Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Non-Fiction 2018 | Page 6

Journey to the West
Regents Primary School of Shenzhen, Zhong, Yu - 8
T
he “Journey to the West” was written by Wu Chengen, who was a novelist in the Ming Dynasty.
He was living in a very corrupted society. Also, the social system at that time was in a state of
confusion.
The “Journey to the West” is mainly about stories of Sun Wukong, Pigsy, Friar Sand and the White
Dragon Horse escorting Xuanzang to a journey to the West. What happened on the way to the West and
how they saved Xuanzang repeatedly.
In my personal opinion, the five people in the “Journey to the West” represents five levels of
Maslow’s needs. Sun Wukong’s need is to realize self value. Pigsy’s need is physiology. Friar Sand’s need is
safety. Xuanzang’s need is honor and the White Dragon Horse’s need is a sense of belonging. Therefore,
their pursuit of learning is not the same, the natural values are not the same either.
Sun Wukong
He was also called the Monkey King. l like him best. Because he had plenty of valuable fighting
spirit. First, he defied the bigwigs to pursue freedom and was a symbol against theocracy. He still maintained
a consistent style of wild and intractable traits, which embodied the spirit of the people. Second, he carried
forward a strong will to fight and was full of enthusiasm to achieve the preset goal. Third, he had the
courage to defy nature. The fighting spirit to conquer evil-doers, the true quality of a hero to stand up to
the powerful and assist the weak.
Pigsy
Pigsy was a greedy, lusty and egoistic man. He had a stubborn conservative mentality, which
embodied the wishes of the ordinary working people. It also reflected the characteristics of small producers
and ordinary citizens.
Friar Sand
Friar Sand possessed the traditional virtues of the Chinese nature: diligent, loyal, hard-working,
thoughtful but carefree. He also had the ev