My impression on reading Journey to the West

Jouney to the West is a historic Chinese novel that is considered one of the 4 classics from the Ming Dynasty .These novels along with Outlaws of the Marsh, A Dream in Red Mansion as well as Three Kindoms have won popular acclaim from generation to generation . Jouney to the West is actually a combination of myth , parable and comedy .It is filled with imagination and have enjoyed a great and immense popularity among the people in China for over 400 years on account of its fresh and convoluted plots , distinctive and life-like characters, profound and incisive ideological content and life-hearted style .

It is based on a story about a Buddhist monk and a bunch of animals with human characteristic(which are his 3 disciples ,the irrevent and capable Monkey, greedy Pig, and Friar Sand) .The animals in the story are actually of a very fairy tale type of mood and they traveled west to India to find Buddhist scriptures. The animals themselves are celestial being in mortal forms and they have magical powers that protect them from the goblins and the evil spirits.

Monkey was created out of a rock. He not only has the sharp wit and an unruly nature of a monkey but also extra ordinary powers that he uses to overcome demons and monsters. Monkey is also gifted with intelligence and agility both mentally and physically. So he puts his talents to use by mastering his skills of wizardry to the point of where he can transform himself 72 times in a blink of an eye. He has a magic wand that can shrink smaller than a pen or expand till it is like a club of bronze and a magic cloud that can take him up to the heavens or down to the bales of the earth. Full of life and filled with spirit as well as being sincere and optimistic in nature, he is not bothered by suffering and is always ready to face up to new challenges.

Pig sets off his pig like clumsiness with the disposition that is the epitome of honesty and directness. He is always making a mess out of things and generating a lot of humor in the process. Pig fills a role that symbolizes the desire to comfort and pleasure. He too has magical powers but it is just not the same as monkey , who

makes him seem naive and clumsy by comparison .Monkey just love to tease him , so pig does all his best to be a thorn in monkey’s side by telling lies about him to Tang Priest.

Another character that appears quite less frequently is Friar Sand . He is quite resolute and his down-to-earth nature is readily apparent.

In Jouney to the West, a total of 87 chapters are dedicated to the story of the Tang Priest ,Xuang Zang’s quest for the Buddhist scriptures.In the course of their journey , they brave a series of dangers and vanquish devils and monsters. The road to the Western Paradise is fraught with danger , whether in mountains and forests or in villages and towns .Before the monk can find the scriptures he must surmount 81 obstacles . Demons of all descriptions like the ferocious Red Boy, the scorpion sipirt

of Pipa Cave and spiderwomen ,etc. try to bar their way ,even to the extent of killing and eating XuangZang .Some of these ghostly opponents appear openly hostile ,while others are cunningly disguised . Some wield power over kingdoms or feign to officials carrying out their lawful duties .Monkey plays a central role in every battle with the monsters ,not only contending with them face to face , but also helping his

companions overcome the obstacles and restraints that originate within themselves. After overcoming all kinds of evil and devious enemies , with Monkey as the backbone of the company ,the travelers finally reach the Western Paradise and accomplish their sacred mission of taking back the scriptures . In this so-called “ stories of the 81 obstacles” which symbolize the difficulties and challenges that people meet in the course of pursuing their ideals , the staunch spirit and character of the 4 companions to battle all enemies and overcome all hurdles in order to attain their goal is manifested very clearly and as much it is a vivid portrayal of the spirit and character of the Chinese nation.

With supernatural beings as its protagonists ,Journey to the West creates a world full of fantasy and illusion. But this fantasy world reflects various kinds of contradictions in the society of Wu Chen’en’s time .The characters of the demons are generalizations and sublimations of the characters of ordinary mortals .Fantasy and reality reach a high level of synthesis in Jouney to the West.

Humor is a major characteristic of the style of Jouney to the West. Money is the supreme comic figure in this classical Chinese novel. His humor springs from his optimistic self-confidence and his sharp ability to perceive people’s true natures ,as well as his tolerance of others’ weaknesses and his hatred of evil .The humor in this novel is also manisfested in certain plots & subplots of the nature of comedies. Pig’s clumsy actions and speech are invariably hilarious ,but the laughter he elicits is tolerant but sad at the same time .This is because the weaknesses in Pig’s character are not unique or accidental ,they ’re common traits of the Chinese character. The author’s humor is built up on a base of profound knowledge of human society and a high degree of psychological penetration.

Actually Journey to the west is purification of the mind in that the entire expedition to find Buddhist scriptures is actually a way of achieving spiritual

goodness. So in this play three weaknesses arrogance, laziness, even ignorance, they are all weakness of human nature that requires spiritual correction. However

honesty ,goodness ,and courage are all our friends in the depths of our soul. And this way the Journey to the west teach us that in human life it is possible to temper ourselves to achieve ideals and goodness.

第二篇：读《西游记》有感 602吴凤英

读《西游记》有感

读了《西游记》这本书我有很深的感触，文中曲折的情节和唐僧师徒的离奇经历给我留下了深刻的印象。特别是“大闹天宫”、“三打白骨精”、“真假美猴王”、“偷吃人生果”这四个故事的情节令我最难忘。

本书作者罗贯中为读者讲述了唐僧以及其他的三个徒弟一路上历尽艰险、降妖除魔经历了九九八十一难取得了真经的故事。正是这离奇的故事情节赢得了广大读者的心，致使此书成为了我国古代的四大名著之一。

《西游记》这本书中塑造了四个鲜明的人物形象：唐僧一心向佛、顽固执着；孙悟空正义勇敢、胆大包天、本领高超，是妖怪们的克星；猪八戒贪财好色、胆小如鼠、但又不缺乏善心； 沙僧心地善良、安于天命。这四个人物形象各具有特点，性格各有不同，恰好形成了鲜明的对比，这使我不得不佩服作者写作技艺的高超，也许作者善于刻画人物形象便是他的精妙之处。其中我最喜欢孙悟空，因为他神通广大，技艺高超一路保护唐僧成功地取得了真经，他是我心目中的英雄、偶像。而且在他身上还有一种叛逆的心理，以及他敢于和强大势力做斗争的精神令我十分欣赏。尽管唐僧多次错怪孙悟空，但是孙悟空绝不会背叛他师父，还多次想取得唐僧的原谅。

书中写唐僧师徒经历了八十一个磨难让我联想到了他们的执着、不畏放弃、锲而不舍的精神。这着实是一种所有人都爱读的经典大作，每个人都能在解读这本书时获取不同的感受和启示。有人喜欢它鲜明的人物个性；有人喜欢它瑰丽的整体形象；有人喜欢它活泼诙谐的语言；有人干脆把它当作道德修养的小说。但在我看来，它什么都不是，只是一个单纯的神话世界。我在读这本小说时常常有一种共鸣感，这想必是我内心深处对于自由的欲望在呼喊吧！

602吴凤英