Washington Irving's “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a story that many love, and Ichabod Crane is a very controversial character. Some believe he is simply a man who helped tell the story of the legendary Headless Horseman, while others see him as an anti-hero who represents human nature. This strange character is both of these things, but one thing takes precedence over the others when analyzing such a remarkable professor. Ichabod Crane is a farce character who loosely mimics British rule over America and its ultimate demise. He embodies the way Americans viewed the British after the Revolution, with his noble character, insatiable appetite, and severe cowardice. He may look like a hero, but in reality he's just a mockery. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIchabod Crane is a strange name in itself, but Ichabod's appearance and personality help form the character that fits this name. He doesn't look like a normal hero; he looks hungry and completely ugly, a great example of a farce character. It is described as having a slender body, a small head and large ears and feet. Irving also states that "he could have been mistaken for...a scarecrow running out of a cornfield" (758). When Ichabod rides the horse Gunpowder, the narrator cannot help but mention the hilarity of watching this scene. “…His pointed elbows stuck out like grasshoppers…the movement of his arms was reminiscent of the beating of a pair of wings…” (767). As for Ichabod's personality, he is ridiculous and mocks what is real in his bravado and charm. He courts many women, charming them with his intelligence and stated talents such as singing and dancing, although he appears over-the-top in both cases. Irving says that he is "a man of some importance in female circles... a sort of idle and gentlemanly character, of far superior taste and achievements..." (760). However, his love for himself shines above the favor the ladies bestow on him. When the narrator describes Ichabod's singing voice, he does not fail to include that "it was no small matter of vanity for him...to take his place before the church gallery...where, in his mind, he completely carried away the pastor’s palm” (759). Yet his song is a "nasal melody" to the country folk and, after Ichabod leaves Sleepy Hollow, "peculiar eighth notes [can] still... be heard... which would rightfully have come down from the nose of Ichabod Crane" . (760). As for his dance: “Not a limb, not a fiber around him was inactive, and to have seen his body loosely suspended in full movement, slamming around the room, one would have thought that Saint Guy himself, this blessed patron of the dance, appeared before you in person” (769). St. Vitus' dance is not pretty, and the fact that Ichabod is compared to the saint shows how his dance was more humorous than beautiful. Ichabod is not only a strange character, but he also has a strange appetite to match. It seems to want to devour the entire countryside, and this may be an allusion to how the British dominated America before the Revolution. Ichabod begins simply by enjoying the delicious food offered to him by the country people with whom he is staying. “…On vacation afternoons, [he] drove home some of the little ones, who had pretty sisters, or good housewives for mothers, renowned for the comfort of the closet” (759). Then his appetite begins to turn into a voracious allusion...