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Sleepy Hollow Isolation

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In Washington Irving's’ Sleepy Hollow, the narrator makes a virtue of being oblivious to one’s surroundings. For example, the narrator is told of the “great torrent of migration and improvement, which… sweeps by them unobserved” (Irving 4). Change and innovation is spreading across the nation and yet, Sleepy Hollow is completely unaware of the progress and change that happens outside of their city. Furthermore, he shows that since Sleepy Hollow does not change, it is good. Sleepy Hollow is isolated from the rest of the world so that the actions and achievements of other cities are never heard of. This allows the residents of Sleepy Hollow to remain relatively the same. Similarly, the narrator expresses that he would not be surprised to “still

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