Insatiable Desires in Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

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Insatiable Desires in Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Contemporary United States natives are known for their consumptive attitudes,

which mainly stem from the constant American hustle and bustle for more money,

bigger houses, and faster cars. Americans are known for yearning, needing,

sometimes even demanding whatever their vast appetites desire. This American

concept of prosperity can be found rooted in a popular classic American story

written over one hundred and fifty years ago by Washington Irving. Irving's

frightful yet funny short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," chronicles the

triumphs and trials of the bird-like character, Ichabod Crane, who possesses a

vast appetite for anything promising around him. Throughout the story, Irving

provides multiple passages to describe Ichabod's yearnings for money, land,

tales of the marvelous, and of course, the beautiful and always voluptuous

Katrina Van Tassel. Crane could be seen as the character embodiment of

Irving's dislike and distrust of America's growing industrial culture.

In "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Irving describes his discomfort with

America's growing unsatisfied culture through the character of Ichabod Crane,

whose large appetite can never be satisfied.

One of the ways Irving questions social and economic change is through

making Ichabod stick out in the village as sort of an oddball. Irving weighs

Ichabod against the villagers of Sleepy Hollow in order to contrast anxious

hunger with happy contentedness. Even though Baltus Van Tassel displays

richness, "[he] was a perfect picture of a thriving, contented, liberal-

hearted farmer...everything was snug, hap...

... middle of paper ...

... Ichabod denies satisfaction and continues with the

unfulfilling chase. Irving seems not only distrustful of the Ichabod Crane

prototype, but also disgusted with his inability to appreciate the life he

has. Irving would certainly not see a problem with a person striving to gain

happiness, but he would suggest appreciating and accepting where life has put

that person before, during, and after success has struck. The "more, more,

more" mentality only leads to an empty, meaningless life because an insatiable

appetite can be endless and unfulfilling, so the task lies with the individual

to put on the brakes and enjoy the scenery life has provided.

Work Cited

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.

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