The Journey to the West - Metaphors and Exaggerations for the Realities of a Tragic Society

Abstract

Journey to the West is widely recognized for its mythological imagination, comic episodes, and adventure-oriented narrative, yet these features coexist with recurrent representations of suffering, unequal authority, and restricted freedom. This paper examines the tragic undertone of the novel by connecting its historical context, literary techniques, and characterization. The analysis first considers the fiscal and social pressures of sixteenth-century Ming society and the precariousness of ordinary people as an important background to the novel’s representation of power. It then examines how metaphor, exaggeration, contrast, and irony transform social frictions into a mythological world structured by celestial authority, punishment, cannibalism, and unequal access to protection. Particular attention is given to the contrast between divine institutions and ordinary communities, as well as to the unstable moral boundary between gods and demons. Character analysis further shows that Sun Wukong embodies an individual tragedy shaped by resistance, repression, and the gradual restriction of freedom, whereas ordinary people represent widespread hardships. Ultimately, the paper argues that the novel’s profound tragic meaning arises from the complex interaction of individual loss, social suffering, and structural inequality. Its comic and fantastic surface therefore does not eliminate tragedy but rather intensifies the stark contrast between narrative entertainment and underlying social criticism, revealing a deeply critical perspective on historical realities.