Reading Notes W6: Goethe & Blake, Part A

Faust

• The three archangels (Gabriel, Michael, Raphael) and Mephistopheles greet The Lord - 103
• After Mephisto finished rambling and complaining, The Lord said "Is that all you do, accuse eternally? Is nothing ever right for you down there, sir?" to which Mephisto replies "No, nothing, Lord-- all's just as bad as ever" - 104
• The Lord challenges Mephisto to try and lead Faust "upon the downward curse" and says "A good man still knows which way is the right one." Mephisto is confident he can do that - 104
• "How very decent of a Lord Celestial to talk man to man with the Devil of all people" said Mephisto. - 105
• Faust expresses regret for having studied philosophy, law, and medicine - 105
• Faust claims to not be afraid of Hell or the Devil - 105
• Faust had no money or possessions. He also claims he can teach anyone how to be better - 106
• Faust requests the spirits to announce themselves if they hear him, since he believes he feels their presence. He opens the book and sees the sign of the Macrocosm. Faust asks if he himself is a god. -107
• He flips the pages and sees the sign of the Spirit of Earth. He acknowledges it has a different effect on him. He asks the spirit to reveal itself -108
• The spirit reveals itself and Faust calls it unbearable. The spirit said "I come at your bidding and you're struck dumb!" - 108
• Faust calls himself the spirit's "equal" - 109
• The spirit claims Faust is only equal to his idea of the spirit, not the spirit itself. The spirit vanishes.  - 109
• Wagner appears and says he wants to master the art of Greek tragedy - 109
• Wagner loves serious conversations. He would gladly stay up and discuss with Faust if it weren't for the fact that it is Easter Sunday in the morning - 111
• "Such fellows keep their hopes up by forever busying themselves with trivialities" said Faust - 111
• Faust begins to monologue - 111
• Faust believes he's the image of God and will soon behold the mirror of Eternal Truth - 111
• The Chorus of Angels say Christ is arisen - 114
• Wagner says going for a walk with Faust is a treat for his mind - 119
• "A lovely dream!-- and meanwhile it grows dark" said Faust after describing the world he could see - 122

Songs of Innocence

1) Introduction (334): The piper has a moment with himself. He visualized a child on a cloud and spoke with him. He shared fun moments playing music with the child. He then decided that he needed to write down his songs so that he may share his happiness with others.

2) The Lamb (335): He speaks to a lamb and ponders the thought of whether or not the lamb knows or could even comprehend its creator. Excited with his religion, he cheerfully informs the lamb that Christ is the one who made both of them: child and lamb.

3) The Little Black Boy (335-6): The boy is aware of racism and what it's like to be treated differently based on the color of his skin. His mom taught him to have faith in God. Once they're in heaven with God, everyone will love each other and there will be no more discrimination. The boy will show kindness to others because he believes they will all love each other once they're all with God.

4) Holy Thursday (336): The children sing with the fullest of their hearts. Even if their audience doesn't necessarily seem important, they continue to sing. Should someone in their audience be an angel, they wouldn't want to drive them away.

5) The Chimney Sweeper (337): The boys who have been sold by their fathers to become chimney sweepers experience a lot of misery. Despite all of this though, they are pure at heart and have faith in God. God is their inspiration to have hope. They'll simply continue to do their jobs and everything will be okay in the end.

Songs of Experience

1) Introduction (337-8): There seems to be a sense of giving up present. The speaker tries to bring back a sense of hope by reminding his audience of the beauty that the Earth has to offer.

2) Earth's Answer (338-9): The Earth feels unappreciated. People take nature's beauty for granted. The Earth views God as being selfish for having created people who don't take the time to appreciate nature.

3) The Tyger (339): Animals like tigers can't appreciate nature. They're ferocious and there seems to not be a reason why. The speaker questions what sky could have created the fire in their eyes. The beauty of the starlight shines down and the tiger can't appreciate it as the speaker can. He questions why God might have created a creature so different than man.

4) The Sick Rose (339-40): The speaker addresses the fact that life as beautiful as that of a rose can die. He feels as if there's a cruel force that loves to spread death and ruin beauty & joy.

5) London (340): He witnesses chimney sweeping children express their misery with tears. Harlots infect parents with a venereal disease leading to the infant being inflicted with neonatal blindness. He's seeing happiness be denied all around him and it pains him to see it all.

6) The Chimney Sweeper (340-1): The chimney sweepers sing songs about their sadness. The chimney sweeper wonders why his innocent smile was rewarded with a job that will most likely kill him, all so that his parents can be happy. Heaven is a dream that the parents can have at the cost of their child's happiness when they sell them and have them become chimney sweepers.

7) Mock on, Mock on, Voltaire, Rosseau (341): He seems to be mocking notable figures such as Voltaire, Democritus, and Newton who push for the advance of science since he feels they mock those who have faith in God.

8) And Did Those Feet (341): He desires a return to the old days. He wants society to abandon its industrial ways and return to a time where everyone worshiped God.

Blake, William. "Songs of Innocence." The Norton Anthology World Literature, edited by Martin Puchner, Third Edition, vol. D, W. W. Norton 2012, pp. 330-341

Goethe, Johann Wolfang Von. "Faust." The Norton Anthology World Literature, edited by Martin Puchner, Third Edition, vol. D, W. W. Norton 2012, pp. 99-122

Comment Wall

This is the link to my revised third project: https://sites.google.com/view/green-archives/third-project-revision-1

Week 5 Analysis: Close reading of "Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger"

For this close reading I chose the middle paragraph on page 513 beginning with "Now we turn to Du Tenth" (513). This excerpt reflects on the doubts that multiple characters in the story had regarding the sincerity of Du Tenth's feelings for Li and the integrity of their relationship. Du Tenth was eager to spend the rest of the night with Li, waiting for him to return from talking with Sun Fu. They were supposed to be celebrating their new life together, but instead he's off talking with a stranger while she waits in the room on the boat by herself. She had set the table to "share a small banquet" with Li and drink wine with him, but he "failed to return all day" (513). I thought this was an interesting occurrence throughout the story. Li is a bit of a flake, even if it isn't necessarily his fault given the difficulty and impracticality of his dilemmas. I couldn't help but wonder if Du Tenth was growing tired of constantly waiting around for him and him never appearing. Earlier in the story with the ten days he had to gather the money to buy her freedom from the madam, he spent the first six days avoiding her out of shame because he hadn't accomplished anything or made any progress at all. Despite this, she genuinely cares for him and has the patience to deal with him. When Li doesn't return in time to share the banquet with Du Tenth, she doesn't just give up and go to bed without him. She "trimmed a lamp and sat up waiting for him" (513). It's such a small gesture that went unnoticed and unappreciated. Li is having doubts about how genuine her love is, and how faithful she is to him. If he were only able to see the effort she put into preparing that night to spend with him, and if he were able to realize the significance in her staying up late just to be with him then he might not have doubts. Of course, if he had just returned to the room in time, there would be no need for her to stay up waiting for him. But, his delay does put her in a situation that tests her love and allows her to demonstrate how long she would wait for him. Du Tenth "rose to greet him" when he arrived. I thought this was an interesting detail when I really thought about it for this close reading. As opposed to just saying "hello" or something from where she sat, she was so eager to see him that she stood up to approach him. It shows a great deal of respect and reflects on her desire to be with him. But again, it's a small detail that's easy for Li to not notice, especially in his current gloomy state. She practically babies him after he refuses to talk and go straight to bed. She helps him undress and I presume she prepared the bed for him to lay in as well when I read "make ready to sleep" (513). Du Tenth ends up losing more sleep because of Li. She couldn't fall asleep because of her feelings. She's obviously worried about what made Li so sad, but I gave it some more thought. She must also be disappointed with how he ignored her attempts to spend time with him. He couldn't put aside his own gloom to bond with her. She must feel sad and possibly even having her own doubts because of how different this situation is from their past experiences. The same man who blew all his money to spend every night with her is now refusing to even speak to her before bed.

Feng Menglong. "Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger." The Norton Anthology World Literature,
edited by Martin Puchner, third Edition, vol. D, W. W. Norton, 2012, pp. 513.

Reading Notes W5: Feng & Saikaku, Part A

Du Tenth Sinks The Jewel Box In Anger

• The Poem in the beginning was devoted to the praise of their dynasty's founding of the capital at Yan. (499)
• Guarded to the north by towering passes, and commands the region of central China to the south (499)
• Granddad Hongwu swept away the barbarian dust and established his reign at Jinling. This was capital Nanjing (499)
• Granddad Yongle led his troops out of Beiping and it was removed to Yan. Became Beijing. (499)
• From Granddad Yongle, the throne passed down nine generations to Granddad Wanli, the 11th Son of Heaven of their dynasty. Wise, strong, perfect in virtue and good fortune. Succeeded to the kingdom at age 10 and ruled for 40 years. Put down 3 armed uprisings during this time.(499)
• The 3 uprisings were: Toyotomi Hideyoshi of Japan, Bei Cheng'en of the Xixia, and Yang Yinglong of Bozhou. (499)
• Hideyosihi invaded Korea, the other two were native officials who plotted revolt. (499)
• Story picks up during the 20th year of the Wanli period, when the Japanese Prime Minister created discord by invading Korea. (500)
• Payments were temporarily accepted in exchange for positions in the imperial academy. Advantages for those who bought academy scholar status this way. Easier to study, participate in the civil service exam, easier to pass. Helped with career advancement.(500)
• Jia Li was a native of Shaoxing Prefecture in Zhejiang, he was the eldest of three sons of his father, Provincial Commissioner Li. He met a famous courtesan named Mei Du, 10th born of her generation. "Du Tenth" (500)
• Du Tenth lost her virginity when she was 13. She was 19 at the present time. (500)
• Li's "happiness exceeded all expectation" when he first ran into Du Tenth. He was afraid of his father and taking Du Tenth up on her proposal. But they did swear to each other that they would never have thoughts of another. They became more and more devoted to each other. (501).
• Tenth's madam viewed her relationship with Li as her being monopolized. Other heirs and lords couldn't have her now. Li was running out of money by spending so much on Du Tenth. His father found out that he was "passing time whoring in the pleasure district" and called him back home. (501).
• The more financial hardship Du Tenth saw Li in, the warmer she grew toward him (501).
• The madam wanted Du Tenth to send Li away, but Du Tenth ignored her. She tried to anger and provoke him with verbal attacks, but it didn't work since he was so mannerly. (501).
• The madam is furious that Li has no more money to spend. Du Tenth mentioned how much he's spent but it didn't manner how much he had spent since he can't spend anymore. She called Du Tenth a slut and said she's been having to pay for the "upkeep of this bum of yours." The madam told Du Tenth to have him buy her out so she can be replaced with a new girl. The madam says Li has 3 days to get 300 in cash or the deals off. Du Tenth got the madam to agree on 10 days instead of 3. Du Tenth has doubts of the madam sticking to her word, but the madam says she's too old to be telling lies. (502)
• Du Tenth and Li were in bed together, discussing the issue. Du Tenth explains that he has 10 days to get 300. Li says he can't since he's out of money. Du Tenth asks if he can borrow from friends or family. Li says he can't. Li says he'll go to each house tomorrow and ask to borrow money from each house and see if he can pool it all together and reach 300. (503)
• "The mention of money dissolves predestined ties." Everyone had doubts, given his current circumstances. No one would give him 20, or even 10. (503)
• Li didn't earn a thing within 3 days and didn't dare go back to Du Tenth to tell her that. After 4 days and not even coming up with a plan, he was truly embarrassed. He went to talk to his townsman, academy scholar Liu. Li explained the situation to Liu. Liu assessed the matter and told Li the madam is probably toying with him, and that he should just make a clean break away (504).
• 6 days had passed and Li still hadn't accomplished anything. Du Tenth sent a boy, Number Four, to go find Li since she was worrying. Four ran into Li and wouldn't let go of him until he came back to the quarters. Li missed Du Tenth, and went along. (504)
• When Du Tenth asked Li how it was going, he began to cry. Li said "Catching Tigers cannot be considered easy, but begging favors is what's truly hard." He tells her he's been too ashamed to see her since it's been 6 days and he hasn't a penny to show for it. (504)
• Du Tenth tells him to ignore what the madam said, and to stay the night with her. Du Tenth insists she has a plan. (505).
• Du Tenth had 150 taels in savings and gave them to Li. She hopes he can earn the remaining half. (505)
• Li told Liu about the 150 taels. Liu was convinced that she was a woman with sincere intentions and said "I will see to this on your behalf." (505)
• Liu put together 150 taels within two days and gave it to Li, not for Li's sake, but because he was moved by the sincere feeling of Du Tenth (505).
• The madam was about to consider going back on her promise on the tenth day when Li and Du Tenth revealed the 300 taels, but Du Tenth threatened to end her life and have Li keep the 300 taels. Screwing the madam out of a girl and 300 taels. The madam had nothing to counter with and told them to leave at once. She told Du Tenth not to imagine taking any of her clothes or jewelry with her. (506)
• Li and Du Tenth left, as husband and wife (506)
• They visited Tenth's sisters in the quarters to thank them for lending her traveling money. They also did her make up and gave her nicer looking clothes. They prepared a celebration (506).
• Tenth asked about their settlement plans. Li said they can't go to his father since he'll be outraged that Li married a prostitute. Tenth suggested they have friends and family calm his father first. They would reside in the scenic region of Suzhou and Hangzhou in the meantime. (507)
• Du Tenth set her messenger to say goodbye to her friend Xie Yuelang the day they were going to leave. When they were about to leave, bearers and palanquins arrived in great numbers. Xie Yuelang and Xu Susu had brought all the sisters to say goodbye. They acknowledged how little money Tenth and Li had, and "raised a meager sum among ourselves." They gave Du Tenth a gold-inlaid stationery box. It was locked up and Tenth didn't refuse it nor look inside. She thanked them and they left.(507)
• When it was time to board the boat, Li didn't have money since he spent his money on new clothes since his were no good anymore from wearing only that one outfit. Du Tenth opened the box and pulled out a red silk pouch that had 50 taels inside. She locked up the box right after without saying what else might be inside. (508)
• Li suggested they drink as much as they want and relieve their cooped-up feelings. She agreed and sang for him after he complimented her. (509).
• Sun Fu got a peek of Du Tenth and recited poetry from his boat. Li heard the poetry coming from the neighboring boat and and to peek out and see who it was. Sun Fu did this on purpose to start a conversation with him. They introduced themselves. Sun Fu claimed he wanted to drink with him ashore. Sun Fu had his boatmen bring Li over, with an umbrella to protect him from the snowstorm. (510)
• Li told Sun Fu about everything that had happened. He asked what Sun Fu thought. Sun Fu said they've only briefly started chatting and that he might offend Li with his honesty. But he pointed out the trouble that Li was going to face by not getting approval from his family and having no where to settle with her once they run out of money. (511)
• Sun Fu planted seeds of doubt in Li, saying that Du Tenth might be using Li just to meet up with another lover. Li was at a loss for words and asked what advice Sun Fu would give. (511)
• Sun Fu proposed that he would give Li 1000 taels if he were to "act decisively when opportunity presents itself." (512)
• Li was terrified of his father and told Sun Fu he needed to talk with Du Tenth. "I cannot in justice cut her off all at once" (513)
• Li went to talk to her and she tried to console him and give him wine. He refused to drink. He didn't say anything and went to bed. She became unable to sleep when he fell asleep easily without talking to her. (513).
• He woke up and she spoke to him. It's been 2 years since they've been together and she's never seen him grieve like this. Li said he undeservingly received her. He viewed it as an incomparable favor that she's done him. He explains Sun Fu's proposition to take her in for 1000 taels so that he may be able to call on his parents and she would have someone to rely on. (514)
• She felt it was a great strategy. She felt it would let him return to his family without her being a burden on his life. (514)
• The silver was accounted for and the trade was ready. Du Tenth requested for Sun Fu to give her back her makeup box briefly so that she may take out the travel documents to give them to Li. When she got the box, she had Li open the various drawers of the box. There were countless treasures worth several thousand. After more treasures were thrown out into the sea, there was no telling how much it was all worth. Li cried. Du Tenth cursed Sun Fu and declared him her sworn enemy for hatching such a cunning plot that ruined her destined life with Li. (515)
• Du Tenth told Li she didn't intend for their oath to be broken. She said there's no less than ten thousand taels in the box. She intended for Li to be able to use it all to return to his parents without shame. (515)
• She couldn't believe that he lost faith in her off of some groundless claims and betrayed her heart. (516)
• She wanted everyone to witness that she didn't betray him; he betrayed her (516).
• Li and Sun fu sailed off in different directions. Li brooded for days out of his shame. Sun Fu fell ill and saw Du Tenth beside him, cursing him. He died eventually. "Revenge exacted from the depths of the river" (516)
• One of Liu's fisherman found a box with treasures inside. He paid the fisherman a lot. He then saw Du Tenth. Du Tenth greeted him, complained about Li, explained that she meant to repay him for helping them, but couldn't foresee Li's betrayal. She presented that treasure to him as a token of heartfelt thanks. She said they won't ever meet again. Tenth had died. (516-7)

From Life of a Sensuous Woman

• A beautiful woman is an ax that cuts down a man's life. (593)
• Men who die young of overindulgence in the way of sensuous love are foolish. (593)
• On the seventh of the first month, people go to have their fortunes told. (593)
• The two men who spoke were opposites. One wanted as much sensual pleasure as he could get, the other wanted to give up love entirely. (593)
• Narrator sees an old woman who looks decent for her age. Stylish. (593-4)
• The old woman asks the two men why they keep coming. One says that the other man is being tortured by love. Speaking for himself, he claims that he gets very depressed. (594)
• They say she's experienced and they want to hear her life story so that they may understand more about the world and life (594)
• She played on her koto and sang about deep love after they drank saké. (594)
• Every one of the men who longed for her were handsome but she didn't have feelings for any of them. (595)
• For 4 or 5 days she couldn't tell if she was sleeping or awake. She was 13 at the time and people wondered if she had done that already. (595)
• She followed her desires where they went and ruined herself. She says there's no use in regretting it though. (596)
• She's never heard of more attractive women than those in Kyoto (596)
• The overseer of the inner chambers was more than 70 years old and the best he could do was tell sexy stories (597)
• He was chosen to go to Kyoto and find a mistress to chaperone all the way to Edo (597)
• The employment agency chose more than 170 women and sent them to the old retainer for interviews, but he wasn't satisfied with a single one. (598)
• "But women, you know, are very basic creatures. They just can't forget about physical love" (599)
• She's always been an unlucky woman, but her lord was tender to her and they enjoyed their lovemaking. But the lord kept losing weight and became "awful to look at"(599)
• "If you look closely at the world, you'll see that a man who's born sexually weak is a very sad thing for a woman" (599)
• She finally overcame her shame and had her hair done up like a boy and began to speak and move like one (600)
• She hired a man to carry her things and she set out with a professional jester. They found a temple known to have wealth and a sex-loving monk. They went around to temples of every persuasion suggesting they switch to the Woman-loving sect. They didn't find a monk who didn't convert. (600)
• Eventually the head priest of one temple fell in love with her and she became his temporary wife for 3 years in exchange for 25 lbs of silver. (600)
• Sleeping with the priest made her even sadder. Nothing gave her pleasure anymore and she gradually lost weight and grew weaker. If she were to die, she'd be secretly buried without proper cremation according to the priest. It was frightening at first but she got used to it. (601)
• She found herself up late at night waiting for him to come home. She hated for him to go away. She began to cherish even the smell of incense on his robe. She forgot her loneliness. (601)
• Young monks in training saw their way of living and imitated it. (601)
• "I've lived in this temple for many, many years" (602)
• She was 20 years older than the priest she was with and he told people she was his mother. They exchanged pledges, but they meant nothing to him. When she got old, he pushed her into a dark corner of the temple. He gave her nothing but old rice offerings. He's treated her terrible but she insists it isn't that bad. (602)
• She said the narrator knows nothing about her, but whenever she hears the narrator saying things to each other in bed, she can't forget sex. She decided to get rid of this longing. "I'm going to bite right into you. Tonight!" (602)
• Narrator pretended to be pregnant so that the priest would send her away. It worked. (602).

Feng Menglong. "Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box in Anger." The Norton Anthology World Literature,

edited by Martin Puchner, third Edition, vol. D, W. W. Norton, 2012, pp. 497-517.

Ihara Saikaku. "From Life of a Sensuous Woman." The Norton Anthology World Literature, edited by Martin Puchner, third Edition, vol. D, W. W. Norton, 2012, pp. 591-602.

Week 4 Project Planning: The Ending of Tartuffe

The prompt I intend to respond to for this project is: What does the work reveal about the cultural behavior contemporary to it?

Deus Ex Machina is the main literary device I will be using to address this prompt. Because of this, I will also be addressing the play's plot and dialogue. From one of my sources I received further confirmation of what my former drama teacher at LMC, Professor Jack Nicolaus, had told me about the ending of Tartuffe: "Molière had to remain in the good graces of the king if he wanted to stage the play in public," "What better way to do so than to make the king a hero?" More specifically as I have learned, "The audience for which Molière wrote Tartuffe was a worldly sector of the social elite in Paris in the latter third of the Seventeenth Century. Indeed, its original audience was the royal court at Louis XIV's great palace Versailles." Molière had written this play with an ending that would satisfy King Louis XIV because that would be the only way this play would be allowed to debut and have a chance at becoming a success. I'll be exploring the overall plot of "Tartuffe" in order to show that the ending to the play was nothing more than fan service to please King Louis XIV since the plot didn't allow for any other ending since the characters had been written into a corner as reflected by the panic in the dialogue they exchange. Tartuffe had all the evidence he needed to have Orgon placed in prison and he had the deed to his house. There was absolutely nothing the characters in the story could have realistically done to fix the situation other than pray for a miracle, which was lazily provided by The Exempt arriving to inform everyone that The King might as well be omnipotent with how conveniently aware of everything he is despite not being involved in all of the events prior to the deus ex machina and how kind and down to Earth he is to save everyone from their dilemma. In my project, I will point out multiple directions the play could have taken to avoid this ending, and why this ending was the only ending that could have worked given how the plot unfolded.

Molière. "Tartuffe." The Norton Anthology World Literature, edited by Martin Puchner, third Edition, vol. D, W. W. Norton, 2012, pp. 144-197.

Week 4 Analysis: Literary Analysis of "The Journey to the West"

"The Journey to the West" uses imagery as a way to complement the theme of ambition seen throughout Sun Wukong's journey. Sun Wukong was born into the world through the unusual means of being born from a stone egg as a stone monkey. Subodhi said that Sun Wukong must have been
"created by Heaven and Earth," so it isn't surprising that he would have such great ambitions seeing as how he was born with such great advantages compared to the other living creatures he associates with (435). In the beginning of "The Journey to the West," the stone monkey and his monkey friends reach the waterfall that served as the source of the mountain stream they bathed in. At the source, they saw "a column of rising white rainbows" and "a thousand fathoms of dancing waves" (425). This beautiful sight that the monkeys behold cause them to say "Marvelous water! Marvelous water!" and "If any of us had the ability to penetrate the curtain and find out where the water comes from without hurting himself, we would honor him as our king" (426). Being anything but an ordinary monkey, the stone monkey sees this as an opportunity to become something greater than himself. He believed this to be the day for his "fame" to "spread wide" and his "fortune" to "arrive" since he thinks he is "fated to live in this place, sent by a king to his godly place" (426). He's set his sights high under the belief that he's been sent to this godly place by a king. It seems only fitting that he'd have countless white rainbows and dancing waves as the backdrop for the day that he'd become declared the "Handsome Monkey King" since a being created by heaven deserves the best of sights to behold. (428). Even after finding a new, grand home for himself and his monkey friends, he still managed to become distressed with worries about his future. The other monkeys even laughed, reminding him about how great their current state is. "Such independence and comfort are immeasurable blessings. Why, then, does he worry about the future?" (428). The monkeys made a great point. Their lives seemed as great as they could possibly be in the eyes of an average individual. But of course, the stone monkey is ambitious and can't be pleased with anything less than the best. He sought greater things and decided to learn how to be "young forever" (429). From there, he went on his journey, found Subodhi, became his pupil, and received the name "Sun Wukong." The religion of Daoism seemed to have influenced "The Journey to the West" since there were several mentions of Daoism throughout. "Those I meet, if not immortals, would be Daoists" (432). "We do not know what fruit of Daoist cultivation he succeeded in attaining afterward, let's listen to the explanation in the next chapter" (436). I'm under the impression that Sun Wukong proceeds to learn Daoist traditions and practices which further shape who he becomes, however I haven't read any further to be entirely sure.

Reading Notes W4: Wu Cheng'en, Part B

Wu Cheng'en, "Journey to the West," (421-436)

• The immortal stone became pregnant with a divine embryo. One day it split open and gave birth to a stone egg. Exposure to wind caused it to transform into a stone monkey with fully developed features and limbs. The monkey learned to climb and run instantly. (424)
• This monkey befriended a tiger, lizard, wolf, and leopard. Befriended the civet and deer. Called the gibbon and baboon his kin. (424)
• He was playing with a group of monkeys one hot morning and noted how they amused themselves (425)
• The monkeys went to bathe and then decided to follow the stream and find the source of the water for fun. (425)
• They found the source; the stream led to a waterfall. The monkeys said "if any of us had the ability to penetrate the curtain and find out where the water comes from without hurting himself, we would honor him as king" (426)
• The stone monkey leaped out upon getting the idea and took them up on their challenge. (426)
• He leaped through the waterfall and found that the only thing beyond the waterfall was a bridge made of sheet iron. The water beneath led to what he deemed to be a beautiful place. He jumped across the middle of the bridge and found a stone tablet that read "The Blessed Land of Flower-Fruit Mountain, The Cave Heaven of Water-Curtain Cave" (426)
• He told the other monkeys that they should all go live in there together (427)
• The monkeys all went in and began rushing to claim beds and plates and other belongings. (427)
• The stone monkey speaks to them by quoting the Confucian Analects, "If a man lacks trustworthiness, it is difficult to know what he can accomplish" (427)
• They accepted him as king (after he reminded them) and he became known as "Handsome Monkey King" (428)
• They enjoyed perfect happiness for three or four hundred years before the Monkey King shed a tear and said he was concerned about the future. "Thought we are not subject to the laws of man today, nor need we be threatened by the rule of any bird or beast, old age and physical decay in the future will disclose the secret sovereignty of Yama, King of the Underworld. If we die, shall we not have lived in vain, not being able to rank forever among the Heavenly beings?" (428)
• The Monkey King said he will go to the mountains in hopes of meeting the Buddhas, immortals, and holy sages, since they are not subject to Yama. He will learn from them how to be young forever. (429)
• The monkeys honored the Monkey King at the table and they all drank for a whole day. He gave them instructions the next day and then he got on the raft by himself. Once he landed on shore, he approached some humans and scared them. He stripped one who couldn't run so that he could have their clothes. He acted like a human as he walked through the counties and marketplaces. (430)
• He unwittingly spent about 9 years on the South Jambudvipa Continent before he suddenly came upon the Great Western Ocean. (431)
• Unafraid of wolves, lizards, tigers, leopards, etc. He went to the top of a magnificent mountain. (431)
• He heard someone singing and believed them to be an immortal (432)
• The man claimed not to be an immortal but just a neighbor of one. He gave the Monkey King the location of the Patriarch Subodhi. (433)
• The Monkey King invited the man to come with him, but the man refused since he couldn't neglect his livelihood. (433)
• The Monkey King reached his destination, The Mountain of Mind and Heart, The Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars (434)
• A boy came outside and said he was ordered to open the door and say there's someone who wants to practice austerities and that he should go and let them in. The Monkey King claimed it must be him they were talking about. He followed the boy in. (434)
• Subodhi believed the Monkey King to be a liar about where he was from. The Monkey King explained that he came from far away and was born from a stone. Subodhi was pleased and said the Monkey King was created by Heaven and Earth (435)
• He gave him the surname "Sun" (436)
• He was given the name "Wukong" meaning "Wake-to-Vacuity" (436)
• Full name: Sun Wukong (436)
• "At nebula's first clearing there was no name; Smashing stubborn vacuity requires wake-to-vacuity." (436)