Journey To The West Laurie Cozad Summary

In the article “Reeling in the Demon: An Exploration into the Category of the Demonized Other as Portrayed in ‘The Journey to the West’”, a deeper understanding of the inner demon found in the characters of the ancient Chinese novel is discovered. The article is written by Laurie Cozad and is part of the Oxford Journals in Oxford University Press. Cozad makes the point of “one begins to unravel the conundrum of why demons, at once so dangerous and impure, are so often required by the pure,” (Cozad, 117). An issue Journey to the West makes quite evident would be the inner demons that these characters face, causing them to act in a way that is out of their nature. Laurie Cozad repeatedly discusses her main point of inner demons and the effect these demons had on the characters of Journey to the West. It shifts the focus of these characters away from the religious aspect and the focus of their journey. Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism played

It seems that Cozad feels that there are many different “little demons” found in the story. “The dominant religio/ethical structure that works to classify and to categorize this particular pattern springs from San-chiao-the syncretic blending of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism” (Cozad, 121). Her argument continues to go back to her belief that the characters act the way that they do because of their inner demons. The boundaries that the young monk and his disciples face really test their commitment to their religious values, as they are on a sacred pilgrimage. Monkey, again and again gets himself out of many different stressful situations. In multiple instances in the book they are put to the test to try and reclaim holiness they may have lost due to their poor actions. Constantly facing obstacles in their journey that test their conscience and cause them to choose between what is good and what is