The Resurrection of Characters in Wu Cheng’en’s Journey to the West ว่าด้วย “การคืนชีพ” ของตัวละครในวรรณกรรมไซอิ๋วฉบับอู๋เฉิงเอิน

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to discuss the reasons for the resurrection of the characters in Journey to the West. It is possibly associated with the creative confrontation of Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian thoughts. The result shows the resurrection of characters in the novel appears in many events. These are some examples: Sun Wukong becomes immortal after he wiped his name out of the Book of Life and Death; Chen Guangrui is brought back to life by the Dragon King of River Hong; the soul of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty is revived after he was judged by King Yama, Lord of Death; Liu Quan and Li Cuilian become immortal; and the King of the Wuji Kingdom is resurrected from Taishang Laojun’s immortal potion and the breath of Sun Wukong. The resurrection of characters from Journey to the West demonstrates the author's intention to teach the principles of not doing any evil and cultivating good. The study shows the resurrected characters have behaviors in common, including being a patriotic and moral person, being loyal to the king, believing in karma, or becoming immortal. In conclusion, these actions are in line with traditional Chinese morals and values.