Essay on "Story of Katrina, Brom, and Ichabod"

Essay 3 pages (1098 words) Sources: 3 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Washington Irving's The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

A classic love triangle, Washington Irving's story, the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, pits newcomer Ichabod Crane against the local suitor, Dutch Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt. Both men vie for the affections of Katrina van Tassel, whose charms and appeal are enhanced by her father's wealth. Brom is characteristically nonchalant about winning Katrina's hand as he hold the advantage. He is place bound in the village that is Katrina's home. Brom knows Katrina well, and is apparently not interested in her father's money so much as he is interested in Katrina as a potential life partner. Crane disrupts this comfortable relationship when he decides to court Katrina. Crane's suitability as a Katrina's fiance is questionable -- which he doubtless recognizes -- so he must device ways to develop a relationship with her and become a familiar fixture on her wealthy father's farm. This scenario could easily be a stalemate, particularly if Katrina -- or her father -- are not definitive decision makers. Something has to change, and from the way the story begins, it is unlikely to be Katrina's mind -- at least anytime soon. But Brom understands what no one yet does -- progress comes on the heel of both fortune and tragedy.

There are only so many choices available to Brom. It seems that -- since Brom has been able to win Katrina's hand -- plodding along in the same manner is an excise that will simply continue the status quo. Brom can hardly challenge Crane to a duel, since the former has physical advantages that would make such an encounter appear quite unfair. From Brom's perspective, the simplest solution is to take Crane out of the picture. Were it not for Crane -- or any other suitor who might later come along -- Brom would have a clear path to courting Katrina, and could take his time, a factor that seems to be the norm for Tarry Town residents in Sleepy Hollow. Crane's own character flaws set the stage for him to be the casualty of a mysterious accident -- an accident that proves inconvenient only for Crane.

Crane presents as self-referential, presuming that his advantage over Brom lies in a superior intellect. But Crane deludes himself, as Brom is easily several steps ahead of Crane and has already plotted his figurative demise. Anything could have happened during the night of the encounter with the headless horseman -- it was a dangerous chase on horseback. Clearly, if Brom was to retain good standing in his village, he would need to maintain sufficient separation from the planned event -- and no dead bodies could be found. Someone had to die, either figuratively or actually, and the preferred outcome was clear: Brom must not be implicated if something serious happened. but, if Crane fled Tarry Town, as Brom hoped, then Brom would not be in jeopardy if the villagers suspected he had set Crane up for a fall -- no matter if it was from his horse or from his elevated position.

Crane, lacking sufficient reserves of courage, seemed likely to take flight. All Brom had to do was create a sufficiently frightening encounter and press on until Crane fled -- on foot. Crane's horse, minus… READ MORE

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