Analysis Of Washington Irving's The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

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Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Pride has traditionally been regarded as the foremost of the seven deadly sins but it has rather obviously has been overtaken by greed-James Carlos Blake. Greed and superstition play a vital role in Washington Irving’s short story the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, none the less, there seems to be a deeper message that Washington Irving is, trying to convey to his readers. Sleepy Hollow is a fictional story set shortly after the American Revolutionary War. Irving brings his town of Sleepy Hollow alive with vivid description of a small, quaint town where time stands still set near the Hudson River. It is a quiet, tranquil space set by a low valley. Only the sounds of nature make noise …show more content…

He’s a bachelor, who has tarried in the town of Sleepy Hollow, showing that he really does not have a place to settle down. He’s a schoolmaster which the local men look at as headwork compared to their physical jobs. He really has no male friends his own age although he hangs around his oldest schoolboys. After school he enjoys, relaxing near the brook, listening to the sounds of nature while reading a good book. The town of Sleepy Hollow finds joy, listening to Crane singing Psalm tunes along the dusky road. Crane is also the town’s singing master. Sometimes Crane would bring his youngest students home to greet the older sisters or good housewife’s of the mothers for a good evening and meals. His appetite is large for a man with a slim figure. He’s always hungry, showing his gluttony. He eats like a cow. Crane does help the local farmers unload hay, fix fences, or moving cows along the fields as a sign of gratitude. Throughout the day Crane stares at the meadowlands and homes imagining how he can use this area to acquire a large, bundle of wealth. He wishes to travel around in a large wagon. Irving is describing the feelings of Americans, looking to explore, dwell, and thrive in the new …show more content…

The women admire his thirst for literature most notable Cotton Mather’s “History of a New England Witchcraft” He has some type of fearful pleasure, speaking about ghosts. goblins, haunted bridges, or haunted houses with the older women while, eating roasted apples on bitter, winter evenings. Crane is captivated by the legend of the headless horseman which has been told for many years in Sleepy Hollow. The story is about a hessian, German mercenary whose head was cut off, during battle in the Revolutionary War. The headless soldier rides around Sleepy Hollow in search of a new head. The headless horseman was an actual person who Washington Irving uses in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow as a weapon against Icabode Crane. Not only does Crane like old ghost stories, yet he seems fixated by them. Crane believes these stories are more fact than fiction. In the evening while walking home Crane wishes to hear the howling among the trees or the sounds of the headless horseman’s horse, galloping along the dirt road, Perhaps deep down Icabode Crane wishes to see the headless horseman face to face. The idea torments him with delight as if he wants death to show itself. Wrong move Crane. On the other hand. Icabode Crane’s pleasant life is damaged not by devilish creatures of folklore, yet by a young, attractive

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