The Big Bang Theory In Sleepy Hollow

Supernatural occurrences are defined as: unable to be explained by science or the laws of nature of, relating to, or seeming to come from magic, a god, demigod, spirit, or devil. Some people believe that the supernatural is a hoax or just some type of trick because they think it can be explained through a non-supernatural manner. However, in the world, there are many major events, incidents and cases that cannot be explained by the laws of nature. For example, the Big Bang theory has never been explained completely. Complete scientific and cosmological understanding of the Big Bang is still in infancy. The complexity of all living things and their origin, evolution, etc. are not completely based on scientific laws. Science explains it as some

type of complex natural actions, which could be considered supernatural. In Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, there are numerous incidents that consist the supernatural elements.
In the small town of Tarry Town, Sleepy Hollow, the schoolmaster played a major role in the development of the town.

Washington Irving described the schoolmaster as, “generally a man of some importance in the female circle of a rural neighborhood, being considered a kind of idle, gentlemanlike personage, of vastly superior taste and accomplishments” (page 3). This means that the protagonist, Ichabod Crane, was a very important man in Sleepy Hollow. At the beginning of the story Irving portrayed Crane as someone who seemed to be well-liked by all of the townspeople. However, deeper in the story, his popularity seemed to decrease. Ichabod Crane was a man who adored the company of a woman. He did many deeds to obtain a good favor in the eyes of the women, including, “petting the children, particularly the youngest, and he would sit with a child on one knee, and rock a cradle with his foot for whole hours together” (page 3). These actions are the result of his unpopularity with the male

townspeople.

Sleepy Hollow, the setting of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, could be considered supernatural. Although Washington Irving described it as, “one of the quietest places in the whole world” (page 1), Sleepy Hollow roared with the supernatural. An example of the roar can be heard after the disappearance of Ichabod Crane. Following the disappearance of Crane, Sleepy Hollow endured a series of supernatural episodes. The first was the bridge, as Irving stated, “The bridge became more than ever an object of superstitious awe” (page 13). The reason for the superstitions of the bridge was because it was the scene where Ichabod Crane clashed with the Headless Horseman and where the squashed pumpkin was found. Next, the old country wives of Sleepy Hollow revealed that Ichabod was spirited away by supernatural means. Finally, the schoolhouse was reported haunted by the ghost of Ichabod Crane, as the plowboy often heard, “Ichabod's voice at a distance, chanting a melancholy psalm tune among the tranquil solitudes of Sleepy Hollow” (page 13). The history of Sleepy Hollow could also be considered supernatural. Some of the townspeople believed that Sleepy Hollow was “bewitched during the early days of the Dutch settlement.” (page 1), others maintained that “an old Indian chief, the wizard of his tribe, held his powwows there before the country was discovered by Master Hendrick Hudson” (page 1). The dark history of Sleepy Hollow that was present before the story even began, accounted for the supernatural elements, which brought a greater level of suspense to the story. Although Washington Irving portrayed Sleepy Hollow as a host of the supernatural, he also expressed the other aspects of supernatural in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow through the different symbols he illustrated.
Washington Irving used many different symbols to show the supernatural aspects present in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. One of the most noticed symbols he used are colors. Throughout the story, the most frequently used colors were black and white. Black represented everything dreadful, gloomy and depressing. It was the symbol of the night with all its enigmas and secrets. In the story, black helped the reader not only to predict the dismal end of the legend, but also to depict the psychological state of the main protagonist, Ichabod Crane, that was his awe and desperation. When Crane observed a strange figure on his way home from the party, he described the figure by saying, “He appeared to be a horseman of large dimensions, and mounted on a black horse of powerful frame” (page 11). Also, when the dark, sinister presence of the Headless Horseman was heard by Ichabod Crane, he stated, “Just then he heard the black steed panting and blowing close behind him; he even fancied that he felt his hot breath” (page 12). The black horse was a symbol of the evil and suspense that Washington wanted to bestow on the audience and immerse them with the fear of the supernatural. White, by contrast, was used to describe daylight, something pleasing and divine. It was revealed in the story when Ichabod Crane was running from the Headless Horseman and almost reached the church. As Crane looked around, Washington Irving stated, “He saw the whitewashed walls of the church dimly glaring under the trees beyond” (page 12). The whitewashed walls of the church were a symbol of Crane’s last hope from escaping the Headless Horseman. Throughout The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Washington Irving not only placed the importance on colors, but also how the different sounds contributed to the supernatural elements of the story.

Washington Irving used colors to display the supernatural elements in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, as well as different sounds.

Sound is an essential element for creating a supernatural atmosphere. In the natural setting, sounds can be peaceful and comfortable, such as Irving’s description of the farmhouse, observed when he stated, “as he wended his way to the farmhouse where he happened to be quartered, every sound of nature, the boding cry of the tree toad, the dreary hooting of the screech owl, fluttered his excited imagination.” (page 3). But the principle manner sound was used in the story was to bring it suspense and darkness. On the dreadful night of Ichabod’s disappearance, the silence of the forest does not seem to constitute any danger for people. However, Crane described the sound of the forest as, “In the dead hush of midnight he could hear the faint barking of a watchdog from the opposite shore” (page

10).