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Ichabod Crane-The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
A Man of Goals

More than often, one gets caught up in what one wants and not in what one needs. In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by WashingtonIrving, Ichabod Crane represents ambition. Literally he signifies necessity, figuratively he signifies purpose. Ichabod is in need of company and monetary resources and in order to gain these things hehas to persevere through the obstacles that are placed before him. Ichabod wants more than what he needs and he is willing to do anything to demonstrate that he can achieve what he wants. He has hiseyes on the prize and knows that he has to be alert if he wants to be compensated.
Everyone has consciously or unconsciously set dreams and aspirations to be fulfilled. Ichabod’s mission wasto win the heart and the hand of Katrina Van Tassel. He knew that by doing so he would acquire the tremendous wealth that she would inherit upon her father’s death. Instead of falling in love withKatrina herself, Ichabod fell in love with her possessions; “Ichabod Crane had a soft and foolish heart towards the sex; and it is not to be wondered at, that so tempting a morsel soon found favor inhis eyes; more especially after he had visited her in her paternal mansion” (Irving 5). In order to impress Katrina he would try to stand out from Katrina’s other admirers. More specifically, hewould not let Brom Bones inspire fear within him. He used his knowledge and charm to “win over” Katrina and make Brom feel jealous. Ichabod did not let others get in the way of him pursuing what hewanted.
To a certain extent Ichabod does fit in with the setting of the story. Sleepy Hollow is said to be a small, quiet town under some kind of enchantment. Its residents all seem to live lifeat a slower pace, daydream a little more, and be more susceptible to believe in the supernatural. Like the majority of the people in Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod believed in the supernatural. He was...