Paper assignment 1 Literature & Language Essay Paper

Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China
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Introduction
Literature has expanded to encompass virtually everything that defines the current society, from the loose, ordinary interpretations of it to the more complicated, intricate ones. In this manner, one is able to understand not only the superficial aspects of the work but also the underlying intentions of the author. Monkey: A Folk-Tale of China is a novel of epic adventure that has been read as a religious and political allegory and satire. Written by Wu Cheng’en and translated by Arthur Waley, the novel narrates the quest of Monkey King, Sandy, Pigsy, and Tripitaka to retrieve sacred scriptures of Buddhism. Although the novel appeals to various readers due to its fantasy and innocent elements of humor, it has deeper implications and meanings that are attached to human life and Buddhism. This paper examines Buddhism, the philosophy of life, and everyday elements of Chinese life as depicted in Monkey.
Aspects of Buddhism in Monkey
Monkey: A Folk-Tale talks of a life-long process that leads to change. In Buddhism, just like in any other religion, change is an essential part of self-transformation, which liberates individuals from suffering. Generally, when discounted, people usually identify neighbors, jobs, and other external forces as the cause of their problems. In other terms, it is more of a human nature to get a scapegoat for all of a person’s problems or failures. In the novel, Monkey King’s desire to obtain power makes him fight with the gods, who he blames for his troubles. Due to his stubbornness, Guanyin put a golden band around his neck, which Tripitaka could use to control him. However, by the time Monkey King reached where Buddha was, he had realized that he was the source of his own problems and had learned how to control his actions. Consequently, he admitted that “Every one of us is equally indebted to the other,” (Cheng'en, 2011, P. 281). Such comment represents self-transformation because the old Monkey was full of showboating and never appreciated the effort of others. This is a typical human weakness, especially to those individuals who have a certain obsession with and for power. One really makes all the efforts possible in order to acquire control and influence. Once he or she gets it, the new challenge begins. One just doesn’t seem to get enough of it, and the more he gets, the more he or she wants.
Philosophy of life as depicted in Monkey
Monkey: A Folk-Tale depicts the enjoyment of life as hugely dependent on the truth. However, the novel does not establish or proclaim a universal truth because truth is perceived by an individual. The novel’s assertion corresponds to Plato’s belief that there are truths to be discovered through knowledge attainment. Furthermore, Plato argues that truth is objective and not relative as the Sophists thought (Gulley, 2013). These arguments are well reflected in Monkey King’s desire to possess power. Monkey King jumped through the water curtain and even sought immortality from a Taoist Master so that he could have power over death. This implies that although Monkey knew what power was, he did have adequate knowledge regardin...