Fifteen years separate Washington Irving's story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” from Nathaniel Hawthorne's story, “Good Young Man Brown”. The two share an uncanny bond due to the trepidation the two protagonists endure throughout the story. The writing style between the two is not similar due to the different literary elements they choose to exploit. Irving's "Sleepy Hollow" chronicles Ichabod Crane's failed courtship of Katrina Van Tassel, as well as his obsession with the legend of the Headless Horseman. Hawthorne's story follows the spiritual journey of the protagonist, young Goodman Brown, through the woods of Puritan New England where he loses his religious faith. However, Hawthorne's work with “Young Goodman Brown” is of higher quality than Irving's “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” because Hawthorne manages to exploit symbols, develop characters, and incorporate useful themes. Hawthorne incorporates symbols into his story in powerful ways, however. Irving's symbols are not as powerful. Hawthorne uses Faith's pink ribbon to symbolize her purity. The ribbon is suitable because the color pink is associated with virginity and purity. The color is commonly worn by girls when they are young and pure. The tape allows the audience to assume that Faith, like her name, is a religious young woman who lives her life according to the Holy Bible. The action of the ribbon can even change its symbolism. While Brown is in the woods he sees Faith's pink ribbon hovering in the sky, symbolizing her loss of purity and entry into the devil's domain. The second powerful symbol incorporated by Hawthorne is the staff that the old man offers to Brown in the woods. The stick symbolizes Brown's temptation to... middle of paper... around an obsessive character who becomes the reason for his avoidable death, had he not been haunted by the story of the Headless Horseman. The stories of Irving and Hawthorne are quite similar because of the sinisterness that the two share. However, Hawthorne's “Young Goodman Brown” is much better written because it takes advantage of the use of symbolism, character development, and theme. Irving fails to use these elements to their full potential by not incorporating them or by using them weakly. Hawthorne's Exploitation gives the reader a better read and a far superior story. Works Cited Hawthorne, Nathatniel. "Young Goodman Brown" The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7th ed. vol. B. New York: Norton &, 2007. 1289-1298. Print.Irving, Washington. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 7th ed. vol. B. New York: Norton &, 2007. 965-985. Press.