Sleepy Hollow

I have already read the story "Sleepy Hollow" by Washington Irving in either early high school or late middle school but it was interesting to read it again. Knowing what was coming in the story made it seem contradictory that the beginning of the story is so serene. It starts off describing the setting of a small town called Tarry Town. It describes a tranquil setting in the hills of the town with a brook near by that creates a constant and soothing sound. It sounds like a beautiful place.

The narrator then goes on to describe the little valley and how it has long been called Sleepy Hollow by inhabitants that descended from Dutch. Sleepy Hollow is a dreamy and enchanted place that tales often derive of and is thought of as enchanted or bewitched. The most widespread tale of haunting in the area is the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow. The story is that of a trooper from the Revolutionary War who lost his head in battle and still haunts the valley and adjacent areas years and years later.

We soon as readers are introduced to Ichabod Crane who ended up in Sleepy Hollow with the mission to teach the children there. The story went into great detail about Ichabod Crane and his teaching and how his life in the town proceeded. Washington Irving was very descriptive, almost to the point that I was trying to bypass some of the build up of the story to get to the actual action. I almost found the build up of the story like to be a bit dull. It is something I feel like I've heard a million times. A man (Ichabod) becomes infatuated with a woman (Katrina Van Tassel) but there is another so-called better man (Brom Bones) who tries to take the woman instead. Ichabod loses this battle for the dear Katrina and is dismissed. During his fateful ride home he becomes extremely superstitious and nervous. After Ichabod Crane comes into contact with the Headless Horseman the real action begins. What happened exactly that night is just speculated by the people in the area. Some claim Ichabod disappeared, some say he died and some say he still lives nearby. The pumpkin has a sort of Halloween feel to it which makes it seem like that is what was thrown at Ichabod.

The story leaves the reader with questions. Did Ichabod really see the Headless Horseman or was it the dreamy atmosphere of Sleepy Hollow and just an old wives story? Where did Ichabod Crane really go? I thought this story was a great one even though it was a little drawn out.