Similarities Between Civilized Man And The Legend Of Sleepy Hallow

Civilized Man says: I am Self, I am Master, all the rest is other – outside, below, underneath, subservient. I own, I use, I explore, I exploit, I control. What I do is what matters. What I want is what matter is for (Leguin). This quote is best to describe the attitudes displayed in several of the writings that we have covered in this class. When we look at Irving, Hawthorne, and Edgar Allen Poe’s writings we can clearly see men who were concerned with their needs and desires above anyone else. In the story of “The Legend of Sleepy Hallow,” we read about a schoolmaster by the name of Ichabod Crane who spent his time drifting from neighbor to neighbor for his shelter and food. One day, Ichabod set his sights on the inheritance of a young …show more content…
After their marriage, he sets off for a necessary journey that can not be put off. He soon meets his intended companion and is lead through the deep dark woods, only to discover that his trust in mankind and religion is put to the test. He sees several respectable pillars of the church while on his journey to the depths of the woods, that he would have never imagined to be associated with the likes of his malevolent companion. He also learns that, like him, his father and grandfather had dealings with the dark side, not to mention his darling Faith. After his unforgettable night in the forest, Goodman Brown will begin to treat these godly people as though they are untrustworthy and deceivers because he has seen them somewhere that they should have never been, surprisingly, at the same place he was. Goodman Brown is unable to forget his dream and forgive the sins of others, instead he dies a bitter old …show more content…
In “The Black Cat” the character tortures and murders an innocent, loving cat simply because he had a little too much to drink and was in a foul mood. His temperament would continue to escalate until he would murder his wife. Without any remorse or concern for his actions, he simply buries her in the wall. Unknowingly, he also buries the second cat with her. Much to his surprise, the cat will achieve its revenge and ensure his master receives his due reward. “The Tell-Tale Heart” tells a story of a man who derives pleasure from plotting to kill his father. Not because he didn’t love him, not because he had wronged him, not because he had insulted him, not for his fortune, but because he didn’t like the way his eye looked at him. He spent night after night planning how to act on his desires and then one night he brutally murdered him and buried him beneath the floor. He almost got away with his cruel deed, but his subconscious began to torment him with a loud ringing. When he couldn’t take it for another minute, he confessed to his crime and revealed his hiding place. While in the “The Fall of the House of Usher,” we see a man tormented by what he believes to be an ancestral curse and feels that the only way to end it would be to stop the bloodline. His insanities lead to the burial of his sister, while she is still