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 from the time he was a general in the Heavens. He used it to farm the lands on the farm and helped the Kao’s save money. In return, he gained a marriage with a beautiful wife and had a property to stay. To him, these were what he deserved. Even then, Pigsy was fine with giving up all of this to complete the mission that Kuan-yin has offered: to accompany Tripitaka to India. When Monkey came along and told Pigsy that he is going to get scriptures in India with Tripitaka, Pigsy shows his acceptance to the call of adventure quickly. He tells Monkey, “Didn’t you know? The Bodhisattva Kuan-yin converted me and put me here to prepare myself by fasting and abstention for going to India with a pilgrim to fetch scriptures; after which, I am to receive Illumination.” Monkey brings Pigsy to Tripitaka and Pigsy becomes an official disciple. Pigsy was ready to let go of his ordinary lifestyle on the farm and tells Mr. Kao, “Be so kind as to inform my mother-in-law, my sisters-in-law, and my kinsmen by marriage that I have become a priest and must ask their pardon for going off without saying good-bye to them in person.” This shows that Pigsy is now officially ready to step on into the adventures that are waiting for him on this journey to the West.
Comment #2 – Radia
A stage that Monkey goes through is facing new challenges. Mel discusses how Pigsy is accepting and ready to experience the new adventures. On the contrary, Monkey still has this internal conflict on how to respond to the new trials. Although Monkey joins Tripitaka to get scriptures from India, his ego and power becomes his hurdles throughout the book. Unlike Pigsy, Monkey needs more time to have complete acceptance. This is seen when Monkey consistently lashes out violently when he is challenged: “Monkey took his needle from behind his ear, recited a spell which changed it into a huge cudgel…but in an instant he was among them and striking right and left he slew them all…” Although Monkey is trying to defend himself, he needs to put his ego aside and stop acting recklessly. Tripitaka warns Monkey this horrid behavior isn’t acceptable for their journey. Tripitaka and the bodhisattva constantly preach to Monkey how he should behave. Gradually Tripitaka’s words begin to affect Monkey. This idea is expressed when Monkey directly goes to Lao Tzu for a pill that can save the deceased emperor. Instead of acting out violently, Monkey tries to reason with him and doesn’t play any tricks on him. He explains everything that has been going on, “… I must cure him here in the World of Light. I could think of no way but to ask for your help.” Monkey is the only one that can save the emperor and this obstacle ultimately tests his character.
Coment #3 – Elizaveta
I like how Radia compared Mel’s view on Pigsy and Monkey’s stage of accepting new challenges. The only thing that I have to add is that they are two very different characters, yet they complement each other on the journey.
Tripitaka is consistently refusing the call of adventure on his heroic journey. Every problem that they are facing hits him and his courage very hard. Monkey complained about it, “you say you need the horse to ride, and yet you won’t let me go and recover it. At this rate, you’ll sit here staring at the luggage forever.” It shows that Tripitaka does not know how to act. He is easily depressed. It is easier for him to run away from problems and give up. He has almost everything to achieve their goal, but not action. Moreover, Tripitaka is very dependent on Monkey. The master said, “but I think you might remember that I can’t go with you. Doesn’t it occur to you that I may be thirsty and hungry too?” Monkey is fulfilling his lack of action. Tripitaka never tries to find strength in himself; he just looks for it in Monkey.
Comment 1- Mark Hernandez
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. However, they are too afraid to venture through the great waterfall’s curtain to get their answer. The monkeys exclaimed, “if any of us were brave enough to pierce that curtain, get to where the water comes from and return unharmed, we would name him our king”. Three times the monkeys raised their offer when suddenly Stone Monkey cries out that he is willing to go through the curtain. I feel that the monkeys offer was Stone Monkey’s first call to adventure, this risk that many of his peers were unwilling to take allowed him to become their leader and eventually lead him to his second call to adventure. I feel Stone Monkey’s second call to adventure comes when he suddenly becomes sad after several hundred years of ruling. Stone Monkey is unable to cope with the fact he is a mortal being, he wonders if there is any way he could live forever, “among the people of the sky”. One of his subjects then explains that there are immortals that walk on the very same earth they do. This news excites Monkey and he then says to his subjects “Tomorrow, I shall say goodbye to you, go down the mountain, wander like a cloud to the corners of the sea, far away to the end of the world, till I have found these three kinds of immortals”. This decision to leave his subjects would eventually lead Monkey to become, “The Great Monkey sage, equal to Heaven”.