Differences Between Sleepy Hollow Book And Movie

The characters in the selections occasionally were altered in order to tell the story. Some modifications with characters are showcased in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”. In the book, the main character Ichabod Crane is a schoolteacher (W. Irving 16). In the movie, however, Ichabod Crane is shown as a detective, who had his own way of thinking about how crimes were to be solved, and he was sent to Sleepy Hollow to solve the murder of three townspeople (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow). The producer revived this scene from the book in order to make the movie more suspenseful. A teacher is alright, but a detective trying to solve the murder of three townspeople just adds a little more suspense, and helps to spark interest in the audience. Also in

the book, Ichabod is used to show the theme of greed, as he was portrayed as a greedy man (W. Irving 16). While in the movie, Ichabod is not used to show the theme of greed (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow). This modification was imperative to the character of Ichabod, because he is made the hero in the movie, while the book he had a completely different outcome. Another excellent selection that shows contrast within the characters is “Rappaccini’s Daughter”. In this book Baglioni just wanted to beat Rappaccini, as they are very competitive with each other, but he is horrified by the results of his actions (N. Hawthorne 62). In the movie, Baglioni just wants to help Beatrice escape and for her and Giovanni to fall in love (Rappaccini’s Daughter). The character portrayal of Baglioni is quite different between the book and the movie. The producer felt the need to alter Baglioni because he is not the protagonist, and by changing his role in the movie, it can alter the objective the characters are trying to reach. Baglioni was also changed in the movie to add more of a love story effect. The fact that he is rooting for Beatrice and Giovanni to fall in love only helps the viewer to want the same. In the selection “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”, the main character is transformed slightly. In the book, Granny is shown to be more passive, for she is dying (KA. Porter 697). In the movie, Granny is shown very active, as she is doing chores and baking for a good portion of the movie (The Jilting of Granny Weatherall). This modification was made in order to show the viewer about Granny’s personality, and to help he or she connect with the story more.

By changing the beginning of the movie, the producer was able to create a more impactful story. While these selections show many contrasting character choices within them, there are also many similarities between the character choice the producer did not change. In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, the horse is shown to be black and keeps the name Gunpowder (W. Irving 16, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow). The producer most likely did not change this due to the fact black is a more mysterious color, and the color of Gunpowder helps to establish the atmosphere. The black horse is used to establish he is not friendly and the townspeople should stay away. Within the book and movie of “Rappaccini’s Daughter”, the character Giovanni remains the same (N. Hawthorne 62, Rappaccini’s Daughter). If the producer were to alter Giovanni’s feelings towards Beatrice, the love aspect that the story brings would disappear. By keeping Giovanni’s character similar to how it was in the book, the viewer is able to see Giovanni’s feelings towards Beatrice causing them to feel emotion towards the two

together. Another selection is “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall, and Granny’s state of being remains the same (KA. Porter 697, The Jilting of Granny Weatherall). She is sick, old, and dying in the book and the movie. If this were to change, the movie would differ from the book completely and they would not be telling the same story.
The setting within a selection helps to establish the atmosphere of the story.

In some instances, a producer may need to change the setting from how the author originally entrenched it. In “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, the townspeople reside in Greensburg, which is a town referred to as Tarry Town. Sleepy Hollow is just a nearby village (W. Irving, 16). In the movie, the producer has the townspeople residing in Sleepy Hollow (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow). The producer changes this in order to create more horror in the town where the villagers live. All the action takes place in Sleepy Hollow, therefore establishing a more horrific atmosphere. Furthermore in “Rappaccini’s Daughter”, the setting was altered. In the movie, Beatrice only stays inside and outside her house in her garden. Because of this, only Giovanni and Rappaccini have seen her (Rappaccini’s Daughter). In the book, a few people have seen Beatrice as she didn't always stay inside (N. Hawthorne 62). The setting change of Beatrice’s location was changed in order to make a more dramatic story. The fact that Giovanni was the only person who had seen her before, besides her father, makes their love stronger. In addition to “Rappaccini’s Daughter” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, in another story “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”, the setting has also been differed from book to movie. In the book the setting is all inside Granny’s house (KA. Porter 697), while in the movie the setting is inside Granny’s house

but likewise outside. There is a scene where the audience sees Granny visit the barn, that is not included in the book (The Jilting of Granny Weatherall). The producer modified the setting because in altering the setting, the plot can also be transformed. In changing the setting, the viewer gets to see more of Granny’s everyday life and what she is like. While the settings of these selections contrast each other in certain ways, they also have many elements of the setting to compare. As shown in “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, the setting can be different but have its similarities within the book and the movie. Although in the book Sleepy Hollow is not where the characters reside, it is still a critical place (W. Irving 16). In both the book and the movie, the audience is aware of Sleepy Hollow as it is mentioned many times. If Sleepy Hollow was not mentioned at all, the title of the book would have to change, and the audience would become perplexed to the title name if it was not corrected. Another example of how setting can remain similar is in “Rappaccini’s Daughter”. In both the book and the movie, the setting primarily takes place in the garden (N. Hawthorne 62, Rappaccini’s Daughter). It is essential the producer keeps the setting in the garden, because that is how Beatrice dies. The producer would have had to recreate a whole different ending if the setting was not in the garden, and the audience would not see similarities between the book and the movie. In the selection “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall”, the setting is kept the same when Granny is dying. She dies in her bed for both the book and the movie (KA. Porter 697, The Jilting of Granny Weatherall). As the audience, seeing Granny die in her bed helps establish she is old. It helps show everyone has bad moments in life, but celebrate living as it is a gift.
In conclusion, through evaluating three modern selections, the reader encounters many literary components to contrast and compare between the text and film of the storyline. In assessing contemporary selections, many producers feel the need to alter the original text the author wrote to develop an improved version of the book on screen. As a well-known author once said, “Books and movies are like apples and oranges. They are both fruits but taste completely different” (Stephen King).