Reflection: The Monkey

Learning Module 1 - Reflection: The Monkey

The Monkey begins in a peculiar way that is very difficult to understand but throughout the book, through his travels and adventures, it begins to piece together. Monkey goes on a variety of journeys through the novel and each and every one of them helps him develop as a character, but there are some that are more significant than others. The journey of most significance, for me, would have to be when Monkey crossed the two oceans and the southern continent to find the Patriarch. It was there that Monkey had become a disciple and learned the path to true enlightenment. On this journey he travels very far to seek a master of legend that he had heard about and in doing so the Patriarch takes him in as a student. Other disciples mock Monkey because he plays dumb while paying his tribute and respects but the Patriarch sees through this as a ploy and secretly offers Monkey further teachings to see if he is worthy. On page 24, the Patriarch reveals a poem to Monkey which furthers him to his illumination and also tells him of the 72 kinds of transformations. I believe this to be the most important journey for Monkey because this is what plants the seed for Monkey’s enlightenment and ultimately his destiny to help Tripitaka. It is because of this journey that Monkey even had a chance to become one of the gods and start the chain of events that eventually led him to immortality.

I believe the most important person to be the Patriarch because he was the original teacher of Monkey, without whom he would have never had the chance to learn the secrets of immortality. It was through the Patriarch which Monkey had the chance to set in motion the events which would ultimately lead him to his true enlightenment. The Patriarch saw Monkey was undisciplined but even so, still had taught him because he knew that Monkey was of divine origins. It was because of these teachings that had put Monkey on