Comparing Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow the Movie to the Book ?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... ... middle of paper ... ... While the original story leaves you wondering what happens to Ichabod, the movie leaves you with the question on whether or not everything can be explained by science. Ichabod tries the entire movie to try and figure out who is the murderer by using all his scientific explanations, yet in the end, there truly was a ghost. Both stories leave you thinking about the possibility of ghosts and demons. When it comes to both stories, they both provide questions that leave us to ponder. While they have their similarities, the majority of ideas differ. The story lines differ in so many ways that they are two different stories with a few similarities that tie them together. Although I enjoyed watching the movie, I still find that I prefer the question that the original story left us wondering. What did happen to Ichabod Crane? Personally? I think he ran away.
The readings “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving and The Monster by Stephen Crane are to amazing readings. However, these two texts represent violence and conflicts in different ways, which shows that although they have the same concept their tactic for this same concept is used in a different approach.
...rbidden love, whereas Irving’s tale is a tale of possible unrequited love. The characters are vaguely similar in both the written story and the movie, but the glaring difference is that while Ichabod possibly flees from Sleepy Hollow because he was frightened beyond his limits, the movie allows him to denounce any superstition in order to wed his beloved.
In both situations, greed and lust lead to the destruction of a person. The original story by Washington Irving, Ichabod Crane desired so much the Van Tassel estate that he was pushed to fall in love Katrina, therefore angering the local Brom. Ichabod Crane greed led him to his destruction. He was to never return to sleepy hollow and ended up losing not only the girl but also the estate he wanted. One can conclude that indeed Ichabod was seen as a greedy man who would do just about anything to get what he wanted. In contrast, it is evident that in the movie he is portrayed completely different; he is a humble man who just wants to get his job done. Instead, Katrina’s stepmother is the jealous one in the movie directed by Tim Burton. She wants to control money and land which causes her to use the supernatural in order to obtain what she wants. The movie does a good job in keeping it with suspense but Burton decided to take control and show he own version of what happened to Ichabod. Katrina’s mother used the headless horseman to her advantage in order to take revenge especially on the Van Tassels. It was not just the family she was seeking revenge on but any who would at one point have control of the inheritance. Tim Burton chose to use the theme from the original story yet incorporate into his own vision. He was to make Ichabod the main character and the hero of the
Fifteen years separate Washington Irving’s short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” with Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown.” The two share an eerie connection because of the trepidation the two protagonists endure throughout the story. The style of writing between the two is not similar because of the different literary elements they choose to exploit. Irving’s “Sleepy Hollow” chronicles Ichabod Crane’s failed courtship of Katrina Van Tassel as well as his obsession over the legend of the Headless Horseman. Hawthorne’s story follows the spiritual journey of the protagonist, Young Goodman Brown, through the woods of Puritan New England where he looses his religious faith. However, Hawthorne’s work with “Young Goodman Brown” is of higher quality than Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” because Hawthorne succeeds in exploiting symbols, developing characters, and incorporating worthwhile themes.
Over time the language of the original text of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" by Irving has been reworked to accommodate the change in audience. The Heath Anthology of American Literature has an unabridged version of the original wording (1354-1373). A complete copy of the original text of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" can be found in the young adolescent classic section of a bookstore or the juvenile section in the library. A juvenile edition of the text adapted by Arthur Rackham from 1928 was a replicate of the original it is filled with seven colored illustrations and numerous sketching. A young adolescent version adapted by Bryan Brown from 2001 has been abridged to accommodate the current young reader. The format is changed in Brownâs edition. The yo...
The story the of Ichabod Crane paints a picture of the headmaster of a small town
Irving Washington. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym. 5th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1998. 948-69.
The use of science in Sleepy Hollow gives an accurate interpretation of natural circumstances, but when faced with the unexplained, there is nothing to logically prove. Ichabod Crane, a constable, is sent to the town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate the odd murders with only the vague background knowledge on the matter. While there, the fearful elders in the town, one being Baltus Van Tassel, explain the Headless Horseman folklore. Their fear is a representation of the known Puritan fear of the forest, for they lack knowledge on what is actually occurring, thus blaming the tale. Burton makes it evident that Ichabod is a clear, physical representation of science in the film, for he has no religious affiliation, not believing in what he cannot see. He s...
Washington Irving’s short story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” was adapted into a movie titled “Sleepy Hollow” directed by Tim Burton nearly two centuries after the original publication. When the story was adapted as a film, several extensive changes were made. A short story easily read in one sitting was turned into a nearly two-hour thriller, mystery, and horror movie by incorporating new details and modifying the original version of the story. The short story relates the failed courtship of Katrina Van Tassel by Ichabod Crane. His courtship is cut short by the classic romance antagonist-the bigger, stronger, and better looking Broom Bones. Ichabod wishes to marry Katrina because of her beauty but also because of the wealthy inheritance she will receive when her father, Baltus Van Tassel and stepmother, Lady Van Tassel die. However, the film tells the story of Ichabod Crane as an investigator who is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the recent decapitations that are occurring. These modifications alter the original story entirely, thus failing to capture the Irving’s true interpretation of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” The film and the original story have similarities and differences in the plot, characters, and setting.
In conclusion, details involving the characters and symbolic meanings to objects are the factors that make the novel better than the movie. Leaving out aspects of the novel limits the viewer’s appreciation for the story. One may favor the film over the novel or vice versa, but that person will not overlook the intense work that went into the making of both. The film and novel have their similarities and differences, but both effectively communicate their meaning to the public.
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, one of the most classic books of all time, written by Washington Irving, was remade into a movie in 1999 by Director Tim Burton. Surprisingly there are many differences between the book and the movie, and little to no similarities. One of the major differences was that in the movie Tim Burton made Ichabod Crane a detective, while in the story he’s a nerdy teacher. Tim Burton did this to make the movie more interesting and for there to be a reason why Ichabod is so good at finding clues and solving the headless horseman case. Also they made Ichabod a little bit more brave in the movie so that there would be more action and drama in the movie. A total different between the story and the movie, is that they give a background of young Ichabod and his mother, but none of that was
In conclusion, there are notable differences and similarities between the book, and movie Frankenstein. The differences start with the education of the monster, the plot, the ending of the story, and the characteristics of the monster. The similarities dealing with the creation of the monster, and the turning point of the story. The differences and similarities preserve the genre themes, and the main points in both the story and the movie.
...cenery of the town and the often odd spiritual occurrences that take place in the town. "Certain it is, the place still continues under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given to all kinds of marvellous beliefs; are subject to trances and visions; and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions." (Irving 1). Using words and descriptions like he did, Irving makes Knickerbocker's stories more believeable because he makes the reader feel like they are actually in the town of Sleepy Hollow. With just a little imagination he turned a ghost story into a credible account of actions that actually took place just by using his fake historian Knickerbocker.
From reading the book and watching the movie, I think the book was more insightful, but the movie was more entertaining. The only problem with the movie is that you don't know what is going through Chance's mind and his background information. The movie does help make some things clearer by seeing it, instead of just picturing it in your mind. The added scenes in the movie helps to put some humor into the story and make it more entertaining. By just watching the movie, some people could be confused if they don't know some background on Chance. I think that by reading the book, you can understand the story better and by watching the movie you can enjoy the story better.
...of this short story is to give the reader a feeling of love and mystery. Irving accomplished this by throwing in the perfect combination of silly crushes at the beginning and headless horseman that might or might not be a joke in the end. I enjoyed this story and it was one of my favorite stories out of the three that I read.