85 pages • 2 hours read
Wu Cheng'en, Transl. Anthony C. YuThe Journey to the West: Volume I
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1592A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 1-5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
The first human, Pan Gu, is born of yin (the feminine, dark, negative) and yang (the masculine, light, positive) and makes order by separating good and bad. Yang awakens, and so does Yin. A divinely bred monkey, with yin and yang and magic, along with the essences of the universe, is born from a stone. The Jade Emperor, who also goes by the Great Benevolent Sage of Heaven, notices the monkey’s birth from the stone.
The stone monkey plays with other curious and mischievous monkeys on the mountain where he was born. They find a cave with the opening covered by a waterfall, and a challenge is born: The stone monkey takes on the task of going through the water to see what is beyond. The stone monkey makes it through the curtain of water and crosses a bridge, where he discovers a new home for himself and the other monkeys—a home that will keep them safe from tigers, dragons, and other predators around the mountain. The stone monkey claims the title of Handsome Monkey King for completing this challenge when he says:
You yourselves promised just now that whoever could get in here and leave again without hurting himself would be honored as king.
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