Monkey | Themes

Monkey Themes

The Search for Redemption

Monkey has a lot to do with the sins of the characters in the book and the journey they must undertake in order to save their souls. The search for "the Way" leads them through many dangerous lands and situations while they are going on their task to retrieve holy scriptures. Monkey had made himself a nuisance in heaven and has to atone for the trouble he caused there. The reader sees that Sandy, the dragon king's son, and Pigsy all have sins to atone for as well. The one character in the book that we are unaware of needing to atone is Tripitaka. However, at the end of the book the reader sees that Tripitaka actually had to atone for sins from his past life. He is told that he scoffed and was a poor student in a past life and has to spend this life making up...
(read more)