Sleepy Hollow by Peter Lerangis is a wonderful example of romantic fiction. It contains and exhibits all the vital elements of romance. Lerangis includes an exemplary romantic hero and his quest to find the truth in an abstract matter. An enormous fascination with supernatural events and an uneasiness towards women accompany his romantic hero. And Lerangis juxtaposes the harsh realities of city life with the romantic beauties of nature, defining romance in its entirety. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The American hero is the element of romance most represented within the novel. Parallel to a typical romantic hero, Ichabod is full of youth and innocence. This youthful existence is evident in Ichabod's arachnophobia, through which he resorts to childhood panic rather than face his fears as a mature adult. During one of these panics, he notices a spider in his room and “screams, jumping away, as [a spider] slithers under his bed” (Lerangis 110). Just as a child screams and runs when faced with fear, Ichabod resorts to his immature, primal instincts when faced with this little spider. Ichabod also portrays youth and innocence with his search for higher truths. For example, when he begins to contemplate the scars on his hands, he immediately stops. He does not allow himself to reflect on their origin because he "prefer[s] solvable mysteries, and this [makes] his brain fold darkly inward like a frightened sow" (14). In a matter of seconds, he goes from trying to gain knowledge of his past to hiding from the idea as if he were a small child. However, aside from these minor flaws in his character, Ichabod is a hero in every sense of the word. When confronted with the injustices of his society, he rebels against established authority. One such rebellion occurs when the top policeman refuses to listen to his voice. The high cop orders Ichabod to “stand down,” and Ichabod quickly responds, “I stand, for common sense and justice” (11). This opposition to authority demonstrates Ichabod's heroism and genuine concern for society. Lerangis's inclusion of the supernatural and discomfort with women illustrate two further characteristics that define a Romantic work. The supernatural is particularly prevalent throughout the novel. The first account of the events that Ichabod receives from the people of Sleepy Hollow is that the heads of the murder victims were "taken by the Headless Horseman" (23). This “headless horseman” is the ghost of a “Hessian mercenary” whom the Americans beheaded during the Revolutionary War (24). The ghost of the Knight is even gifted with supernatural powers to control the weather. “The Knight's Wind” and “The Knight's Storm” always foreshadow a decapitation whenever they occur within the novel (136). The supernatural also connects to the Romantic's apprehension of women and their symbolic need for domestication. Ichabod incorporates the supernatural and his anxiety about women into a single entity when he tells Katrina, “But maybe there's a little witch in you…you've bewitched me” (101). This statement is simply a manifestation of Ichabod's inability to perform in Katrina's presence. This failure to function is evident because "all words, all paths of thought, [lead] to Katrina"; and whenever Katrina is around, Ichabod is "speechless. She makes him speechless" (33; 31). Both the supernatural and his discomfort with women serve to oppose Ichabod" (149).