第30章 学习是人生的需要（3）
1.3 Appreciation of the Novel
小说《西游记》的艺术成就是非常卓越的，而它最突出的成就是成功地使用了积极浪漫主义的创作方法。《西游记》中的故事情节和主要人物，似乎都是荒诞不经的，但其荒诞却是稳固地植根于社会现实之中的。它创造了一个充满荒诞和幻想的世界，这个荒诞世界却反映了吴承恩生活时期的各种社会矛盾。恶魔的特性正是普通凡人特性的普遍化和升华。幻想和现实在《西游记》里达到了高度的结合。很明显，大多数超自然的人物被描写成了动物。
作者善于把人性、神性、兽性结合在一起：孙悟空赋有猴子的灵活、机智、活泼的兽性，猪八戒（尽管他声称是天蓬元帅的化身）赋有猪的笨拙、贪吃、自私和头脑简单的兽性。他们超自然的神性也有各自的特征。孙悟空有七十二变化，但不管他变成什么，他都变不掉尾巴。同样地，猪八戒也能变化，但他总变不掉臃肿的像猪的特性。例如，当他变成一个女人时，他就能变成一个肥胖的令人厌恶的家伙。读者发现孙悟空和猪八戒之所以令人喜爱，就是因为他们都有基本的人性。然而，他们打破了人世间与超人世界的障碍。事实上，他们是中国文学中最受欢迎的有魔力的人物。
The artistic achievements of the novel Journey to the West are very prominent and its most outstandingone is that an active romantic formula for creation has been successfully used. Its plot and characters seemto be very fantastic， but their fantasy is firmly grounded in social reality. Journey to the West creates a worldfull of fantasy and illusion. But this fantasy world reflects various kinds of contradictions in the society ofWu Cheng’en’s time. The characters of the demons are generalizations and sublimations of the characters ofordinary mortals. Fantasy and reality reach a high level of synthesis in Journey to the West. It is remarkablethat most of the supernatural characters are portrayed as animals. The author is good at combining the naturesof humans， gods and animals： Monkey is given the nimble， quick-witted and lively character of a monkey，and Pig (although he claims to be an incarnation of Marshal Tianpeng) is given the bumbling， greedy， selfishand simple-minded character of a pig. Their supernatural natures have their distinctions too： Monkeyundergoes 72 transformations but no matter what he changes himself into， he can’t get rid of his tail. Likewise，Pig can also change his shape， but he can never get rid of his gross， porcine nature. For instance， when hechanges himself into a woman， he becomes a fat， repulsive one. Readers find Monkey and Pig endearingbecause they have essentially human natures， yet they have broken through the barrier which separatesthe human from the supernatural world. In fact， they are the most popular magical characters in Chineseliterature.
《西游记》的艺术结构是十分完美和独特的。作者吴承恩改变了传统的结构方式，不是以“玄藏身世”或“取经缘起”作为故事的开头，而是把“大闹天宫”作为小说的开端，写下了孙悟空青少年时期的英雄传记。“西天取经”是《西游记》的主要部分，作为孙悟空成年时期的建功碑。“大闹天宫”和“西天取经”组成了孙悟空的整部英雄传奇，也就是整部《西游记》的结构。其结构正如一座峻岭入云，云盖住了中间部分，看似两座山峰。那云就是“取经缘起”。这是一种独具匠心的三层结构，它完美地传达了作品的主题思想。“取经缘起”，作为云，不仅交代了取经的目的——“法轮回转，皇图永固”，还有更深一层的含义——造福生灵，造福社稷。那是一个崇高的目标和宏伟的事业。但要到灵山雷音寺取经，不仅水远山高，峻岭陡崖难度大，而且路多虎豹，毒魔恶怪难降。唐僧自己亦知“此去真是渺渺茫茫，吉凶难定”。因此，更重要的是谁能保护唐僧西去，一路降妖除魔，战斗不息，取回真经？观音选择的不是别人，正是因“大闹天宫”而被压在五行山下的孙悟空！这不仅使“取经缘起”上承“大闹天宫”，下启“西天取经”，而且还表明观音正如“伯乐”般善于用人，突破了传统的用人观，真是绝妙的艺术建构！“西天取经”作为全书的最大部分，包括有三藏收得三个徒弟、一匹小龙白马和一系列“八十一难”的故事。每个故事都是取经团队每遇到的一个问题，必须解决了才能继续前行。问题一经解决，那个地点就走过了，新的故事随即开始。除取经团队自己人和偶尔出现在天上的一些庇护人外，其他在以他们为特征的故事中的人物实际上绝不再现。取经途中先前的故事一旦过了甚至提及都是罕见的。唐僧师徒几乎从未谈到过去的人物或事件，而沿途遇到的妖魔、国王和其他人物常听说取经团队的名声和他们的身世，但他们极少知道孙悟空沿途所做的事情。一连串既贯穿又独立的故事就像金线——西天取经，像贯穿起来的宝珠一样，是何等的辉煌！这种精心首创的结构是多么完美和独特啊！
The artistic structure of Journey to the West is very perfect and unique. The writer Wu Cheng’enchanged the traditional way of structure and put“Playing Havoc in Heaven”at the beginning of the novelas young Monkey’s heroic biography instead of“Xuanzang’s Origin”or“the Reason for Going to Fetch theScriptures”.“Journey to the West to Fetch the Scriptures”is the main part of the novel as the monumentof the grown-up Monkey’s making contributions.“Monkey’s Playing Havoc in Heaven”and“Journeyto the West to Fetch the Scriptures”are made up of a Monkey’s entire heroic legend， and it’s also a wholestructure of Journey to the West. The structure is just like a high mountain piercing into the cloud whichcovers the middle part of it and looks like two peaks. The cloud is“the Reason for Going to Fetch theScriptures”. It’s a three-tiered structure which demonstrates that the writer has an inventive mind. Itconveys perfectly the main theme of the work.“The Reason for Going to Fetch the Scriptures”， as thecloud， not only tells readers the purpose—“so that the Wheel of the Law may revolve， and our sage Emperorenjoy eternal security”， but also implies further—that it brings benefit to the people and the country. Thatis a noble goal and a grand cause. But， to the Thunder Monastery on Vulture Peak to fetch the ures，there are not only wide rivers and high mountains and lofty ranges and cliffs to cross， but also many a tigerand leopard along the way and evil demons and foul fiends difficult to subdue. Xuanzang himself also knowsthat“it will be a journey into the unknown， and there is no saying what my fate will be”. Thus， what is mostimportant is that who can protect Xuanzang to the West. Who can fight incessantly and subdue all monstersand demons on the journey and fetch the true ures？ Guanyin chooses none other than Monkey who hasbeen pressed under the mountain for five hundred years because of his Playing Havoc in Heaven. This notonly makes“the Reason for Going to Fetch the Scriptures”connect with the foregoing“Monkey’s PlayingHavoc in Heaven”and carry forward to“Journey to the West to Fetch the Scriptures”， but also indicatesthat Guanyin is good at choosing the right person for the right job just like Bo Le and breaks through thetraditional concept of making use of personnel. This is really a wonderful artistic construction！“Journey tothe West to Fetch the Scriptures”is the largest part of the novel， including that Sanzang acquires his threedisciples， his White Dragon Horse and a series of stories of“81 ordeals”. In each episode the travelers arepresented with a problem that they have to deal with before they can continue on their way. Once the problemis solved， as it always is， the place where it happened is left behind and a new episode immediately begins.
Apart from the pilgrims themselves and some of their heavenly patrons who put in an occasional appearance，characters virtually never recur after the episode in which they feature. It is unusual for earlier episodes onthe journey even to be referred to once they are over. Monkey， Pig， Friar Sand the Tang Priest hardly evertalk about them； and while the monsters， kings and other characters met along the way have often heard ofthe pilgrims’ general reputations and origins， they rarely know anything about Monkey’s needs along the way.
How brilliant it is！ A string of stories that are both strung and separated by a gold string—Journey to theWest to Fetch the Scriptures， just like a string of precious pearls！ How perfect and unique the structure of theelaborate invention is！
《西游记》通过使用形象体系内的三维模式，成功地塑造了神奇、丰富多彩的各种人物。其主要特点是：
A）它打破了传统小说写好人全好，坏人全坏的旧模式，如《三国演义》和《水浒传》
中忠奸对立的二维模式。调动不同的手法，从不同的角度写人物丰富多彩的个性特点，甚至恶魔不都是表现出个人的邪恶和令人憎厌，有些甚至表现出一定的温情，读者就怀疑作者的有些描写是讽刺他自己当时所处社会中的某些有权有势之人。我们甚至对罗刹女，即铁扇公主，被其丈夫牛魔王抛弃，其子红孩儿又被观音收去，感到有点儿遗憾。
In Journey to the West many marvelously rich and colourful characters are successfully created bymaking use of a three-dimensional mode in the image system. Its main characteristics are as follows：
A) It breaks with the stereotypes of traditional Chinese fiction like good characters always described asgood and bad ones as bad， e. g. a two-dimensional mode used in Three kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh，and employs different writing methods to display their rich and colourful personalities from different angles.
Even all monsters are not shown as being personally evil or loathsome. Some are even shown with a certainwarmth， and the reader suspects that in some of the portrayals the author is satirizing powerful figures in thehuman society of his own day. We even feel a little sorry for Raksasi， the Princess Iron Fan who has beenabandoned by her husband the King of Magic Buffalo and whose son the Red Boy has been taken from her bythe Bodhisattva Guanyin.
B) 它巧妙地处理了主要人物的关系。其中的三藏和孙悟空，正如我们所见到的，即使追溯到更早期的各种版本，都有他们两个，并且孙悟空总是占优势。为了把两者加以对照，更好地突出孙悟空，几个世纪以来，三藏变得越来越弱，越来越无用，直到吴承恩的《西游记》，才把他写成了容易受骗的人。关于唐僧留下的唯一正面的东西，就是他保护自己坚定的决心，所以他能达到目的并取得真经。除此之外，他怯懦、自怜、易受骗、愚蠢、心胸狭隘；他饥饿和疲劳时爱抱怨，并且不情愿承认孙悟空的能力，否认孙悟空的努力。另一方面，孙悟空忠诚、无私地冒着被念可怕的紧箍咒的危险，无畏、勇敢、乐观、孜孜不倦，还有各种魔力使他成为如此杰出的斗士和保护人。孙悟空对师父的真正忠诚被表达得恰如其分，他不敬重唐僧的尊贵，完全没有奴性。但这两个人物不够建构一部伟大的小说。当猪八戒被引入了传说就弥补了这个缺口，是猪八戒给孙悟空提供了理想的陪衬角色。猪八戒妒忌孙悟空的魔力和战斗力比他强，而孙悟空对师父偏爱猪八戒不满意。猪八戒突显了孙悟空性格的某些方面，如顽皮而不是恶意的残忍，否则那些方面就不那么引人注目了；而孙悟空不会让猪八戒死去，他愿他师弟受些不愉快，就为压他一下。沙僧总是保持在阴影中，把聚光留给悟空和八戒，他绝无怨言并愿尽其所能。小白马也是如此。他们既是竞争对手又是好帮手。竞争就是小说中的中心关系，是竞争使每个人都尽力而为。每个人都有长处和短处、优点和缺点。但他们都是忠诚的同伴，在漫长而艰难的西游途中，他们起着互补的作用。他们都是同一家庭的成员，尽管个性不同并不可避免地有着矛盾和斗争，但一直是和睦相处，为他们共同的目的而团结战斗，终于五圣成真。
B) It artistically handles the relations of the main characters. Two of them， Sanzang and Monkey， hadbeen in the earlier versions of the story as far back as it can be traced， as we have seen， and Monkey hadalways been the dominant one. In order to set him off better， Sanzang became weaker and more useless overthe centuries， until by the time the present Journey to the West by Wu Cheng’en was written he had becomea nincompoop. The only positive thing left about him is his unswerving determination to preserve himself sohe can reach his goal and collect the ures. Apart from that， he is cowardly， self-pitying， easily deceived，stupid， petty， given to complaining when he is hungry or tired， and grudging in acknowledging Monkey’sabilities and efforts. Monkey， on the other hand， is loyal， selfless to the point of risking the dreaded Band-tightening Spell-being recited， unafraid， dauntless， cheerful and tireless， in addition to all the magic powersthat make him so outstanding a fighter and a fixer. Monkey’s attitude to his master， in which real loyalty isexpressed with no respect for Sanzang’s dignity， is utterly free from slavishness. But these two charactersare not enough to build a great story on. This gap was filled when Pig was brought into the tradition. It isPig who provides the ideal foil for Monkey. Pig envies Monkey’s superior magical and fighting powers，while Monkey resents what he sees as the master’s favouritism towards Pig. Pig brings out some aspects ofMonkey’s character， such a playful but malicious cruelty， that might otherwise be less noticeable. WhileMonkey won’t let Pig die， he is willing to let his junior fellow-disciple suffer all sorts of unpleasantness justin order to get one up on him. Friar Sand is always retained in the shadows， leaving the limelight to Monkeyand Pig， never complains and usually does his utmost. So does the White Dragon Horse. They are both rivalsand good helpers. That rivalry is the central relationship in the novel. It is rivalry that makes everyone do hisbest. Everyone has his own strong and weak points， virtues and defects. But all of them are loyal companions，who are playing their complementary roles during their long and difficult journey to the West. They are themembers of the same family， though with different personalities and inevitably different contradictions andconflicts， yet always getting along harmoniously and united in struggle for their common goal， and at last， fiveof them achieve Nirvana.
C）《西游记》描写的是神奇的幻想境界，作者展开想象的翅膀，自由地在幻想的宇宙中翱翔，在时间上和空间上突破了生死的限制、天地的隔阂和人间与阴间的障碍。小说中的人物可以上天宫，下地府，游人间，玩龙宫，登仙山，入深山洞穴。神仙妖魔都是相貌奇异，神通广大，变化莫测。读小说，我们仿佛置身于一个光怪陆离的神话或童话世界，增添了无限的乐趣。
To describe the magic， fantastic domain of the Journey to the West， the author flaps his wings ofimagination and soars as freely as possible in the fantastic universe， breaking away in time and space fromthe fetters of life and death， the barriers between heaven and earth， and the obstacles between human worldand the underworld. His characters are free to ascend up to the celestial palaces and descend down to Hades，travel through the world and play around the dragons’ palaces， mount the fairy mountains and visit the cavesdeep in the mountains. All immortals， monsters and demons， though strange-looking， possess their unusualpowers and ever change with the occasion. In reading the novel， we feel as if located in the grotesque mythicalor fairy world and derive boundless joy from it.
D）在写人物时，小说善于把人性、物性和神性结合起来，使这三方面统一在一个人物身上。人性指的是人所具有的七情六欲和喜怒哀乐的感情；物性指的是动物或植物所具有的特性，比如孙悟空是猴子，具有猴性；猪八戒是猪，具有猪性；牛魔王是牛，具有牛性等。神性指的是超人的本领与特征，无论是孙悟空、猪八戒，还是牛魔王、狮子精等，都具有神通广大的超人本领。这样三性俱全的人物，能超越人、神、鬼三界的界限，内涵丰富深刻，既神奇又真实、有趣，具有神话和童话人物的特点。
In characterization the novel skillfully blends the human nature with that of things and immortals anddisplays their unity in each character. With the human nature it means the gamut of emotions of humanbeings including joy， anger and sorrow； by the nature of things it is meant the characteristics of animals andplants. For example， Sun Wukong is a monkey， Pig a pig and King of Magic Buffalo a buffalo—the threecharacters breathe their respective characteristics of the three corresponding animals. By the nature ofimmortals we mean the superhuman abilities and characteristics. Monkey， Pig， King of Magic Buffalo and theLioness Monster， all possess the superhuman abilities. Born of this blend， the characters can transcend thehuman， the heavenly and the demonic three worlds’ boundaries. They are magic， lifelike and interesting， withprofound implications and at the same time resemble those from mythical and fairy tales.
E）在形象体系内，三维模式结构如下：一维是进步势力，以孙悟空为代表，一生追求自由、平等。当然，包括他的取经团队。尽管他们个性不同，但取经的目的一样，皆追求人生真谛，皆想造福生灵和社罥。另一维是保守势力，由以玉帝为代表的“神”，以太上老君为代表的“仙”和以如来为代表的“佛”组成。“神、仙、佛”组成“联军”，镇压了孙悟空的叛逆，最后把孙悟空压在了五行山下，因为孙悟空追求自由平等并反叛他们的欺诈和歧视而大闹了天宫。这表明他们在竭力对“他们的神圣和崇高的权威保守”，对“他们的封建道德标准、正统秩序和统治地位保守”。还有一维是反动势力，以妖魔为代表的贪官劣绅等。
孙悟空与“神、仙、佛”的关系，既有矛盾的一面，又有合作的一面。孙悟空反对他们“官官相护”或在仁慈的幌子下不加惩罚地把凶妖恶魔度回上界，这是矛盾的一面。孙悟空在取经途中遇到难题，或到天宫查询妖怪来历，或要求“神、仙、佛”帮助，皆有求必应，这是合作的一面。“神、仙、佛”与妖魔的关系，二者既有矛盾的一面，又有相互依存的一面。
“神、仙、佛”反对妖魔加害唐僧和人间，因而愿意帮助孙悟空，同时又充当保护伞，反对孙悟空将凶妖恶魔一棒打死。孙悟空与妖魔的关系，二者是对抗性的矛盾，不存在妥协的余地。在所有的妖魔中，男的特想吃唐僧肉，因为他是如此的圣洁以致吃了他的肉他们就能长生不老；女妖想与唐僧交配得到长生不老，而孙悟空决心要极力保护有救命之恩的师父唐僧去西天取经，这便是他们斗争的焦点。因此，它直接关系到唐僧的生命安全和取经事业的成败。然而，所有妖魔都有背后支持者，因为每当把他们带来登记罪行时，他们总逃脱了应受的惩罚。他们的高位庇护人，如太上老君、观音、西海龙王和其他天上帝王，纵容他们穷凶极恶的罪行，当其暴露时就掩盖，并让其逃避惩罚。孙悟空既气愤又抱怨，但他知道他无能为力。这是明朝中期政治、社会背景的比喻性写照，这种现实主义的表达方式突破了传统的思想和写作方式。
In the image system the three-dimensional mode is formed as follows. One dimension is the progressiveforces， represented by Monkey who has been seeking for freedom and equality all his life， of course，including his companions. Though they have different personalities， they have the same goal to take back theures. They all seek for the true meaning of life and all want to bring benefit to the people and country.
Another dimension is the conservative forces， which are made up of gods represented by the Jade Emperor，immortals represented by Lord Lao Zi， Buddhas represented by the Lord Buddha. The joint forces of gods，immortals and Buddhas have suppressed Monkey’s rebellion and finally pressed Monkey down under theFive Elements Mountain， for Monkey has been seeking for freedom and equality， and rebelled against theirdeceit and discrimination by Playing Havoc in Heaven. This shows that they have done their utmost to“holdtheir sacred and exalted authority”and“keep their feudal ethics， traditional order and ruling position”.
The other dimension is the reactionary forces， represented by demons and monsters who symbolize thecorrupt officials， local tyrants and evil gentry， etc. The relations between Monkey and gods， immortals，Buddhas are both contradictory and cooperative. Monkey objects to officials shielding one another or theirprotection of the demons and monsters by letting them escape scot-free under the pretence of kindness. Thisis the contradictory aspect. Whenever Monkey is in trouble on the journey， or goes to Heaven to find out themonster’s background， or asks for help from whoever has the power to subdue the monster in question， any ofthe gods， immortals or Buddhas who’s asked will help. This is the cooperative aspect. The relations betweenmonsters and the gods， immortals and Buddhas are both contrary and mutually-dependent. The gods，immortals and Buddhas are not only opposed to monsters’ doing harm to Sanzang and humans， and thereforethey are willing to help Monkey but also play the part of protective umbrellas and object to Monkey killingthem with his cudgel. The relation between Monkey and demons or monsters is an antagonistic contradictionand there is no room for compromise. Among all the demons and monsters， the males are particularly eagerto eat some of the flesh of the Tang Priest because he is so holy that it will make them live for ever； and thefemales want to attain immortality by mating with him. But Monkey is determined to do his best to protecthis master Sanzang who has saved his life， on the Journey to the West to Fetch the Scriptures. This is thefocus of their struggle. So it is directly concerned with Sanzang’s life and safety， the success or failure oftheir cause of taking back the ures. However， all demons and monsters have their behind-the-scenessupporters， so when they are brought to book for their misdeeds they escape the punishment they deserve.
Their high-placed patrons， such as the Supreme Lord Lao Zi， Guanyin， Dragon King of the Western Sea andother Heavenly kings， connive at their enormities and cover up for them when they are found out， letting themescape scot-free. Monkey is incensed， and rails against these scoff-laws. But he knows that there is nothinghe can do about the situation. This is an allegorical picture of the social and political scene in the middle ofthe Ming Dynasty. This way of realistic expression breaks through the traditional way of thinking and writing.
《西游记》轻松愉快风格的一个主要特点是幽默。孙悟空是中国古典小说中最优秀的喜剧人物。他的幽默来自他的乐观自信和对人们真实本性的敏锐洞察力，还来自他对别人弱点的宽容以及他对邪恶的憎恨。小说的幽默也表现在主要情节和次要情节的喜剧性之中，尽管故事并非全都同样激动人心。悟空与八戒间的对话是小说最大的快乐，也是小说风格的另一主要特点。时而温馨，时而尖锐如针刺，时而互相领会，时而讨论形势，时常玩笑，他们之间的交谈就是永无止境的快乐源泉。对大多数读者来说，那些对话就是小说的核心；因为那些对话是人性逼真的反映，那些对话无处不给予小说永恒的生命力，那些对话无处不让普天下的人们喜爱。猪八戒的笨拙言行是不变的欢闹，但他引发的笑声既让人宽容同时又令人悲伤。作者对宗教的玩世不恭态度又是小说风格的一个主要特点。这类例子如道士抢走妇女、骗取儿童的心肝来做长生药，嘲笑如来佛是“妖怪的外甥”，甚至在他的圣地敲诈勒索和行贿受贿都盛行。作者的讽刺尤其针对唐僧——他固执而自负，当面对困难时，就显露出了佛教教义的某些方面而脱离了现实，作者表达了对宗教的态度，与他在大闹天宫中表达出对封建主义的态度一样，使用幽默，剥去神圣的服饰和权利，使之回归现实。当然，作者不是完全拒绝宗教，他只是对唐僧教条主义地保护神圣的信条和当时佛教界盛行的利用职权营私舞弊行为表示取笑。作者的幽默是建立在对人类社会的深刻认识和高度的心理洞察之基础上的。
Humour is a major characteristic of the pleasant and light-hearted style of Journey to the West. Monkeyis the supreme comic figure in all the classical Chinese novels. His humour springs from his optimisticself-confidence and his sharp ability to perceive people’s true natures， as well as his tolerance of others’
weaknesses and his hatred of evil. The humour in the novel is also manifested in certain plots and subplots ofthe nature of comedies. Monkey and Pig’s dialogues are one of the greatest joys of the novel and also anothermain characteristic of the style of the novel. Sometimes very warm， sometimes needling， sometimes getting ateach other， sometimes discussing the situation， often joking， their talk is an unending source of pleasure. Formany readers they are the heart of the novel； and because they are so true to human nature everywhere theygive the book its immortality and universal appeal. Pig’s clumsy actions and speech are invariably hilarious，but the laughter he elicits is tolerant but sad at the same time. The author’s cynical attitude toward religionis a chief characteristic of the style of the novel as well. Examples of this are the Taosit priests who carry offwomen and gouge out children’s hearts and livers to make medicine. Tathagata Buddha too is derided asa“nephew of evil spirits，”as even in his Pure Land extortion and bribery are rife. The author’s caustic wit isespecially directed at Xuanzang， who is depicted as being obstinate and pompous when faced with difficulties，thus revealing some of the ways in which Buddhist teachings are divorced from reality. To express his attitudetoward religion， the author uses humour—in the same way as he does in Havoc in Heaven to express hisattitude toward feudalism— to strip off the holy trappings and pretensions， and bring religion back to earth.
Of course， the author does not reject religion altogether； he merely pokes fun at Xuanzang’s dogmatic defenseof the sacred tenets and the malpractices prevalent in contemporary Buddhist circles. The author’s humour isbuilt up on a base of profound knowledge of human society and a high degree of psychological penetration.
《西游记》的思想内容极其丰富而深刻。它的主题思想到底是什么呢？人们有不同的看法。有人认为他是一部“游戏之作”，认为它没有什么寓意，作者写作只是为了娱乐，为了好玩而已。有人认为它有深刻的寓意，至于有什么寓意，也有不同的看法。对此，在明清两朝时期出现过多种论说。明朝谢肇罥的《读西游记》，认为小说有深刻的含义，可归纳成几个字，即“求其放心”，这与王阳明的心学相符，粗略说来，被放弃了的心就是受到外物迷惑而放荡不羁的人心，必须寻求收回，使其回归正道。将孙悟空比作心猿，象征着放荡不羁的人心；猪八戒比作意马，象征着放荡不羁的意欲。当孙悟空大闹天宫时，他的人心放荡不羁，失去了善心，当他皈依佛法并戴上控制他的紧箍咒时，就表明他收心回归正道了。
The ideological content of Journey to the West is very rich and profound. What is the main theme ofJourney to the West after all？ Different people hold their different views about it. Some think it is a“workof games”without any implied meaning， and the author writes it up only for the sake of entertainment ormere play. Some think it is pregnant with meaning， which， nevertheless， varies from person to person. Manytheories about it emerged during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. According to Xie Zhaozhi’s Reading Journeyto the West， there is a deep meaning in the novel which can be summed up in a few words， vies.，“Seek yourabandoned heart”. This is in accord with the basic theory of Wang Yangming about the nature of the heart；roughly， the abandoned heart is one which has been lost to the delusions of outside things， and what one mustdo is try to return it to the realm of self-consciousness and knowledge of what is good. Monkey is comparedto one’s heart like a capering monkey， which symbolizes indulgence and intemperance； and Pig to one’s heartlike galloping horse， which is symbolic of licentious and unbridled desires. When Monkey creates Havoc inHeaven， that is the heart running rampant and the loss of knowledge of what is good. Monkey’s becoming aBuddhist and the Incantation of Golden Hoop， which is