Monkey: A Folk Novel of China

Super Short Summary

Monkey: A Folk Novel of China, translated by Arthur Waley from Wu Cheng'en's 16th-century Chinese novel, follows the adventures of the stone Monkey, who becomes the king of all monkeys and later seeks religion to overcome his fear of mortality. Captured and imprisoned under a mountain, Monkey is eventually freed to join the monk Tripitaka on a pilgrimage to retrieve sacred scriptures from India, accompanied by Pigsy, Sandy, and a dragon-turned-horse, facing numerous challenges and learning teamwork and wisdom along the way until their successful return and divine ascension. The narrative includes graphic depictions of violence and discussions of death.