The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving - Research Paper Example

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow The Legend of Sleepy Hollow written by Washington Irving presents a taleof a man named Ichabod who unexpectedly sees an apparition of a headless horse rider on his way back from a feast. Stupified by the experience, Ichabod tries to run away however it is later found that all that is left of him is his hat and a pumpkin indicating that the ghostly horse rider has taken him. Sleepy Hollow is the name of the town where Ichabod lived. The whole plot revolves around three characters: Ichabod, Brom, and the single daughter of a rich man in town, Katrina. In 1999, the short story was adapted into a film by Tim Burton with an eponymous title as the name of the town in the story – Sleepy Hollow. However, marked differences can be observed between the film adaptation and the original short story despite both of them being based on similar subjects. This paper will attempt to highlight the differences between the two - The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Sleepy Hollow – and will try to compare the two based on elements including plot, characterization, and theme. It is quite common that books being adapted into films lack consistency. While the author may have chosen to present the story line in a different manner, there are many aspects of the story that are not retained during film making. Similar is the case with the film, Sleepy Hollow, which although follows largely the same story line, but differs on the basis of several aspects. The plot for a large part follows the similar super natural scheme as the original short story. The para-normality is one aspect of the original plot that is particularly retained including the use of the same time period. This adds a tinge of horror in the film. For the most part, the plot is changed where Ichabod works in forensics as part of the police while the original story depicted Ichabod as a teacher. This change significantly affects the story line where Ichabod instead of being stupefied becomes determined to find the truth behind the horse rider. The story is extended to include the depiction that the headless horse rider is actually a ghost of a mercenary who died during the revolutionary war. Then follows a story where Ichabod attempts to uncover the truth behind the apparition of the headless horse rider. The change in the story line produced several changes into the characterization of Ichabod, Brom, Katrina, and the inclusion of other characters. In the short story, Ichabod’s character is displayed as having many flaws despite being a strong character. Ichabod while being the main focus of the story is shown as a lazy, gluttony character, who is rather evil in his intentions (Irving, 45). Brom, on the other hand, represents a brave character. The film retains the conflict between Ichabod and Brom. However, the film has shown quite the opposite as Brom is shown as an essential villain with Ichabod being an intellectual character possessing the acumen and skills that allow him to trace the reality of the headless horse riding figure. The characterization therefore greatly differs for obvious reasons, where the story as well as the number of characters, have been expanded to allow a fully fledged story based along the same lines. Despite retaining some elements, the film and short story differ greatly in their depiction of the characters. The theme was one element that was significantly important throughout the whole story. While some themes remained consistent in the film and the short story, others did not. The presence of super natural forces and the maintenance of a mysterious theme throughout added to the paranormal effect. The apparition of the headless horse rider being a mysterious entity provided doubt in the movie which was significantly important in creating the intended horror effect. It was uncertain whether the headless horse rider was in fact a ghost or a real man posing to be a ghost. Although Ichabod is scared away by the headless horse rider in the original story, in the film, Ichabod takes the initiative of disclosing the truth behind the headless horseman. Ichabod being a member of the police uses his forensic skills to get to the truth. Brom tries to scare Ichabod away by posing as the headless ghost. However, Ichabod knows that there is a deeper truth behind the apparition. A visible theme in the short story which was reflected by Ichabod himself was laziness, greed, and gluttony. However, Ichabod’s character has been greatly enhanced by giving him analytical powers and other skills that drastically change his characterization. Although the original short story presented a different story about Ichabod, the film makes it quite different centering the story around the character, Ichabod’s quest in finding more about the horseman through a series of mysterious event embedded with supernaturalism. Truth is another major theme which is sought by Ichabod in the film as he tries to discover more about the horseman. In a way, the film also explores the relationship between man and the natural world where the headless horseman plays a very important role in depicting super naturalism. In the end, the film and the short story are consistent in several ways such as themes displaying supernaturalism and gluttony. However, there are many aspects in the film and the story that are comparable such as the characterization, plot, and themes. There is a marked change in characterization of Brom and Ichabod. The original story comprised of three main characters including Brom, Ichabod, and Katrina where Ichabod mainly took the lead role. However, in the film Ichabod’s character along with many others have been made quite dominant although Icahbod always takes the lead. Hence, the film adaptation and the short story are different in many ways at the same time retaining many qualities such as supernaturalism. The dark and mysterious environment of the story is maintained in the short story as well as the film. Works Cited Irving, Washington. Rip Van Winkle & The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.Harvard Classics, 1917. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. http://www.bartleby.com/310/2/2.html Sleepy Hollow. Dir. Tim Burton. Perf. Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. Paramount Pictures, 1999. Film. Read More