Theme and Plot Diagram

The theme of the story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is mainly to show how people react when horrible things have happened to them. After Brom tells the tale of the Headless Horseman, Katrina begins to follow him around, forsaking Ichabod for the town Hercules. Afterward, Ichabod is riding home when he encounters the Headless Horseman. He is never seen again. This could be a metaphorical way of saying "Don't sweat the small stuff, or the Headless Horseman will come and chop your head off." Of course, one could argue that the moral is not to go out at night.

Plot Diagram---------

*since I couldn't find one online, I'll just label each part*

Introduction: Ichabod and Katrina is introduced to the audience while the narrator explains how Ichabod feels. Brom Bones is also soon introduced.

Rising Action: Ichabod and Brom continue to fight over the love of Katrina. However, they are both invited to a party at the Van Tassle's house. As Katrina and Ichabod go dancing, Brom interrupts them by beginning to tell the story of how he raced the Headless Horseman.

Climax/Turning Point: After Brom's story, Katrina falls for Brom, leaving Ichabod alone. He leaves the party on horseback, only to be found by none other than the Headless Horseman.

Falling Action: The narrator explains what happened to Ichabod, and begins to tell us exactly what occured.

Resolution: With Ichabod gone, Katrina is left to marry Brom.

Target Audience

The target audience in the legend could be anywhere from kids age 7 to children at age 14. There are many variations of the story, and they all differ in spookiness. Therefore, a show that would give kids nightmares for all eternity should not be shown to younger children. The target audience all depends on how scary the tale is. As for the original story, it is more for kids ages 10-14.

Characters of the story

Ichabod Crane - a tall, lanky school teacher with a large appetite and an eye for women

Katrina Van Tassle - the 18 year old daughter of a wealthy farmer

Brom Bones - the boastful and unruly man of the town