Ichabod was described as being well-read in the literature of the supernatural and superstition. Ichabod was also known as "the singing-master of the neighborhood" and often on Sundays would "take his station in front of the church gallery, with a band of chosen singers where, in his own, he completely carried away the psalm from the person." In addition to his work as a schoolmaster, he "instructed young folks in psalmody."Ĭaleb Stegall suggests that "the most distinctive characteristic Irving gives Ichabod is that of a psalm singer." "Courtship In Sleepy Hollow, or Ichabod Crane and Katrina Van Tassel" (1868) Supernatural beliefs and local renown with these he lived successively a week at a time, thus going the rounds of the neighborhood, with all his worldly effects tied up in a cotton handkerchief." He made little money as a schoolmaster his wages were "scarcely sufficient to furnish him with daily bread." He was able to sustain this work through the help of locals, who "according to country custom in those parts, boarded and lodged at the houses of the farmers whose children he instructed. He administered justice with discrimination rather than severity taking the burden off the backs of the weak, and laying it on those of the strong." He is described as "a conscientious man and ever bore in mind the golden maxim, 'Spare the rod and spoil the child.'" However, "Ichabod Crane's scholars certainly were not spoiled. Ichabod Crane is a schoolteacher with strong beliefs in the supernatural. Role in story The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane, by John Quidor, 1858 Life and vocation His head was small, and flat at top, with huge ears, large green glassy eyes, and a long snipe nose, so that it looked like a weather-cock perched upon his spindle neck, to tell which way the wind blew." He is described by Irving in the story as "tall, but exceedingly lank, with narrow shoulders, long arms and legs, hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves, feet that might have served for shovels, and his whole frame most loosely hung together. Characteristics Īccording to Irving, Ichabod's appearance is like that of a goofy, old scarecrow who escaped the cornfield. Author Gary Deniss asserts that while the character of Ichabod Crane is loosely based on Merwin, it may include elements from Youngs' life. It is claimed by many in Tarrytown that Samuel Youngs is the original from whom Irving drew his character of Ichabod Crane. The area's modern-day school district, Ichabod Crane Central School District, is also named for the character. Kinderhook's original schoolhouse is now owned by the Columbia County Historical Society and called the Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse. The two friends continued a pen-pal correspondence for thirty years. 1856)Īccording to a notation by Irving and a certification written in longhand by Martin Van Buren, the 'pattern' (Van Buren's words) for the character of Ichabod Crane was based on the original Kinderhook schoolmaster named Jesse Merwin-born in Connecticut-whom Irving befriended in Kinderhook, New York, in 1809. "Ichabod Crane, Respectfully Dedicated to Washington Irving" by William J. Irving might have borrowed the name from that of Ichabod Crane, a colonel in the US Army during the War of 1812 whom he had met in 1814 in Sackets Harbor, New York. Ichabod-meaning 'without glory' in Hebrew-comes from the biblical name of the grandson of Eli the High Priest and son of Phinehas. After supposedly proposing to Katrina, Crane is headed home alone at night when the Headless Horseman appears and chases the schoolmaster, until the Horseman throws his pumpkin head at him, causing him to mysteriously disappear without a trace. Crane eventually tries unsuccessfully to court the heiress Katrina Van Tassel, a decision that angers Abraham "Brom Bones" Van Brunt, a local man who also wishes to marry Katrina. He is the local schoolmaster, and strongly believes in all things supernatural, including the legend of the Headless Horseman. Ichabod Crane is a fictional character and the protagonist in Washington Irving's short story " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Crane is portrayed in the original work, and in most adaptations, as a tall, lanky individual. Macy, The Night of the Headless Horseman (1999)
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