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I believe monkey fits into the Heroic Journey model and experiences its second phase during the first chapter of Journey to the West.  In the first chapter, the monkeys are curious as to where their water source is coming from. … Continue reading →

Comment #1 – Mel   Pigsy, in order to obtain illumination, must give up everything he had in Kao’s Farm. To Pigsy, the way that he lived in the Kao’s Farm meant what he deserved. He retained his magical powers … Continue reading →

Tripitaka fits into the Heroic Journey model because of the Helpers stage. Throughout the journey to the East, in order to find ancient scriptures, Monkey repeatedly helps Tripitaka combat some obstacles along the way. For instance, when the six men … Continue reading →

Journey to the West, Chapter 1: Wake-to-Vacuity Thank-you all for your perceptive and (often) thought provoking comments!   Please read over my response, as I have pointed to the more salient responses.  These responses will help you as we continue … Continue reading →

Monkey’s quest to find immortality reflects his view on the meaning of life. Sun Wukong, or Wake-to-Vacuity, Monkey’s given name, may be directly tied to his fear of an empty or meaningless life. However, Monkey realizes that not many people … Continue reading →

Monkey’s name, Wake-to Vacuity (Wukong) is given to him by the immortal name Patriarch Subodhi at the end of chapter one. His name Wake-to Vacuity can be loosely translated to acknowledgement of emptiness. The meaning of his name can be linked with … Continue reading →

       Since his birth the king monkey has shown a theme of emptiness to the reading audience. The king monkey was born of a stone rock that split and did not have any parents or siblings to teach … Continue reading →

Comment 1: When monkey was given the name ‘wake-to-vacuity’ at the end of chapter 1, the name showed how monkey had the perfection characteristic of action. He always took action right away. He knew early on in the chapter that … Continue reading →

Theme: Integrity Group Members: Radia, Elizaveta, and Mel   Comment #1 – Mel   Actions of integrity requires one to be honest and fair, a trait that isn’t common. From reading Chapter one, we see the evidences of Wukong as … Continue reading →

Monkey’s given name Sun Wukong, Wake-to-Vacuity, in other words the acknowledgement of emptiness can be interpreted in the aspect of the ability to not overvalue materialistic and other forms of benefits. This can be connected to the generosity sector of … Continue reading →