Monkey: A Folk Novel of China

In this chapter and the following, Tripitaka and Monkey learn how to travel together. The hunter recognizes that the voice must be coming from Monkey; Monkey asks Tripitaka if he is the pilgrim sent by Kuan-yin and promises to help if he is. Tripitaka climbs to the mountain’s seal and says, “If this monkey is indeed worthy to be a disciple, may this imprint be removed” (127), freeing Monkey from 500 years of imprisonment. The hunter leaves, and Monkey and Tripitaka set out together.

Monkey kills a tiger that tries to attack Tripitaka, taking the skin for his clothing. Monkey and Tripitaka come to a farm where the old farmer takes them in so they can wash and refresh themselves. Continuing on, Monkey and Tripitaka are set upon by thieves. Monkey kills them as well, but his killing upsets Tripitaka, who tells Monkey, “You have behaved with a cruelty that ill becomes one of your sacred calling” (132). Offended, Monkey storms off to visit an old dragon friend.

Kuan-yin appears to Tripitaka, giving him a magic cap and coat to help him control Monkey, then goes to deal with Monkey herself. Monkey’s dragon friend suggests that he should have more patience if he wants to be enlightened. Monkey decides to return to Tripitaka. Once back, he sees the cap and coat and puts them on, giving Tripitaka the ability to recite a spell that causes Monkey great pain. Monkey tries to attack Tripitaka and then suggests he will attack Kuan-yin, but he relents and accepts that he must learn to behave better.

Monkey and Tripitaka come to a large river, where a dragon appears and eats their horse. Monkey fights the dragon without success, as the dragon changes shape and disappears. Monkey calls on local spirits for help. They alert him to the fact that the dragon is sent by Kuan-yin. One of the spirits goes to Kuan-yin to ask for help, and she “cannot understand how [the dragon] came to swallow the horse” (142). Upon her arrival at the river, Kuan-yin argues with Monkey about the clothing that lets Tripitaka control Monkey and about the dragon.

Kuan-yin chastises the dragon for attacking Tripitaka’s horse and Monkey for not identifying himself immediately as a disciple of the one seeking scriptures. Using magic, Kuan-yin changes the dragon into a horse to replace the one that he ate. Monkey continues his complaints, saying, “The way to the West is very bad going […]. I’m not going on!” (143). Kuan-yin placates Monkey by giving him three magic hairs for protection. An old man appears and ferries Tripitaka and Monkey across the river. Tripitaka continues on but is unsure of how much he can trust Monkey at this point.

In this chapter and the following, Monkey and Tripitaka meet Pigsy, who joins their quest. Monkey and Tripitaka come upon a farm, where they seek shelter and food. They encounter a man coming away from the farmhouse who, after arguing with Monkey, tells them that a monster has taken the owner’s youngest daughter as a bride and has now shut her away completely. He is seeking an exorcist, to which Monkey replies, “I’ll trouble you to go to the master of the house, and tell him that a priest and his disciple have come […] and that they can deal with any monster” (147).

At the farm, the owner, Mr. Kao, tells Tripitaka and Monkey the story of how the monster came to help at the farm but became more and more pig-like as time passed. Monkey smashes in the door of Pigsy’s lodging, sends the old man’s daughter back to him, and assumes her form. Monkey then teases and insults Pigsy upon his return. Monkey tells Pigsy that the farmer has “called in the Great Sage, who five hundred years ago made turmoil in Heaven” (152). Pigsy has heard of Monkey. Scared of what Monkey could do to him, and by extension losing his reputation for being powerful, Pigsy runs away.  

Monkey chases Pigsy, and the two continue to battle until Pigsy retreats all the way to his home in the Cloud-ladder Cave. Monkey realizes Pigsy is “a former inhabitant of Heaven, where he was in command of all the watery hosts” (153). He suggests that Mr. Kao is being too hard on Pigsy, as Pigsy does provide valuable work. Prompted by Mr. Kao and Tripitaka, Monkey pursues Pigsy again and fights him another time. During the fight, Monkey mentions that he is a disciple of Tripitaka, going to India to retrieve scriptures. Pigsy responds by telling Monkey that was converted by Kuan-yin and told to assist with the pilgrimage, asking, “If you are his disciple, what on earth possessed you not to mention this scripture-seeking business?” (156).

Monkey takes Pigsy to meet Tripitaka. Mr. Kao tries to offer money and clothing to Tripitaka in exchange for his help, but as a true Buddhist, Tripitaka refuses. Monkey takes the money and gives it to the man who helped them find the farm in the first place. Pigsy requests a new jacket and shoes, as his were destroyed in the fight with Monkey.

Tripitaka, Pigsy, and Monkey travel for months until they arrive at a river too big to cross. A monster—whom they don’t yet know is Sandy—attacks them. Pigsy fights Sandy; Monkey becomes jealous of the “fun” and jumps in, at which point Sandy retreats to the bottom of the river. Pigsy and Monkey discuss who should deal with Sandy, concluding that since Pigsy has a greater advantage in water, he should be the one. Pigsy finds “that he had forgotten none of his old water-magic” as he dives into the river to pursue Sandy (161).

Sandy tells Pigsy that he is an exiled host of Heaven before threatening to eat Pigsy. Pigsy and Sandy fight again, and when Monkey again tries to help, Sandy retreats a second time. Monkey leaves to ask Kuan-yin for help. She chastises Monkey for making the same mistake a second time—not identifying himself as a disciple of the pilgrim going to India, mentioning, “If only you had mentioned the fact that you had come from China to look for scriptures, you would have found him very helpful” (163). Hui-yen brings a magic gourd and accompanies Monkey back to the river, where they call to Sandy and explain the situation. Sandy apologizes, pledges to Tripitaka, and uses his necklace of skulls plus the magic gourd to form a holy ship to carry them all across the river. Having collected the three disciples set out for him by Kuan-yin, Tripitaka can now truly start his journey.