ichabod around howling, and sets many other pranks to frustrate and humiliate
Ichabod.
One
day, a messenger comes to the schoolhouse to invite Ichabod to a party at the
Van Tassels’. At this party, he apparently finds himself the best man in the
house, and when the party is over he stays behind. For some reason, however,
Katrina disappoints him. Ichabod leaves crestfallen.
He
finds the path home dark and eerily quiet. He tries to keep himself from
getting too scared, but soon after he has passed the possibly haunted Major
Andre’s tree, he sees a large, dark figure looming nearby. It does not respond
to his call, but as he passes by, it starts to move and joins him on the path
riding a large, dark horse. Ichabod is greatly disturbed and tries to shake off
his pursuer, but he fails. Finally, he notices that the rider has no head on
his shoulders; the head seems to be sitting on the saddle in front of the man.
Ichabod tries to get his decrepit horse to run home as fast as it can, but he
is not a skilled rider and the horse resists.
They
end up by the church, the scene of most of the stories of the Headless
Horseman, and Ichabod races to the bridge where the ghost is said to disappear
and not follow. Ichabod crosses the bridge and looks back, but he sees the
Horseman, instead of disappearing, hurl his detached head at him. It knocks
Ichabod off of his horse.
The
next day, Ichabod’s horse returns to its owner’s farm, but there is no sign of
Ichabod. A search party finds hoof prints and Ichabod’s hat, with a smashed
pumpkin left next to it. Ichabod is never heard from again in Sleepy Hollow,
although later on it seems that he is alive elsewhere and has told his story.
Some of the townspeople believe that Brom Bones pulled off a great prank—which
put Brom in the final position to marry Katrina—but the old women and local folklore
maintain that he was taken by the Headless Horseman.
Character
List
Baltus
Van Tassel
Baltus Van Tassel, also
known as Balt, is a thriving and contented farmer, father of Katrina, who is
perfectly happy within the confines of his farm. He lives abundantly but not
proudly.
Brom
Van Brunt
Brom, short for Abraham,
is Ichabod Crane’s greatest rival in the fight for Katrina’s hand. He is
boisterous, burly, and the hero of the area, known for his heroics and feats of
strength, for which he earns the nickname Brom Bones. He is especially for
skilled on horseback. He is mischievous, but he is often motivated by goodwill.
He is most likely the one in disguise as the Headless Horseman.
Hans
Van Ripper
Hans Van Ripper is a
choleric old farmer who is housing Ichabod Crane at the time of the Van
Tassels’ party. He lends Ichabod the horse on that fateful night.
Ichabod
Crane
A native of Connecticut,
Ichabod Crane comes to Sleepy Hollow to work as a schoolteacher and singing
master. His erudition and skill at singing are disputed only by the narrator.
He is tall and extremely thin with a huge appetite and a certain amount of
greed. He uses the rod as his preferred method of disciplining his students—but
only on those strong enough to bear it. He is especially interested in ghost
stories and the supernatural, because he believes in it. His attempt to woo
Katrina Van Tassel fails just before he meets the headless horseman, who is
most likely Ichabod's primary competition in disguise.
Katrina
Van Tassel
The only child of a
wealthy farmer, Baltus Van Tassel, Katrina is eighteen and universally known
for both her beauty and her riches. She is also a flirt, and she always dresses
to show off her best features. She is one of Ichabod Crane’s singing students,
and she is the object of his desires. Just at the point when Ichabod thinks he
has won her over, the narrator suggests that an undisclosed attempt was
unsuccessful, which means that Ichabod must leave her house dejected and
susceptible to his worst fears.
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