Bogle- Sleepy Hollow

      The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, originally a short story by author Washington Irving, was reformed by Tim Burton into a film. Although the characters and setting are the same, there are many differences between the two. Tim Burton took the short story, and revised almost all of it. Is this Burton using Irving's work to enhance his own horror story, or is this Burton's twist on Irving's short story?

     The similarities between the short story and the film may appear to be limited, but personally, I believe it is just Tim Burton's twist and own view of the story. It is not a horror story that he just used the same names and setting, but Burton's belief of what would have happened if the short story had been longer.

     Ichabod Crane, the main character of both stories, is relatively the same character in both versions. He is long, tall, and skinny, just like his namesake. Ichabod is also very superstitious. In both versions, he is in love with Katrina, and competes for her love against the vain, and obnoxious, Brom Van Brunt. Here is where the Ichabods vary though, Irving's character is a school teacher, while Burton's is a constable. The use of this variant in a chosen career, allows Burton to play with Ichabod's character a little more. Instead of just being a plain superstitious person, this version of Ichabod Crane hides his superstition by attempting to live by reasoning. A constable, or in modern english, a detective, must use reason in every case he is presented with. This allows him to attempt to hide behind reason, which does eventually falls through when he sees the horseman with his own eyes. Although the careers of the characters are different, both must be intelligent for their own careers. The intelligence of Ichabod attracted the women of the short story to him, this is the opposite in the movie. Although he ends up being with Katrina in the movie, none of the other women are even merely interested in him. The intelligence he has makes people uncomfortable, and thus an outcast. 

     By making Ichabod an outcast, Tim Burton himself can associate as further understand Ichabod Crane. Every movie of Burton's has some theme of the outcast bent and hat bunt an outcast does to one. This is due to his childhood and his feelings of being an outcast that Burton himself faced.