Who’s The Real Man/Hero?
In Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the author presents the readers with two diverse characters who both have qualities that contribute to the likelihood of being a heroic character in the story. The protagonist, Ichabod Crane, comes to the quiet town of Sleepy Hollow that is known for the most renowned tale about a headless horseman. While Crane is in town he attempts to claim Katrina Van Tassel’s love for fortune, but soon realizes Brom Van Brunt is trying to do the same. However, they are both undeniably opposites of each other in every aspect. Ichabod Crane might be the main character in Sleepy Hollow, but Brom Van Brunt tends to show more of the typical characteristics of a hero.
Several readers may indicate the hero of this short story is Ichabod Crane because he is the main character, but his physical appearance suggests otherwise. Crane is described as “tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together” (Irving 43). These physical characteristics advocate that Ichabod is a weak person with a strange physical appearance. Alternatively, Brom is physically described as a man who has broad shoulders and strong body hence, conformed to a Herculean figure.
In addition to having no similarities physically, they are also vastly different in the way they choose to present themselves around other people in the town of Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod is presented as a schoolmaster who known to be popular with the ladies of Sleepy Hollow because of his intelligence, but does not partake in the qualities a lady would want in a husband. He is a homeless man, with a superstitious personality, who can barely support himself. His superstition comes from his enjoyment in reading books about witchcraft and hearing stories about ghosts. Which Brom benefits from because he enjoys...
