Free Essay on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Compare Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones as American types

Confidence in men is seen in the way they confront the issues in their lives without having to hide behind anything. When one uses pranks to get what he or she wants, then that person can be said to lack confidence in his or her ability to achieve what he or she desires. It is also crucial to note that a confident man does not run away from what he or she wants because of fear. A confident person will always stand by what he or she wants no matter what (Irving, and Madsen, 5). In my view, the story of Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane reflect a lot on the destiny of the United States of America. In this paper, both Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane are to be discussed as people who lack confidence and as people who are insecure. After which, the story of the two is to be related to the fate of the United States of America. The paper is an important one in understanding the traits of the two characters and how such traits shaped the story in the movie.

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In-depth analysis of the characters Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane

As Ichabod Crane fought for the genuine love he had for the lady; Brom Bones fought for the wealth he was determined to inherit. This alone shows a similarity in the way the two would work hard in pursuit of what they wanted. The two would even go to the extent of hiding their true characters and showing false characters to please the woman they both wanted to marry. Even without bringing the aspect of confidence, the two shared a spirit of hard work in trying to achieve what they want. As Brom Bones tried his best to scare Ichabod Crane, Ichabod Crane worked his way into the heart of the woman he loved through hiding his fears and singing to her. The spirit of hard work in the two is what made it hard for Katrina to make up her mind on the person to choose easily. It is indicated in the story that "Such was the formidable rival with whom Ichabod Crane had to contend. Considering all things, a stouter man than he would have shrunk from the competition" (Irving, and Madsen, 16).

Another similarity that is evident in the way the two went about winning the woman they both wanted to marry is lack of confidence in their natural abilities to achieve what they wanted. The lack of confidence in Brom Bones is seen in the way he opted for scaring the only competitor in their pursuit for the love of the woman they wanted to marry instead of himself to the woman and leaving his competitor alone. In the story, it is believed that Brom Bones is the headless horseman who was mostly after scaring Ichabod Crane from the town. By using the headless horseman's identity to drive his competitor out of the picture, he displays his insecurity and lack of confidence. Insecurity is seen in this context in that; he felt his competitor would win over him, and so, the only way he would be secure with the woman he wanted to marry is to make sure that the competitor is out of the picture completely. "If I can but reach that bridge," thought Ichabod, "I am safe" (Irving, and Madsen, 13). This quote shows a high level of insecurity and lack of confidence.

Ichabod Crane, on his part, exhibited lack of confidence in his superstitious nature. "How often did he shrink with curdling awe at some rushing blast, howling among the trees of a snowy night, in the idea that it was the Galloping Hessian of the Hollow!" this quote shows the scared nature of Ichabod Crane (Irving, and Madsen, 18). He was not sure if ghosts really exist but at the same time very scared of anything that resembled a ghost. He tried to hide his fear but at last, he let his fear get the better parts of him, and he had to abandon his assigned duties to the children of the town and seek a life somewhere else. Due to lack of confidence, he let his competitor plays pranks on him successfully.

Conclusion

From the short story "The Legend of Sleeping Hollow" two very contrasting characters, Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane, expose their inner characters in their pursuit of a love relationship with Katrina Van Tassel. The whole story revolves, mainly about the competition between the two to win Katrina's love. Katrina, who inspired the love of the two characters was a beautiful woman at the age of eighteen and the only daughter of a wealthy man. What is explained in this paper is important as it helps in understanding the motive of the story and brings an in-depth understanding of the story through understanding the major characters in the story. The thesis in this paper helps in understanding the reason Crane lost the love of his life, and Brom Bones achieved his desire to gain wealth.

Work Cited

Irving, Washington, and Krista Madsen. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories. Race Point Publishing, 2017.