According
the narrator of "," Brom Van Brunt was called Brom Bones by the entire community of
Sleepy Hollow. He earned the nickname:
From his Herculean
frame and great powers of limb
He is described as broad
shouldered, double jointed, and very strong. He has a "buff" face. He is coordinated,
athletic, and quite active.
His name is in marked opposition to Ichabod
Crane's. "Bones" are solid and strong, while a "crane" is delicate and
hollow boned. All through the story, the red-blooded, sharp witted, he-man Bones is contrasted
to the weak, bookish, superstitious Crane.
The first figure Bones could be
compared to that pops to mind is Paul Bunyan. A modern figure might be a superhero. Hercules, to
whom Brom is compared, had superhero-like strength, and Brom is described as being
"foremost" or first in most athletic competitions. I might compare him to Mr.
Incredible, Bob Parr, from the movie The Incredibles. Both of these men are
very strong and good natured. Bob is a family man, and Brom's motivation for driving out Ichabod
Crane is his own desire to be a family man himself: he wants to marry Katrina, and Crane is a
rival for her hand.
Brom is a very American type hero, contrasted in the
story to an effete European-type schoolteacher. In the early days of the United Stateswas
participating in nation building, helping the young country forge an identity as robust and
pragmatic.
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