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Introduction

Works of literature have for a long time been used to pass or send a message to a certain audience about the society in which the writer lives. In addition, it may be used to criticize the varied aspects pertaining to this society. This is what Wu Ch’Eng-En does in the story titled “Monkey”. It goes without saying that the writer takes the role of a trickster in the Modern Asian society, as well as the worldwide art community to reveal developments and ideas that have been denied or hidden. He added his stories to the long history of China as far as trickster characters in fables, mythology and folklore.

“Monkey” is a literary depiction of a 7th century monk named Xuan Zang who travels to India from China, searching for Buddhist text, which he translates and makes an immense contribution to the development and expansion of Buddhism in China.

One of the most fundamental or crucial aspects of this story is the use of the monkey character. The monkey character is in line with the profile of a typical trickster. He is defiant, quick-witted, full of a sense of his own worth and self-belief and has a way of triggering havoc in every place that he goes with no regard to the authority. Irrespective of his possession of some magical powers, the monkey triumphs over his enemies by blending brute force and cunning, usually creating problems not only to himself but also his companions through impatience and impulsive curiosity then utilizing these qualities to come up with solutions (Ch’eng-en, 45).

There exists a possibility that Monkey has distant but similar roots with Hanuman, a Hindu Monkey god who believed that the sun was a ripe fruit and, therefore, desired to consume it in its entirety. He can alter his size from the magnitude of the universe to a miniscule scale. These trains support the idea that Monkey and Hanuman may have emanated from a similar mythic root.

Wu Ch’Eng-En uses a number of comic companions to pass the message of his book. The Monkey king is seen as a trickster god that comes as a representation of rebelliousness against the earthly, as well as heavenly order. Sandy, on the other hand, is seen as a sea monster who is seen as a representation of the wholeheartedness, while Pigsy is a marshal or rather a shepherd of heaven who has been converted into his animal namesake after attacking a beautiful or fairy maiden (Ch’eng-en, 23). He, therefore, represents some sort or element of earthy stolidity.

As stated, the story borrows heavily from the published autobiographical accounts of Xuan Zang’s 17-year pilgrimage to India that begun in 629 with the sole aim of studying, as well as bringing the previously unavailable Buddhist and sutras teachings to China in the Tang Dynasty. The pilgrimage was dangerous and involved crossing numerous warring states in China, as well as immense parts of the territory that presently lies within the borders of the present Afghanistan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. It is worth noting that, in the novel, the monk is given Tripitaka as his name, which was an honorary title conferred on Xuan Zang during his lifetime and not a name. In addition, tripitaka refers to a body of key texts of Buddhism, in which case the title denotes understanding and knowledge of these texts.

Works cited

Ch’eng-en, Wu. Monkey: Folk Novel of China. New York: Evergreen Books, 1958 print