Ichabod Crane- The Hipster of all Anti-Heroes

The antihero; it is what it sounds like. Unlike the classic hero with rippling muscles and cheekbones that you could cut yourself on, the antihero is that one person who is just so unfit; so unexpected to be the one saving the day, or getting the girl, or winning that oh so coveted national championship in whatever it may be. The truth is, our precious antihero is not a new idea whatsoever.

In fact, it can be spotted in the earliest of classic American literature; in particular, the character of Ichabod Crane in Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. As I recently read this work, I , quite surprisingly, found myself comparing the character of Ichabod Crane, introduced to the world in 1820, to the character of Carson Phillips from the movie Struck by Lightning, which just came out in 2013. With closer examination, I found several very antihero-ish characteristics that the two share.

1. Both share the combination of having one or several very defining and unique skills which they are known for with a small town environment; this is an ingenious trick that always sets the character up as if we already know them. Ichabod is the Schoolmaster as well as the leader of the choir. Ah, an intellectual and a musician! Despite his other quirks, we already like him a bit. Carson Phillips, a brilliant but stubborn and defiant teenager is known for being the writer of the school newspaper as well as the president of the writer's club. However, the two are different in that Ichabod is painted in a light that makes him look quite popular; but for Carson, as well as all the other high school social underdogs, the case is not the same.

2. Ichabod and Carson don't exactly have the purest of hearts when it comes to getting what they want; both are willing to do what they must to achieve their own happiness. Ichabod, who is "in love" with the beautiful and much more importantly extremely rich Katrina Van Tussel is ready to compete with the most macho of macho men, Brom Bones, in order to gain the extravagant riches which come with her hand in marriage. Carson, a student who will go to Northwestern and nowhere else, blackmails specimens at the top of the food chain into writing for a school literary magazine, the completion of which is sure to get him noticed.

3. Despite some fishy characteristics, we feel bad when our anti heroes leave. What? It's not our fault that they're the protagonists! We wonder what became of Ichabod Crane when he mysteriously disappeared after being haunted by the notorious Headless Horseman. We weep with Carson Phillips' mother at his funeral when he is inevitably (and literally) struck down in his prime.

But the question that I still ask is why? Why do we love our antiheroes so much? They're not always the brightest, or the most attractive, which is what we're usually drawn to; so what is it? The answer I always seem to find is that they remind us of ourselves. We recognize and identify with the brokenness we see in them. We bite our nails and wring our hands when they're in trouble. And if and when they emerge triumphant, we rejoice.

On than note, I leave you with one more movie clip. I hope you enjoyed this!