Wu Cheng Monkey Analysis

Monkey Imagine writing about a book about your own world, and you are the leader. That is exactly what the novel Monkey written by Wu Cheng’en is about. Wu Cheng’en was born in 1504 in Lianshiu, Jiangsu during the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty lasted from 1368 to 1644, and it was the growth of “common” literature. Wu Cheng’en was born into a poor family, so he grew up poor. Wu failed the government exam twice, and it was a huge disgrace to his family. Wu retired as a hermit, because he believed humans were too corrupt. He was very gifted at writing poetry and literature, he was known as one of the greatest authors in Chinese literature. His two main characteristics of his writings were fantasy and critique of contemporary society, human
Monkey cannot be killed so when captured, he turned into stone. Monkey is hidden under a mountain until someone or something comes along the way to save him. Several years late, Buddha wants to know if anyone is willing to perform a certain task. “I wish I knew a holy one who would go to the eastern land and find a believer who could be sent over hill and dale, all the way from China to this place. I would give them the scriptures to take back to China, and he would explain them to the people and change their hearts” (78). The Bodhisattva Kuan-yin bravely volunteered to go on the journey and find the scripture seeker. When Kuan-yin finds the scripture keeper, he agrees to accompany him on the journey and receives the name “Tripitaka.” While traveling they discover the Stone Monkey. “…who after welcoming the Bodhisattva, led her to where Monkey was imprisoned” (83). Monkey was captured for over five hundred years, and pleas to be freed by Kuan-yin. Monkey convinces her to free him by saying, “I have repented, and now want only to embrace the Faith and devote myself to good works” (84). Monkey is freed and joins her journey. On their journey, they encounter the third son of the Dragon King, Pigsy, and Sandy, who were also all spiritually lost, because they were banned from heaven. They all become “disciples” of Buddha and hope to reach Enlightenment. In order to reach Enlightenment, they had to
Enlightenment in Western Europe had general principles or trends, they were; reason, skepticism, liberty, positivism, secularism, politics, and economics. There was a split between science, magic, and religion because science will lead to the truth unlike religion or magic. Francis Bacon, Rene Descartes, Newton and Galileo all contributed to Enlightenment. Their main points of Enlightenment was, “The Enlightenment was, at its center, a celebration of ideas – ideas about what the human mind was capable of, and what could be achieved through deliberate action and scientific methodology” (The Enlightenment). Enlightenment through Monkey was similar yet different compared to Enlightenment in Western Europe. Both wanted to see what that person is capable of and the goals they can attain as long as they can put their mind to it. Through out the novel, Monkey and all of his friends, Pigsy, Tripitaka, Sandy, and the son of the dragon king, discovered that there is power through religion. Monkey did pay for his the consequences of his actions, because he was able to think and repent for over five hundred years. When the time finally came when he was discovered, he was ready to be a new person and have a new beginning. It was because of religion that Monkey found religious freedom, and also his friends along they way. Monkey, Pigsy, Tripitaka, Sandy,