XYJ (Xi You Ji, the name in Chinese) doesn’t just serve as a brilliant piece of literary fiction, it dramatizes the historical journey of Tang Sanzang (Xuanzang) as a sort of spiritual allegory. The main purpose and intent of the novel appears to be the promotion of Buddhism, as it’s very clear that the end goal was to embrace Buddhism as the ultimate answer. The three fictional disciples in the story thus are all written in a way to contribute to that goal. If we were to only look at the characters through the lens of fairy tale and folklore, and not as a religious text, we can derive different meanings to what the characters are meant to represent or embody. For example, the Monkey King in modern media is depicted in many ways that have so far divorced from the original source. Popular retellings depict him as a righteous hero or protector who fights demons either for glory or for selfless reasons. Others paint him as an underdog figure who rebels against the corrupt court of heaven in a justified manner. Some straight up paint him as a clear villain and emphasize the chaotic and mischievous aspect of his personality. While there are elements of truth behind these interpretations according to the original novel, his real purpose in the story can be best summarized as an allegory for the disobedient mind. Each of the three disciples in XYJ start off as sinners who then were redeemed at the end of the novel through Buddhism. By completing the pilgrimage, Xuanzang teaches and molds each of the three disciples into ideals opposite to their original nature. Sun Wukong’s flaw was that he represented the impulsive human mind. His actions were unrestrained, violent, and self indulgent. The reason the author chose to make the Sun Wukong character a monkey was because monkeys are seen as playful but unruly animals who cannot function in society with the level of discipline a human would. Thus by writing a story where even a childish monkey such as Sun Wukong can achieve enlightenment, the writer is attesting to the power of Buddhism. Where Taoism fails, Buddhism succeeds. Zhu Bajie is another obvious example. He represents human desire: lust, gluttony, and wealth. His form being that or a pig is also very fitting. However, the final disciple is the one I’m not sure the author of the novel put enough thought into. Sometimes we have to admit that authors don’t always create perfect literary scenarios and the curtains are just the color blue, or the author didn’t consider if a blue curtain was the best choice for the set piece. Sha Wujing is a very underutilized character even from a narrative standpoint. His main characterization is that he is very obedient and a sensible quiet figure. His initial crime for his banishment was the careless dropping of a priceless vase. So one can argue that he represents carelessness or sloth. While Buddhism does place an emphasis on hard work and diligence; this is something that we see him demonstrate throughout the course of the novel being the main guy to carry all the luggage. So if that were the case, he’s different from the other two disciples in the sense that he already overcame his flaw at the beginning of the pilgrimage. We never really see him struggle with his duties or becoming un-attentive throughout the novel. Monkey and Pigsy on the other hand will often encounter scenarios where they need to overcome their disobedience and desire respectively.