Ichabod Character Analysis

Although Ichabod Crane and Brome Bones show similar interests (i.e. Katrina) they are vastly different characters, both in design and portrayal. Ichabod is introduced as a ‘tall, but exceedingly lank’ person with ‘narrow shoulders.’ Irving goes even as far as to compare Ichabod to an ‘escaped scarecrow’. Brom Bones, on the other hand is not only described, but introduced as a ‘burly, roaring young man’. But there’s more to these characters despite their appearances. Ichabod was known for his singing and talent as a tutor, while Brom is best known for his herculean feats of strength.

Strengths and weaknesses aside, one comparison that isn’t often touched upon is what the characters themselves stand represent. I personally feel that Ichabod
Crane v. Brom Bones isn’t a comparison of Brain vs Braun, but instead a comparison of Reality v Fantasy. By the time you arrive at Katrina’s party you begin to understand that Ichabod lives in his own world. In the opening of part 2 (pg. 20) Ichabod is siting ‘enthroned in his lofty stool from where he usually watched all the concerns of his little literary realm. In his hand he swayed a ruler, that a scepter of despotic power’. All throughout the sentence and the paragraphs following, Irving alludes to Ichabod as if he were a fantastical character with the references t