The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Assignment Example

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving A Reaction Paper “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving is one of the most celebratedand classical books in American history. It is a short story that was first published in 1819. The whole story revolved around the place called Sleepy Hollow, New York. It is a neighborhood that has a homey rural environment. What makes this literary piece interesting would be the fact that Washington Irving used a fusion of humor and vivid imagery in the story’s tone to narrate the conflict between Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones who camouflages as the headless horseman to win the heart of Katrina Van Tassel by demonstrating two conflicting attributes - brains and brute force (Irving, W., 1819). One of the most notable elements of the story I enjoyed would be how Washington Irving shaped peculiar characters in the story, each having its own strength and equal spotlight to form a well-written plot.

The Headless Horseman which is the mystery character who is constantly at a quest to find justice from the American Revolutionary War who caused him to lose his head infuses a mystical element in the story which then directs the readers to the denouement of the love that Katrina Van Tassel actually deserves. This is hugely portrayed in the story where the Headless Horseman plays witty tricks on Ichabod Crane who desires for the hand of Katrina, the daughter of a wealthy man and uses his intellect to eventually win her heart with the motive of sharing her extravagant wealth.

Somewhat being on the side of Abraham “Brom Bones” Van Brunt, the Headless Horseman is believed to have caused the disappearance of Ichabod the night he failed to win the hand of Katrina after the harvest party at the Van Tassels which led to Brom Bones to finally marry Katrina. After reading the story, I am very much convinced that this literary piece is remarkable because of its ability to leave readers like me to freely interpret the nature of the Headless Horseman, whether he is a total third party to the happy ending of Brom Bones and Katrina or if there is really truth to the strong implication that the ghost is really Brom Bones in disguise to save Katrina.

It has maintained its consistency in leaving so much room for mystery, leaving readers to ask for more. In analyzing the work of Washington Irving, I think that his purpose of creating this short story would be to highlight the parallelism on the difference in American and European traits. This is successfully seen in the opposing characters of Brom Bones and Ichabod where Ichabod is driven by class hierarchy that led him to develop his ill-fated motive to marry Katrina for her wealth, on the other hand, Brom Bones demonstrates American’s sense of utmost liberty in fighting for what they long for.

Aside from that, Sleepy Hollow is a place that is distinct in American history where numerous generations of Americans have settled in the area that allows them to develop strong and classic folklore the generation today still imbibes in. With these said, the point of story leads readers to understand the personification applied in its characters to strongly reemphasize American history and distinguish it from European ways that would help in crossing out stereotypes that is a hindrance to a full understanding of American history.

When it comes to the believability of the characters that Washington Irving introduced his readers, I would say that they pretty much mirrored the mundane lives of early American townspeople who were living in the rural areas. It also was consistent in reflecting their very traditional and superstitious behavior where they would choose to stick to their hometowns instead of considering moving to a bigger city to bring good fortune for their families. Even when the “Headless Horseman” came into picture, it still was realistic because it was only used as an mystical creature that could live and only made alive in the imagination of the other characters.

Applying the parallelisms of the story to real life, I would say that “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” seeks to highlight the conflicting principles and beliefs between the Enlightenment period which was known for putting reason above all human faculties and Romantic ideals which skew more towards idealism and perfectionism. With this, we are then reminded not to allow our imagination to take control of our lives because it limits us from seeing clearly and tends to make us rationalize things to fit our personal desires or plans.

Also, focusing on imaginations instead of the reality will allow people and circumstances to gain power over your intellect and will. Also, looking at the story and relating it to my own experience, I would say that there are a lot of times where, just like Ichabod, I let my imagination come to life more strongly than the bits and pieces of reality that limits me to achieve my goals in the fastest possible time. This is because I let the fear of rejection or danger hinder me to doing what I have always prepared myself to do and lets me easily turn my back on opportunities that would waste my ticket to fulfilling my dreams.

On the other hand, I could also relate some experience where I played a Brom Bones role in life where I use trick, wit, and plain jokes to get away from things or perhaps tread the easier road especially when I have a strong desire to get ahead of someone. Bibliography: Irving, W. (1819). The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. United States: Sketch Book.