One of the famous characters of American folklore, Ichabod
Crane is best remembered for his lanky appearance and his gullibility and fear as he
believes he is chased by the headless horseman. In Washington Irving's charming,
humorous, and slightly terrifying tale, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Ichabod Crane
arrives from Conneticut in Sleepy Hollow, the enchanted land and "place of nature." His
featues befit his surname Crane: He has a long neck and legs; his
head is small and flat at the top; he has large ears, large glassy eyes, and a long
nose. His likeness to a scarecrow, too, is remarkable. Irving describes
him,
To see
him striding along the profile of a hill on a windy day, with his clothes bagging and
flutering about him, one might have mistaken him for the genius of famine descending
upon the earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a
cornfield.
Crane is the
schoolmaster, and a harsh one at that. But, he
administered justice with discrimination rather
than severity; taking the burthen off the backs of the weak, and laying it on those of
the strong.
He always tells
the boys that he whips that they will long remember it and thank him for the whipping
later on. Yet, when school was finished, Ichabod Crane was the playmate of the larger
boys. But, he was known for accompanying the smaller boys home if they had pretty
sisters or a mother who could cook. To assist his salary, he would help the farmers to
make hay, and he was not against letting the children play with him or hold a little one
on his knee.
As the schoolmaster and singing instructor,
Crane holds a respectable position in the community. The ladies consider him erudite
and he is certainly knowedgeable in the history of New England Witchcraft. He loves to
feed his imagination with his book on witchcraft and with the wives' tales. But, after
he exchanges tales, Crane is fearful as he walks home until he encounters Katrina Van
Tassel. So, desirous of marrying her, Ichabod visits her home where there is always
"wonderful food" on the table.
However, when Crane decides
to court Katrina, Brom Van Brunt, "the hero of the county round," becomes his foe. So,
Ichabod pretends that he is giving Katrina singing lessons and visits the farm
frequently. But, the redoutable Brom Bones, as he was called, becomes Ichabod's rival;
for a while, Brom plays practical jokes on Ichabod in order for him to turn into a
figure of ridicule.
Ichabod vows to ask Katrina to marry
him; he borrows a ghastly looking horse named Gunpowder, who, though old and broken
down, has a "lurking devil in him." Toward evening he sees that Brom Bones has ridden
his own horse named Daredevil. After the meal, people gather and tell stories of the
headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow. All the tales affect Ichabod, who tries to talk
with Katrina before leaving. But, mysteriously, Ichabod leaves looking desolate and
dejected at "the very witching hour." With no signs of life, Ichabod fearfully recalls
all the ghost stories he has heard as he approaches a gnarled tree that is connected to
a tragic story of a Major Andre who was taken prisoner nearby. Then, when his horse will
not run over the bridge, Ichabod sees something "misshapen, black, and towering." The
headless horseman rides alongside Gunpowder. Ichabod holds on and outruns the horseman,
who hurls his head at ichabod.
For days, people search for
Ichabod. But, no trace of him can be found. The old wives say Ichabod was "spirited
away."
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