Greed? Lost love? Fear? Not many classic heroes acquire these traits, let alone all of them! Washington Irving began this American obsession with the Anti-hero through his short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, lighting the spark for the transcendental literary movement of the early 19th century, inspiring writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville to follow in his footsteps. In modern day America, Anti-heroes are an obsession in the media and in common TV series, movies and books. One particular anti-hero who shares an astonishing amount of similar characteristics with Ichabod Crane is Will Graham, from the popular TV series Hannibal. This character has moved from writing to the cinema to a successful television series, and it is no wonder why.
If you are not familiar with Will Graham, I highly suggest you watch this quick video about him, and his unhealthy relationship with his psychiatrist and companion, Dr. Hannibal Lector. (Warning: slightly disturbing scenes. Watch with discretion.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZOC-w1XpeA
Both characters experience bouts of greed. Ichabod Crane longs to marry the wealthy Katrina Van Tassel and leave his schoolyard behind, while Will Graham thirsts to earn his place as a police officer back once again. Will's way of chasing his ambitions is to time and time again place himself in crime scenes which he know he is not stable enough to handle, in hopes that he will prove himself. Ichabod plays pranks, tries to sway Katrina's heart, and sacrifices all dignity in hopes to get what he is after. Ultimately, neither character reaches what he desires.
Both characters experience lost love throughout the courses of their stories. Ichabod proposes to Katrina the night after her father's harvest festival, yet she turns him down. She instead chooses Brom Bones. Will Graham confesses his love to his coworker Dr. Alana Bloom after a lifetime of being in love with her. She admits that she has always felt a draw towards him too, but it will never work because Will is simply too mentally unstable. As Will begins to go after more and more grotesque murders, his sanity is fraying and it causes him to lose the ones that he loves. Both protagonists do not succeed to secure the love of the ones whom they fancy.
Lastly, both Will Graham and Ichabod Crane's entire lives revolve around fear. Ichabod fears the rejection of Katrina, not to mention the frightening encounters which he meets in the forest. Will fears his fraying mental stability leading to hurting someone close to him. Fear is a large driving force in the lives of both Ichabod and Will: it hinders them from living, but is the only reason they remain alive.
In conclusion, the fascination of Americans with anti-heroes is not an odd one, seeing as characters 200 years apart share common characteristics. One thing can be certain, however: due to their inclination to go towards fear, greed and abandonment, Will Graham and Ichabod Crane are truly an anti-hero match from Hell.
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