Don't Lose Your Head

This quote is so important to analyze because one spends so much time analyzing Ichabod Crane, but this is where one sees what he sees in himself. Even Crane sees his scrawny frame, and sees his "frame in motion" that's always hungry, always making the next move he possibly can. Ichabod is a biblical name, and sources say it means "no glory" or "the glory is gone" in Hebrew. This is especially interesting when one considers Crane's character in this story. He's constantly after Katrina, among other things, with little to no success. This negative connotation of his name builds on the idea that he is playing a prank on the town, pretending to be the headless horseman, because of his need to overcome mediocrity and ascend to some sort of glory, even if it is infamous.

The pumpkin is one of the biggest symbols of this short story. It is the "head" of the headless horseman, and the fact that it is one of the items shattered after Ichabod leaves town is indicative of the parallels Irving creates. He creates a clear connection between Ichabod Crane and the leftover items when Crane is suddenly gone from the town. Irving creates doubt in his protagonist from the townspeople and thus his audience as well.

This quote is very ominous, seeing as it ends saying his haunts are not confined to the valley. This reinforces the idea that the headless horseman is the central figure as well, calling him the dominant spirit. Thus it is implied that the whole town is, again, centered around this legend and this scary figure. He is the "gloom of night", an ominous nickname, implying the fear that he invites within the townspeople.

Brain versus brawn is one of the biggest battles in this legend. This is very prevalent in Ichabod's fight for Katrina. Her other main suitor is the brawn, and Ichabod represents the brains. He's the bookworm, the school teacher, and the reader. He's determined and intelligent, but scrawny. He's the classic interpretation of the brains, the unattractive guy that typically gets looked over for the strong male that embodies masculinity. Despite this, he perseveres, as true brains do in the face of unintelligent brawn.

The headless horseman is arguably the most important figure in this short story. He is the antagonistic figure that the legend is centered around, and the fantastical figure that the town fixates on. He is supposed to be a Hessian soldier that lost his head in a war, and this represents the many figurative wars in this legend and town. He is the struggle between good and evil, small towns insulating themselves agains the outside world, the supernatural and the real, brains versus brawn, insiders versus outsiders within a community, and the living versus the dead. The whole town struggles with the struggle between the supernatural and the real especially. When some believe in the legend, like our main character Ichabod Crane, and others question it's validity, we find divides between believers and non believers.

This quote is indicative of the whole atmosphere of this town, something that Ichabod is clearly not immune to. He buys into the witchery of the town, and it seems as though his obsession with Cotton Mather probably stems from this atmosphere. This is what allows the whole town to be so affected by the tale of the headless horseman, something that would not be so widely believed if it weren't for the Salem Witch Trials. Throughout this short story we see that the entire town is still affected by the Trials.

The bookworm is significant of Ichabod's character as well as Washington Irving's description of him. He's obsessed with reading, and is a very intelligent schoolteacher. He's tall and thin, and all of his features make one think of what a bookworm would actually look like. This goes along with Ichabod's extreme hunger for everything as well, as most think of bookworms as constantly eating as much as they can. This picture in particular in indicative of that, as he's pictured eating through pieces of paper. This bookworm has a hunger for education. Ichabod's hunger is shown through his eyes as well, as green is usually associated with envy. Everything about his personality tells Irving's audience that Crane is always starving for something, whether it be food, societal acceptance, or wealth.

Cotton Mather is of huge significance to Ichabod Crane. In the story, Crane is obsessed with Cotton Mather’s History of New England Witchcraft. He firmly believes in witches, ghost stories, and other supernatural happenings. This makes sense, seeing how the whole town seems to be bewitched. They’re prone to visions and seeing things that aren’t there, and they “hear music and voices in the air.” Crane's obsession with this book in particular is interesting, because of the wariness people tend to have about the book parallels wariness people tend towards with Ichabod. He's intelligent, but some residents mistrust him and the institution of learning from books. History of New England Witchcraft holds a similar position, it's written by someone who was very close to the Salem Witch Trials and its atrocities. This book could also represent Crane's immaturity. Though he is extremely smart, he's still obsessed with this book, ghost stories, and other parts of the supernatural. One tends to associate a fixation on fantasy with immaturity and naivete. His naivete is reflected in the color of his eyes, and his desparte need to improve his social status by using other people.