Analysis of Characters in Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

Introduction

In his short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Washington Irving uses a variety of figurative devices to represent the depth of his characters’ feelings and the setting where real and supernatural themes are properly intertwined. The personification of birds and the environment underlines the unique nature of Ichabod Crane and his ambiguous distinction from other characters. Multiple similes can be observed in the description of young Katrina Van Tassel to prove her permanent and egoistic desire to compare people and make irrational choices.

Finally, the presence of metaphors strengthens an understanding of Brom Bones and his desire to attract the attention of people around him. Ultimately, Irving’s decision to implement such figurative devices as personification, similes, and metaphors contributes to a perfect representation of the characters and the setting that remain in a mass of natural and supernatural problems and choices.

Analysis of Characters

Ichabod Crane

Ichabod Crane is one of the most complex characters in the story, and Irving personifies the natural elements around him to emphasize his uniqueness and the unpredictability of his relationships with the community. On his way to the party at Van Tassel’s castle, Ichabod notices small birds “taking their farewell banquets” and recognizes “the blue jay, that noisy coxcomb, in his gay light blue coat and white underclothes, screaming and chattering, nodding and bobbing and bowing, and pretending to be on good terms with every songster of the grove” (Irving).

Unintentionally, Ichabod gets a chance to observe his upcoming meeting with Van Tassels and other guests and identify the roles the characters try to perform. Personification is a specific type of figurative language that equips non-humans with human qualities and skills, which is crucial in creating a supernatural world and promoting its impact on real people. Birds are usually associated with freedom, hope, and prosperity, and arrogance of Ichabod makes it possible to combine the characteristics of humans and birds. The choice of a blue jay is not random, and Irving endows Ichabod as an example of a “coxcomb” with jay’s intelligence, complexity, and noisiness.

The same trip contains another example of personification that reveals the eccentricity of the main character. Irving adds several female descriptions to the environment, including “the wide bosom of the Tappan Zee” that “lay motionless and glassy, excepting that here and there a gentle undulation waved and prolonged the blue shadow of the distant mountain.” These Ichabod’s observations also explain his petty attitudes toward Van Tassels and their wealth. The man expects to conquer the young girl’s heart, who should wait for him “motionlessly.” Although these figurative examples do not describe Ichabod directly, they help recognize him as a greedy and self-confident man who is obsessed with his vainly bold ambitions and does not provoke positive emotions.

Katrina Van Tassel

Katrina Van Tassel is one of the main female characters in the story for whom Irving chooses a list of positive and negative merits and shares them through various similes. The author introduces Katrina as “a blooming lass of fresh eighteen; plump as a partridge; ripe and melting and rosy-cheeked as one of her father’s peaches” (Irving). A common purpose of similes in short stories is to visually compare a person by applying strong abstract images. Irving chooses such words as “partridge” and “peach” in his description of Katrina to specify her beauty and gracefulness compared to other characters.

On the one hand, these similes confirm the physical attractiveness of the girl, her intention to attract men’s attention, and her ability to be recognized in a crowd. It is not a surprise that many young men are interested in creating a union with such a girl. Addressing the same fowl theme, it is Ichabod who “stole forth with the air of one who had been sacking a henroost, rather than a fair lady’s heart” (Irving).

On the other hand, partridges and peaches, as consumer products, are never cheap but require particular care and time to be used in the future. Irving mentions her father in this comparison to underline his direct participation in her life and decision-making. The role of men in Katrina’s life is never determined by her father, and the simile specifying male behavior is another example.

For example, Brom Bones wants to be with Katrina, and the author describes his attempts as “something like the gentle caresses and endearments of a bear” (Irving). Bears eat birds, including partridge, and this figurative language reveals the true intentions of Ichabod and the role of Katrina as a “coquette” in the story. Irving slightly mentions the girl’s beauty, together with her arrogance and popularity, and continues developing Katrina through the prism of other characters.

Brom Bones

Compared to Ichabod and Katrina, fascinated by their own success and prosperity, Brom Bones is a simple guy whose needs and desires are properly integrated by Irving with the help of metaphors. In most cases, Irving uses Brom as an opposition to other characters to underline their incompleteness or inferiority because “his [Brom’s] advances were signals for rival candidates to retire, who felt no inclination to cross a lion in his amours.”

A metaphor is one of the trickiest figures of speech as it allows the author to share literary unapplicable actions and qualities. If Ichabod is compared to an inconsistent “bird,” Brom is a “lion,” courageous and strong, just and faithful. He is aware of his purpose and does not want to hide his feelings. There is no intrigue in his actions, which might discourage Ichabod or make Katrina less interested in these relationships.

At the same time, the metaphors describing Brom contribute to a better understanding of some characters. For example, Katrina becomes “the object of his [Brom’s] uncouth gallantries,” during which he uses “his amorous toyings” (Irving). The word “uncouth” strengthens the difference between Brom and Katrina. The man is a forthright “umpire in all disputes” who is proud of his “rustic life” (Irving). All these metaphors disclose his best qualities and diminish the achievement of other characters.

Although Ichabod is a protagonist in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and Brom supposes to be his rival, it is hard to treat the latter as an antagonist. The uniqueness of this story lies in the possibility of considering naïve and artless merits as human weaknesses or mistakes underlying the impact of the community and the environment. Thus, Brom’s decision to marry Katrina after Ichabod’s disappearance makes him related to and even guilty of a supernatural event.

Conclusion

In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” Irving applies different figurative devices to properly represent characters, underline their differences, and specify the impact of the supernatural environment on human lives. Through personification, the author reveals Ichabod’s complex nature and selfish attitudes toward Van Tassel’s riches. Similes that represent Katrina help play an important role because Irving wants to compare this character with particular things and show her commercialism and irrationality.

In this case, the metaphors related to Brom Bones are necessary to maintain the same tone of abstract but up-to-the-point descriptions and explanations of human behaviors and decisions to play some games. Despite its mysterious narration style, Irving’s short story remains significant for the real world, where many individuals continue struggling with their mercantile desires, ambiguous physical appearances, and intentions to match the expectations of others.

Work Cited

Irving, Washington. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Project Gutenberg. 2022. Web.

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StudyCorgi. (2024) 'Analysis of Characters in Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”'. 30 October.

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StudyCorgi. "Analysis of Characters in Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”." October 30, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/analysis-of-characters-in-washington-irvings-the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow/.

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StudyCorgi. 2024. "Analysis of Characters in Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”." October 30, 2024. https://studycorgi.com/analysis-of-characters-in-washington-irvings-the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow/.

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