The Monkey's Journey In The Book Monkey

There are so many little journeys in the novel Monkey, but the ones where the Monkey gained more powers were the most interesting to me. From the beginning of the novel the Monkey is always changing; starting out as a stone on the Mountains of Flowers and Fruit. To eventually becoming Buddha at the end of the novel. Power can be described in many ways, it can be described as magical power but also power can be measured by growth or respect, the ability to not die, to become enlightened. The monkey is born from a stone, that right there is moving forward and becoming more powerful. The Monkey ends up becoming King of the monkeys, again the Monkey is gaining more power constantly. He becomes anxious about death and mortality. He then goes to learn from the immortal, the Patriach, to learn from him for many years. He ends up getting expelled from the school after he gets revealed the 72 …show more content…
He shows his new powers and replicates himself. “He plucked out a handful of hairs, bit them into small pieces and then spat them out into the air, crying Change! The fragments of hair changed into hundred small monkeys, all pressing around in a throng” (Wu Ch’Eng-En pg. 30). The monkey since illumination could change his soul many different ways with just his hair, being immortal was very important to the Monkey and he received it early on in the novel. By chapter four and five the Monkey is in heaven where he weasels his way into getting his own office from the Jade Emperor. He gets a job to watch over the Peach Garden, where he eats all the large ripe peaches and gains way more power. “Whoever eats them can levitate at will, and never grows old. They ripen once every nine thousand years. Whoever eats them outlasts heaven and earth, and is the conqueror of the sun and moon” (Wu Ch’Eng-En pg. 54). Pretty powerful quote that shows what power the Monkey gains from eating the peaches with purple spots on