Character Analysis in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The noun “cognomen” comes from the Latin cognōmen, which refers to one’s third, or family, name. In English use, a cognomen can also refer to a distinguishing name or epithet of a person. Here, the narrator claims that Ichabod resembles his cognomen, or family name. He physically looks like a crane, a large bird, because he has long, spindly limbs like a crane’s legs. This description of Crane contributes to the more humorous way the author chooses to portray the hapless schoolteacher.

The adjective “rantipole” refers to a person who is wild and confrontational. Thus, though Brom is a hero, he is not without flaws.

Notice this telling detail: though Brom is mischievous and prone to pranks, he is ultimately a good person with good intentions, making him more sympathetic than readers might first suspect.

Compare this description of Brom Bones to that of Ichabod Crane. Whereas Ichabod is skinny and bookish, Brom is sturdy, strong, and mischievous. Crane is an educated transplant from Connecticut, a “Yankee”; Brom is a native of Dutch descent. They are opposites of one another, representing new ideals—intellect and learning—clashing with old values—strength and hardiness. The characters are foils to one another.

Notice how Crane cares very little for Katrina—he is instead most interested in her money and what he can do with it. Crane’s attraction to Katrina is selfish rather than born of actual affection, which Irving will contrast with Brom Bone’s genuine care for her well-being.

This detail is quite humorous. Among Crane’s meager belongings are “two shirts and a half.” What Crane would do with half a shirt is a mystery, but it seems fitting considering his scattered, ramshackle nature.

Here, Ichabod Crane is portrayed as comically cowardly, cringing at the sight of an especially bright firefly. He is decidedly unheroic, subject to the whims of superstition and deception.

Notice that food and consumption vocabulary is associated with Crane. In addition to his bottomless pit of a stomach, Crane is always searching for more stories and tales to consume. His primary motivation is hunger, both of the physical and intellectual varieties.

The noun “shrewdness” describes the condition of having good judgment, while conversely the noun “credulity” means a tendency to quickly believe in something. Paradoxically, Crane is capable of good judgment but is often gullible, one of his greatest character flaws.

In a surprising moment, Katrina appears somewhat drawn in by Crane’s advances. The diction here, particularly the word “ogling,” suggests that Crane’s behavior remains boyishly inappropriate. The word “graciously” indicates that Katrina accepts Crane’s advances, even if she does not reciprocate his feelings.

Ichabod Crane is the “flogger of urchins” in that he flogs—or whips—his students, referred to here as “urchins,” a word for mischievous children. This rhetorical question brings to light some of Crane’s contradictions; he is both a domineering schoolmaster and a rollicking dancer.

In his feast-fueled fantasy, Ichabod Crane turns his back on his life and himself. By dreaming of “[kick]ing any itinerant pedagogue out of doors that should dare to call him comrade,” Crane denounces his own identity and place in the world. Crane is thus at odds with himself: his grandiose imagination is savage to the reality of who he actually is.

The “old farmers” at the Van Tassel dance represent the old guard, the Dutch farmers who have settled and farmed the lands of the Hudson River Valley for several generations. They are in many ways the opposite of Ichabod Crane: steeped in proud traditions, grounded in the land, and sturdy in their physical presence.

Cotton Mather was a real historical figure who is most associated with the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600s. Though not present for the majority of trials, his writings on witchcraft and the occult are believed to have laid the groundwork for gathering evidence against those accused of witchcraft. By the 1800s, when Irving composed “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” belief in witches had mostly died out; by saying that Crane fervently believes in witches, Irving paints him as a superstitious, irrational fool despite his education.

Here, Crane’s vanity is comedically showcased. He believes himself to be the best singer in the church. The narration makes clear, though, that Crane’s voice, though not necessarily the best, is definitely the loudest among the congregation. This suggests that he is not very self-aware.

A “cavalier” is a horseman, usually of military rank. In his 1755 A Dictionary of the English Language, Volume 1, lexicographer Samuel Johnson pointed out that the word has a connotation of stylishness, a cavalier being, in his words, “a gay sprightly military man.” Stylish and yet regal. Elegant and yet authoritative. All of the things Ichabod Crane will never be.

Here Ichabod Crane is portrayed more sympathetically, as he makes himself useful to the families he stays with. It is important to note, though, that without the generosity of these families, Crane would have nowhere to live, so his work is not without reward.

This passage suggests that Ichabod Crane only assists others when it benefits him—in this case, he only walks home students who have attractive sisters or mothers who can provide him with food. In this way, he is both cunning and selfish.

We can read this description of Crane’s punishments two ways. Charitably considered, it suggests that Crane is sensitive to his students, making sure he doesn’t hurt any of them. Less generously, it could also imply that Crane is doling out punishment to correct the injustices in his own life, sparing the students who look like him and punishing those who resemble his rival, Brom Bones.

The name Ichabod gives readers a little insight into his character. The name itself is of Hebrew origin and means “no glory,” or “inglorious.” The meaning behind the name suggests that Crane has an unassuming and somewhat cowardly nature.

The implication is that Crane avoids punishing those students who have his physical characteristics not out of sympathy but because his apparent "sympathy" for the weak allows him to punish stronger students who have what he wants but does not have—strength.

Irving's description of Crane is meant to be unflattering and stereotypical of a New England traveling teacher, a direct contrast to the farmers of Sleepy Hollow.