Narrative Structure in Sleepy Hollow

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The tale of Sleepy Hollow mostly comes from the perspective of the protagonist, Ichabod Crane. The viewer very easily becomes involved in the story seeing the plot unravel from the eyes of the “good guy”. We, as an audience, experience the mystery and horror Ichabod must endure in finding the person responsible for the recent murders in Sleepy Hollow. The story is only one-sided, which allows the viewer to further connect with the suspicious outsider eager, yet terrified, to learn the truth behind the ghost. As we dive deeper into the story, we begin to go through the same process as Ichabod of deciding whom the possible suspects are until we arrive at the same conclusion. Instead of simply retelling the urban-legend, Tim Burton lets the viewer become a part of the story by withholding crucial information until Ichabod can interpret certain events. We never have the opportunity to disagree with Ichabod’s thought process because we never know more than he does. Though we may actually see a decapitation instead of just a dead body as he does, there is no way to decipher exactly what happened until he later reveals everything.
Eye-line match reaction shots are very important in the development of Sleepy Hollow because the audience has a clearer viewpoint on the action occurring in front of the protagonist’s eyes. There are several instances in which the headless horseman makes an entrance out of the woods into the small town of Sleepy Hollow. Seeing this arrival followed by the terrified reaction from the nearby citizen is significant in developing the horseman’s character. Every reaction, no matter who the victim, is identical; this panic and horror forces the audience to connect the horseman with pure evil. Many of these incident...

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...h attention toward Mrs. Van Tassel either so the viewer does not develop any sympathy towards her character. Though she is a relatively likeable lady, we never feel a true connection towards her that could trick us into thinking she is innately good.
Overall, having one narrator is both good and bad. On one hand, we have a clearly defined protagonist that is easy to sympathize with and has a story that is rather simple to follow. On the other hand, we have only one side to every situation and are forced to agree with everything the protagonist does. Though Ichabod is a good man that will not steer us in the wrong direction, it might be nice to see differing opinions or ideas throughout all of the characters. Regardless, Burton tells a wonderful tale through the misadventures of Ichabod Crane as he investigates the horror behind the ghost of the Headless Horseman.

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