A Brief speculation on the JttW pilgrims' color-coded attires in the book
To my fascination, and slight distress, I have a theory I don't think I've seen discussed on this site and it involves the colors of the pilgrims' robes. I didn't want to compose an ambitious post about this finding since I've already had some longer posts in the works--this was initialy just a passing observation I made while trying to design the pilgrims slightly closer to their book descriptions. So I'll keep things "relatively short."
For clarity, I do all my analysis using the Anthony C. Yu translations of the book.
In China, there is the concept of "Wuxing"--a chinese philosophy used in a lot of traditional Chinese fields of study to explain many phenomena. Wuxing works with a five elements structure to embody metaphors, medicinal concepts; it often is applied conceptually as a shorthand for an assortment of symbollic imagery and ideas built into Chinese culture. Even cardinal directions coordinate with the five elements (North, South, East, West, Center).
The Four Dragon Kings of the Sea in Chinese myths can be artistically depicted to correspond to the colors related to their cardinal directions. By this logic, the Dragon King of the West is white, the Dragon King of the East is azure, the Dragon King of the North is black, and the Dragon King of the South is red. Though, this isn't all encompassing--many designs for the dragon kings will color them however they want, this is just an example of applying Wuxing for potential design purposes! Unless it's explicitly stated, I don't think there's a "canon" color for the dragon kings.
But, here's where the pilgrims come in.
The pilgrims are given specific elements in the chapter titles.
Specifically Wukong (Metal), Bajie (Wood), and Wujing (Earth)
And guess what colors these three pilgrims are explicitly said to wear at least once in the entire novel[1][2][3][4][5].
Wukong gets a white shirt (it gets replaced with a nondescript shirt that comes with the fillet), Bajie gets an azure shirt (later chapters say it's black but he hadn't explicitly changed his attire between that), and Wujing gets a yellow shirt.
white = metal, azure = wood, yellow = earth.
And if we apply this philosophy to Tripitaka and Bai Longma, we can actually conclude on what remaining elements belong to who since there's no explicit application made in text.
Do you know what Tripitaka's robe is?
It doesn't get mentioned often, but from chapter 23, we have this excerpt from an old woman[6] who tries to get the pilgrims to marry into her household.
The woman is directly addressing Tripitaka here, so I think this speaks mostly to him than it does to the rest of the pilgrims--who hadn't been said to change into these clothes when they became Tripitaka's disciples. Tripitaka is consistently said to wear a robe, sandals, and a coir hat[7].
To clarify on the second image, a Bodhidharma gown is a gown closely associated with the legendary founder of Chan Buddhism of the same namesake. One of the accounts describing him that I've found states him to put on the black robe of a monk:
So, Tripitaka's wearing a black monk robe, and black is the color associated with the element of water--so, in theory, Tripitaka's element is water, and should it surprise anyone? His nickname was "River Float", many of his life's greatest conflicts were associated with water and he brings this up while trapped within a stone box underwater[8]:
And chapters prior, when Wukong took off after being exiled, it was hearing the roar of water and seeing the Great Eastern Ocean that made him think of Tripitaka[9]. I find Wukong's apparent aversion to dealing with water ironic with this interpretation in mind.
Bai Longma and his association with fire is pretty minor aside from the most obvious correlation:
Honorable mentions are the excerpts about the "fire leaping/leaping up in his heart". They're honorable mentions because I think it's neat, but not specific to Longma since Wukong, Wujing, Bajie, Red Boy, Bull King, etc. get this phrase also used to describe a surge in passion/anger.
Wukong is first described with this phrase when he got pissed off realising his title as Bimawan/BanHorsePlague was the lowest of the low ranks [10], and Longma gets provoked by Wukong cursing him out [11]. Dragons/horses were involved in the first two uses of this phrase in the novel! Isn't that a fun trivia?
Last notable trivia to do with Longma's association with fire is that in JttW works prior to the novel we're familiar with, one of them features a prototype for the character that refers to him as the "Third Prince Fire Dragon". That last trivia piece can be credited to Journey to the West Research's article about the dragon horse here.
So to close this post off, the pilgrims appear to be deliberately color-coded in relation to the five elements in Wuxing and aside from Bai Longma--whose attire doesn't get a colored decription--I think at the very least, Tripitaka's element is water, and Longma's is fire.
SWK has lived around 300 years (he checks the book of life and death and his age is stated to be 342 yrs old). Aging in this world/book is indicated to be determined by status and nature— SWK being a king, born in paradise, and cultivating himself, had earned him a long life with a stated “good end” on top of that. From my personal observation, he was supposed to die from (possibly alcohol poisoning) since his last actions before being brought to hell was passing out under the shade of pines after spending days with the sworn brothers
For days on end they talked about politics and war, passed around the goblet, strummed, sang, piped, danced, went off on days out together and enjoyed themselves in every possible way. A journey of thousands of miles seemed to be no more than a walk in the courtyard— it could be said that they travelled a thousand miles in the time that it takes to nod one’s head and covered 300 with a twist of the waist.
One day he instructed his four stalwart generals to arrange a feast for the six other kings; oxen and horses were slaughtered; sacrifices were made to heaven and earth and the assembled monsters danced, sang, and drank themselves blotto. When he had seen the six kings out and tipped his senior and junior officials, SWK lay himself down on the shade of the pines beside the bridge, and was asleep in an instant. The four stalwart generals made the others guard him and they kept their voices down.
Note that while being tied up and dragged to the underworld, he was still in a drunken stupor
He crossed out the names of all the mountain monkeys from the book asw, ensuring their (probably passive) immortality
The monster kings and SWK’s sworn brothers are listed as separate entities. But notably both came to send their felicitations. And the sworn brothers had more feasts of course
SWK isn’t afraid of death literally. He’s afraid of what comes from it; being under the jurisdiction of an authority that supersedes him. He’s not necessarily an authoritarian king for this paranoia—his kingdom virtually gets maintained with or without his presence. He’s afraid of losing his freedom to do as he pleases—and at some point that fear grew into a hunger for power to ensure no one can supplant his will, and that led to that foolhardy deal he made with Buddha.
This also marks him as a person that isn’t fond of putting up with decorum at his core, but has learned to acclimate due to his adaptability. He doesn’t rlly humor humans for many reasons throughout his life, but still can get along with them individually
From the very beginning, FFM has had immortality peaches growing all along (1). So the chances that any monkeys in FFM having died before in those 300~ years seems highly unlikely, especially since SWK’s consideration of mortality seemed to be simply caused by his natural intellect. He likely hasn’t confronted personal grief or loss— he’s highly reactive to loss (and already extends a special privilege of concern for his fellow monkeys). So it’s likely those monkeys of FFM have passive immortality because of FFM’s natural presence of immortality peaches. They aren’t said to be guarded even… the only threat posed is that those monkeys’ names are on the ledger in the underworld atp in the story.
Master Subodhi genuinely laughs because of SWK’s endearing antics. SWK gets so caught up in his time at this immortal’s mountain area that when he’s being told to leave, he starts crying, before remembering that he has FFM to come back to. He still tries to repent, by insisting he ought to repay his teacher for all his teachings somehow, but Subodhi politely tells him he simply just wants him to leave and don’t bring trouble to him— which SWK ultimately fulfills
When SWK is dedicated to learning sth, he will stay up overnight to master it. Even as his master and peers go to bed
SWK has been taught calligraphy (among other things but I found this detail neat)
SWK is easily excitable (and dances in all fours when he hears Master Subodhi’s wondrous words), and he’s physically affectionate when filled w/ gratitude
When SWK states that he has no ill temper, I think during this point in the story, he’s not wrong? He’s mostly lived secluded from any affairs between creatures that aren’t monkeys. And he hadn’t pestered or tormented any humans he’d met in the ten years he had been travelling to find an immortal.
Notes from pg 127 - pg 131
Monstrous King of Havoc; wore a black gold helmet, dark silk robe, black iron vest tied tightly with leather straps, finely carved boots, and stood at thirty feet and his waist was ten spans in width
When SWK uses his hair to create monkeys— they are explicitly monkeys, not clones of himself.
This battle is the first where SWK’s explicitly kills.
Two years ago the Monstrous King of Havoc terrorised and kidnapped 30 or 50 of the little monkeys
When asked on how he subdued the monster and rescued the young ones, SWK did a detailed rehearsal -> good storyteller perhaps?
One thing I hadn't thought to note was that SWK does state that he acquired his skills by: "discovering an old Patriarch who imparted the formula for enjoying the same age as Heaven, the secret of immortality." I had to backtrack to see what exactly Subodhi told SWK not to do before they separated. So here's the excerpt:
"Once you leave, you're bound to end up evildoing. I don't care what kind of villainy and violence you engage in, but I forbid you ever to mention that you are my disciple. For if you but utter half the word, I'll know about it; you can be assured, wretched monkey, that you'll be skinned alive. I will break all your bones and banish your soul to the Palace of Ninefold Darkness, from which you will not be released even after ten thousand afflictions!"
"I will never mention my master, I'll say that I've learned this all by myself."
As far as I'm aware, SWK escapes this threat coming to fruition by the skin of his teeth -- he doesn't mention Subodhi by name, but he doesn't stick to his word that he'll say he learned it all by himself.
IMMEDIATELY when asked, he tells his little ones of a patriarch and of the methods to which he acquired his skills. SWK doesn't get skinned alive at any point in the story, if my vague memory serves me correct-- so either he doesn't betray the constraints that Subodhi had set, or SWK has but Subodhi doesn't make good on his threats.
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(1): I'm not entirely confident that those immortality peaches are legitimate to be honest.
