Anti- Heros

       Ichabod Crane,the character and the protagonist in short story, "The Leagend of Sleepy Hollow" is one of America's first and finest anti-heroes. On one hand Crane is a school teacher - a noble profession no doubt as said by my english teacher, who is initially beloved by his community.  On the other hand he is wolfish, manipulative, greedy, and deceptive but brave an courageous. In comparison to one of my personal favorite anti heros Dexter Morgan, from the Showtime series Dexter , they share similar traits within their differences personalities.

Ichabod Crane and Dexter Morgan are both men of code. Although cranes code follows strict morals in the schoolroom, including the saying "Spare the rod and spoil the child", And Dex's "code" was a strict principle created by his adopted father Harry Morgan to help Dexter use his "dark passenger" in conventional means. By day mild mannered Dexter is a blood splatter analyst for the Miami police. But at night, he is a serial killer who only targets other murderers.

They both show few standard morals or ethics, I find this the very reason these guys are role models. Not for your ordinary goody two shoes but for someone who wants something done. They are men of action. Crane uses his students to get food and he finesses  the daughter and only child of a wealthy farmer named Baltus Van Tassel for his inherit wealth; He's your common gold digger. And Dexter on the other had uses a sly skill set to find/ plant evidence to aid his kills or save his tail !

Lastly, one to leave you thinking about is that they both have their own "headless horseman". When I say this I mean that imaginary entity ,product of our inner feelings, desires, and memories. Kind of like your conscious. Ironically Ichabod's was literally a headless horse man, where left without a specific ending to the story some think he follows this horseman being consumed by his darkness. Dexter's horseman was a shadow of his father. His father died long before be became a adult, but whenever Dexter kills or needs assistance/ guidance, his father is there to help him. Even though he's not literally there. Like Simba in the Lion King, when he died his spirit lived on long forever. But the horseman we all have in a way keeps us humane, sometimes it can lead to dark corners and some long guide one to a righteous path. But my question to you is does your horseman tell you to protect the innocent, protect yourself, or blossom your imagination toward dark twisted activities? Like Dexter says , "There's a monster in all of us."