A Heroic Journey is no easy task. It involves a great deal of energy, time, adaptation and skill. In the most recent excursions in Journey to the West, both Monkey and Tripitaka are faced with a myriad of trials along the way that test their ability to handle new and difficult situations. With a path before them strewn with unexpected challenges they must overcome in order to proceed, the two pilgrims (with others joining along the way) have so far proven their ability to do so. But during the earlier stages of their expedition, Monkey is the one doing most of the dirty work. When a dragon suddenly swallows Tripitaka’s horse – his only means of making it to the end of their journey – Monkey demands he return it. When his initial attempts at regaining the horse fail, Monkey decides to go to the Bodhisattva for help. It is by these efforts that they are able to get the horse back. Tripitaka is very impressed with his disciple’s efforts and in astonishment, replies, “however did you manage to find it?” In a later encounter, in order to secure their food and housing on a nearby farm for the night, Monkey is set off to catch the monster that has kidnapped the owner’s daughter. When the old man argues that he cannot allow another monster (Monkey) in the house, Monkey replies, “Just tell me about it from the beginning. If I know what he’s good for, I can deal with him.” Monkey again proves his capabilities and is later able to convince Pigsy to leave the farm. In both instances, though the outcome may not have been as expected, Monkey is the both the catalyst and the active force in their progression onward. These are few of the many cases in which he has proven his way to achieving a Heroic Journey.
-Emily Weiss
In order to reach one’s true self, they must embark on a quest that is usually full of unexpected downfalls, obstacles, setbacks, and tragedies. These challenges that the “hero” has to overcome is what eventually defines and reveals their true character and nature. The collection of all the stories from this search for one’s self becomes know as a Heroic Journey. In the story “Journey to the West,” as Emily makes a strong case for, Monkey, one of the main characters, undergoes a Heroic Journey of his own as he accompanies a priest on his pilgrimage to India. One specific area of the quest that Monkey had suffered with was the refusal of his call. He was given a second chance at reforming his lifestyle and attempting to change for the better, to use his special power for good. Monkey ended up refusing this initial call to control his impulsive behaviors and went back to his usual self when he decided to slay the retreating and defenceless bandits. The disciple showed no respect for human life as he jokingly returned to his master and demonstrated that he had refused to change his ways. This led to Tripitaka scolding him, “You have behaved with cruelty, that ill will become one of your sacred callings.” But after leaving his master out of anger, Monkey was guided back to him with yet another chance at achieve his heroic journey. Monkey told Tripitaka that he “didn’t have the heart” to leave him all alone. This showed the readers that maybe he’s actually changing for the better as Emily makes a good point of in her remarks.
-Borys Shturman
As Monkey and Tripitaka face many trials on their journey, the two characters complement each other with their various traits. As Emily mentioned, Monkey tends to do the “dirty work”, and takes action when necessary. When facing a challenge, such as when the dragon swallows Tripitaka’s horse, Monkey is determined to retrieve it. Tripitaka, however, begins to cry and gives up in despair. Monkey, angered by his lack of action, tells Tripitaka, “Don’t make such an object of yourself!”, and proceeds to look for the dragon and engages in battle. Although Tripitaka may lack a call to action, he possesses a different heroic trait- compassion. When approached by robbers, Monkey’s immediate solution is to kill them; Tripitaka has a very different approach, and tells Monkey, “It would have been quite enough in this case if you had driven them away. Why kill them?”. Although his concern for others could be seen as a weak trait, without compassion and morality Monkey is not truly a hero. Monkey’s challenge is learning to change his ways in order to find salvation. He begins to learn that not all “monsters” deserve to die. When the two characters meet Piggy, we can see that Monkey is beginning to learn compassion from Tripitaka. Rather than immediately killing Piggy, Monkey decides to engage in conversation and realizes that Piggy is meant to be another one of Tripitaka’s disciples. Piggy’s life is spared, and Monkey begins to slowly change his views.
-Zuzanna Osiecka