Fear In Irving's The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow

One of the most common themes in horror literature is fear; fear of the unknown, fear of the powerful, fear of death, and more. There are so many aspects that pertain to something being fearful. Often the time period plays a huge role in this as well. There also are many different stigmas of what “fear” is in each time period. This creates a different meaning of “fear” in each story, as each story is unique and has many different factors like time period influencing what exactly is conderied fearful. The works of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Washington Irving have long captivated readers with their eerie and often frightening stories. Two of the most timeless examples of this are Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman

At first it was a bit challenging to distinguish the different kinds of fear factors. However, after looking more closely the main source of fear tends to be based on something metaphysical and supernatural. The mysterious figure of the Headless Horseman, who haunts the woods of Sleepy Hollow, is an imposing figure with seemingly supernatural powers. His appearance strikes fear into the hearts of those who witness him, and the fact that he is incorporeal heightens the sense of dread. This is shown in the following passage; “As he approached the stream his heart began to thump; he summoned up, however all his resolution, gave his horse half a score of kicks in the ribs, and attempted to dash briskly across the bridge; but instead of starting forward, the perverse old animal made a lateral movement, and ran broadside against the fence” (Crow 50). This passage shows how Ichabd was anxious about approaching the stream where he'd seen the headless horseman. This passage overall, indicated the feeling of uncertainty of what this creature was. Since this is considered to be a supernatural experience (seeing a headless man), he simply does not know how to react to this feeling of fear and uncertainty. Upon discovering that his fellow horseman was headless, Ichabod takes off towards a bridge that the ghost was supposed to reach and disappears. He basically runs off

For example, the source of fear in Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown” is more rooted in reality and the idea of an event possibly happening. This kind of fear factor I think is more targeted towards an audience that typically does not get scared by folklore or tales that involve the supernatural like “The Tale of Sleepy Hollow.” That being said, I personally found “Young Goodman Brown” to be more scary and gut wrenching. In Hawthrone’s story, the protagonist, whose name is Goodman Brown, is taken on a journey through the forest by a mysterious figure and he witnesses a gathering of people who appear to be part of a dark, sinister ritual. This is alarming to the protagonist and the reader, as it suggests the possibility of a real event happening, rather than something supernatural or metaphysical. The fact that the ritual is taking place right in Goodman Brown’s own backyard makes it even more frightening, as it implies that dark forces could be lurking just around the corner. Not only do all of the actions in the story frighten the readers, the language also is frightening as well as it is very blunt and overall just upfront. An example of this is as follows; “I trod out his accursed soul, and knew that he was dead; for my spirit bounded as if a chain had fallen from it and left me free. But the burst of exulting certainty soon fled, and was succeeded by a tropor over my brain