One of the
famous characters of American , 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 's charming,
humorous, and slightly terrifying tale, "," 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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