Metaphor and Symbolism in Passing the Wide River Monkey is a story wrought with metaphor and symbolism. In the final stretch of the travelers’ journey, they are faced with a wide river which they must pass in order to meet with Buddha. This river is no mere body of water, and their crossing is no mere voyage; both are packed full of various literary devices. Beginning with the river’s , the metaphors extend to the thin bridge, the bottomless boat, the floating body, and finally the interactions of the travelers themselves. The travelers are instructed by the “Golden Crested Immortal of the Jade Truth Temple at the foot of the Holy Mountain” to venture by foot up towards the “Holy Mountain” in order to reach Buddha at “Vulture Peak” (Monkey
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If the Master had not received our vows and accepted us as his disciples we should not have had the chance to do good works and win salvation. If we had not protected the Master and mounted guard over him, he would never have got rid of his mortal body. (Monkey 282)
The travelers have worked together to reach this blessed land, and there is no doubt in their minds that they would have failed long ago had it not been for the aide of their compatriots. Monkey here is wiser than before his transcendence, and speaking from a place of wisdom he shows that one of the truest underlying tones of the novel is this necessity of companionship on the journey to enlightenment; no one reaches Nirvana alone. The crossing of the wide river is a short entry in the massive novel that is Monkey, but it is wrought with such symbolism and power. The culmination of all things upon their holy journey exists in these mere two pages. The river, the thin bridge, the bottomless boat, and the body of Tripitaka; these things appear together as powerful metaphor and symbolism. They represent the journey of life, the hardships of past, the promise of future, and the final push to enlightenment. In this moment, the travelers become more than men, more than monkeys, more than pigs, they become
If the Master had not received our vows and accepted us as his disciples we should not have had the chance to do good works and win salvation. If we had not protected the Master and mounted guard over him, he would never have got rid of his mortal body. (Monkey 282)
The travelers have worked together to reach this blessed land, and there is no doubt in their minds that they would have failed long ago had it not been for the aide of their compatriots. Monkey here is wiser than before his transcendence, and speaking from a place of wisdom he shows that one of the truest underlying tones of the novel is this necessity of companionship on the journey to enlightenment; no one reaches Nirvana alone. The crossing of the wide river is a short entry in the massive novel that is Monkey, but it is wrought with such symbolism and power. The culmination of all things upon their holy journey exists in these mere two pages. The river, the thin bridge, the bottomless boat, and the body of Tripitaka; these things appear together as powerful metaphor and symbolism. They represent the journey of life, the hardships of past, the promise of future, and the final push to enlightenment. In this moment, the travelers become more than men, more than monkeys, more than pigs, they become