In The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, how does the description of the setting in paragraph seven contribute to the theme of American change?

A key to
understanding how paragraph seven comments on American change is to look specifically at the
many contradictions present in the comparisons between Sleepy Hollow and the rest of the
country. These contradictions are presented immediately at the beginning of paragraph seven, and
they are continued by Irvings use of a wateras the paragraph develops. When compared to the
overall events of the story, they show that even though the narrator likes Sleepy Hollow, the
village nevertheless suffers from not changing with the rest of the country.

It seems that the paragraph begins by initially asserting praise for the village of Sleepy
Hollow. The narrator says, I mention this peaceful spot with all possible laud ... Yet why
would he praise a place that in earlier paragraphs he alleges is haunted and possibly even
cursed? This contradiction reveals that Irvings praise of Sleepy Hollows lack of progress is
perhaps satirical. This idea is supported by another...