Reading Notes: Wilhelm's Chinese Fairy Book B

Source: The Destiny of Sun Wu Kung from The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm, translated by Frederick H. Martens

"Said Sun Wu Kung: “I am the stone ape who has gained the hidden knowledge. I am master of seventy-two transformations, and will live as long as Heaven itself. What has the Lord of the Heavens accomplished that entitles him to remain eternally on his throne? Let him make way for me, and I will be satisfied!”" This line was SO GOOD?! He really said that to Buddha... His confidence is unparalleled. Truly an unbothered king. Buddha responds with a smile and poses Sun a question, or questions. He's just a monkey with powers, how can he expect to have the wisdom and grace to actually rule over the heavens? Can he do anything else besides be a trickster? Sun thinks that his ability to travel on clouds is enough. 

They make a bet. If Sun can leave Buddha's hand with one of his somersaults, he can become lord of the heavens. Sun didn't end up doing this, but totally thinks that he did the thing. He believes he has travelled to the edge of the world and writes his name down. When he gets back, he's pretty pleased with himself. Buddha tells him that he is foolish and has not left his hand and he has only written his name on his middle finger. Our hero doesn't outwardly admit it, but he's afraid. He has messed up pretty bad. He tries to escape, but can't and is shoved out of heaven and hidden in a mountain with a magic incantation. He stays there for many years. That is until Guan Yin releases him. He gives him a magic ring that tightens if he acts up, so he was never unruly again. We then are left with Journey to the West. 

I really enjoyed this ending for Sun Wu Kung. All of his stories were fun because he's mischievous, but his fight with god was just so much. I loved it. I think that there's a lot to say about his character in that he strikes me as good intentioned, kind of dumb. He's fun. This specific story was entertaining because it showcased his ego so well. I knew that he wasn't going to make it off of his hand. I already knew a bit about him prior to now, but still. I don't think that this surprised anyone. It would be fun to see him make it off of the hand and become God. I like to think that the God of the Heavens would have a sense of humor and would let that happen, at least in a rewrite, right? He needed to lose for growth and development, but it would be fun to see what he would have done with that power. 

Buddha by Richard Wilhelm (Wikimedia Commons)

Reading Notes: Wilhelm's Chinese Fairy Book A

Source: Sun Wu Kung Gets His Name from The Chinese Fairy Book, ed. by R. Wilhelm, translated by Frederick H. Martens

The Ape King meets a wood chopper, who he drops down and worships immediately. The wood chopper questions this action, saying he is only a workman. The Ape King mentions the song that the man was singing was one of the gods. The wood chopper mentions that he was taught it by a saint. He wants to meet this so-called saint. The wood chopper says he's on the Mountain of Heart.

'The Discerner' as the saint is called, lives in a cave with many other disciples. If one keeps following the path south, they'll find him easily. The Ape King did this, having no issue. This is when he starts to have issues. He gets to the gate and jumps over it, not wanting to knock. He lands in a tree and starts devouring pine cones, causing quite the stir amongst the disciples who take notice of his noisiness. The disciple says that their master is ready for him. His not wanting to knock wasn't such a bad thing after all.

The Ape King is very excited to meet the saint and flings himself to the ground once they arrive. He offers thanks and is full of joy. He asks his name and he obviously has none. He is given the name 'Sun Wu Kung.' He's very happy about this. They dance and have a great time. They have him do chores for a few years, but he's still pretty wild in nature, which is where the chapter ends.

I chose this one because I liked how happy he was to get his name. I can imagine that it would be pretty meaningful to get named by someone so important as his master was. There's a lot of joy and humor in his heart. I enjoy it a lot. I think that it gets him into trouble, as evidenced by the ending, but he does his best. I think it would be interesting to rewrite something with a bit more of a grand journey. This was kind of simple, but then again, it was nice to read.

Sun Wu Kung and Jade Rabbit (Wikimedia Commons)