Sleepy Hollow Compare And Contrast Essay

1576 Words4 Pages

The short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" was written by Washington Irving in 1820. The story was inspired by the changing times before, during, and after the American Revolution (1765-1783). The film, Sleepy Hollow is an adaption of the short story written by Washington Irving. It stars Jonny Depp as Ichabod, Christina Ricci as Katrina van Tassel and Christopher Walken as the Headless Horseman.
A major difference between "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (1820), by Washing Irving, and the film adaption by the same name, directed by Tim Burton (1999) is the characterization of Ichabod Crane, Katrina van Tassel, and the Headless Horseman, in particular regard to their personalities, appearance, and behavior. Ichabod is very tall, lanky, …show more content…

In the short story, as a well-read teacher, Ichabod becomes fascinated by the stories about the supernatural. The author mentions that, “His appetite for the marvelous, and his powers of digesting it, were equally extraordinary; and both had been increased by his residence in this spellbound region. No tale was too gross or monstrous for his capacious swallow,” (Irving 12). He truly believes in the ghosts and spirits he reads about, so much that after reading he would hear and see things, such as, “the moan of a whip-poor-will from the hill-side; the bedding cry of the screech owl, or the sudden rustling in the thicket of birds frightened from their roost.” (Irving 12) On the other hand, in the film, Ichabod is a man of science. He didn’t believe in the headless horseman until he saw him kill someone first hand. He often argues that the horseman isn't real: " 'You believe the father killed her?' 'The Horseman killed her.' 'How often do I have to tell you? There is no Horseman, never was a Horseman, and never will be a Horseman.' " ( Burton 1999). Though Ichabod is shocked to discover the Horseman is indeed real, he manages to

Open Document