比较分析《西游记》和《天路历程》.docx

比较分析《西游记》和《天路历程》.docx

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比较分析《西游记》和《天路历程》

AComparativeStudyonTheJourneytotheWestandThePilgrim’sProgress

1.Introduction

Necessarily,differentculturalcharacteristicsofnationalityderivefromvarietiesenvironment,lifestyle,tradition,faithandappreciation.However,culturesofdifferentnationalitieshavesomethingincommonforpeople’sthought,emotion,andbehavior.AsMr.MengZhaoyipoints:

Humandevelopmentisatrendwhichbringsaboutatransnationalortrans-regionalcultureexchanges.Charactersofcultures,suchasdevelopment,synchronism,transmission,enculturationandbackwardnessmakeitprogresses.Thedevelopmentofcultureburststherestrainsofcommunication.Nowadays,wecannotfindnothingwhereacultureisimpactedbyothers.

Throughouttheworldhistoryliterature,thesufferingprocessesofbelieversisoneofthemainthemesofreligionworks,suchasThePilgrim’sProgressandTheJourneytotheWest.AbsolutelythewritingofthePilgrim’sProgressisbasedonChristianismparticularlyTheBible,whileTheJourneytotheWestisbasedonBuddhism,ConfucianismandTaoism.Similarhistoricalcircumstanceandreligionatmospherecoincidentallymakethetwoauthorschoosereligionsubjectandtheformofimaginationtowritewhichmakestheworksacarrierofreligionideology,salvationconceptandpeople’sacknowledgmentandexplorationtotheothersideoftheworld.ThePilgrim’sProgressishonoredas“aperfectworkofallegory”bywesterner,whiletheJourneytotheWestishonoredas“amedievallegendaryofChina”.Theyarewrittenaccordingtosocialmatters.Theycriticizeonsocialevils,greatlyshowthesenseofmissionsocialresponsibility.Thetwoworksdifferfromeachotherfortheirheroesaimstothejourney,authors’attitudestowardrisingbusinessmenandwritingtechniques.Wecouldhaveabetterunderstandingofthetwoworksbyexploringtheirsimilaritiesanddifferences.

2.Differencesofthetwonovels

2.1Differentimageryofnames

ThefirstsectionofThePilgrim’sProgresstellsastoryinformofdreamwherethechristianknowstheruinofhometownfromabook.Amancalled“preacher”warnshimofleavingforheaven.Thenhestartshisjourney.ThesecondsectionofthebooktellsastoryaboutChristian’swife,whosenameisWomanChristian,takingajourneytoheavenwithherchildren.SheisguidedbyamancalledFearless.BasedonTheBible,thetwosectionsofThePilgrim’sProgresshasmanysymbolicnames.Forexample,therearethePondofDespair,MountainofDifficulty（difficultiesthatthechristianmusttoovercome）,VillageofDoubt,GiantofDespair（theChristianisheldbackbyGiantofDespairatVillageofDoubt）,andVanityFair,Preacher（whoguidesthejourneyofChristian）andMr.Fearless（whoguidesthejourneyofWomanChristian）.

Havingsufferedfromcountlessdifficulties,anddangers,theChristianarrivesinheaven,makinghisdreamofsalvationcometrue.Heismodeledasanincarnationofvirtueandanexampleofpuritansatrevolutionage.MrBrave,modeledasarepresentativeforrightnessaswell.Asfornegativeroles,thereareArrogant,Haughtyandsoon.TheyarehatedbyGodaccordingtoTheBible.Besides,conceptualizedrolesareusedtoimplythefiguresinrealsociety.Forexample,DevilApollyonisatyrant.Mr“Bashfulness”isasaintwhenbeingatoutsidebutadevilwhenbeingathome.Theyarethesymbolsofevilandguilt.ManynamesandrolesinthebookoriginatefromthehistoryofChristianity.Forexample,theChristian’sfourkids,theyareMathew,Samuel,JosephandJacob.AccordingtoTheBible,Mathewisoneofthe12apprenticesofJesus,Samuelisafamousprophetatjudgesage,JosephisthetwelfthsonofJacobandJacobisJesus’brother.

InTheJourneytotheWest,TangMonk’sthreeapprenticesrepresentthreekindofbadhabits,theyareavarice,angerandsimpleton.Pigrepresentspeoplewhohaveastrongdesireofavarice.Helustforwealth,beauty,fame,profit,foodandsleep.Pigiswarnedtoobservetheeightcommandmentssothathecanquitthedesireofavariceandgainwisdom.Asaresult,heisnamedas“EightCommandments”.Conversely,Pigfailstoobserve.MonkeyKingrepresentsanger,healwayswantstocontrolwhenanaccidentshappenunfairly.Buthewillbeangrywhenheismisunderstoodandblamedbyhismaster.Beingendowedwithmagicpowerandhavinganabilityofseventytwometamorphoses,MonkeyKingismorepowerfulthanTangMonk,nevertheless,TangMonkisthemasterwhileMonkeyKingisn’t.WhenIwasalittleboy,Icouldn’tunderstandwhyTangMonkisthemasterashelookssoweak,ratherthanMonkeyKingisasheissopowerful.ButfinallyIgotitafterIstudyBuddhism,whichtellsmethattheultimatepursuitofBuddhismisnotbeingpowerfulbuttoeliminatehuman’sanger.MonkShaisamanofsimpletonandhonesty,beinglackofcommonsense.Hehasnoideaofwhatisrightorwrong.StudyingBuddhismcanhelphimavoidconfusion.

2.2Differentattitudestowardrisingbourgeoisie

TheJourneytotheWestwaswrittenwhencapitalismrises,whileThePilgrim’sProgressiswrittenatthetimeofEnglandbourgeoisrevolution.Inevitably,risingbusinessmenareinvolvedinbothworks.AlthoughtheJourneytotheWestisastoryaboutTangDynasty,itpresentsasituationofflourishingdevelopmentofcapitalismatmiddleandlaterMingDynasty.Beingatthefeudalage,WuCheng’en,theauthor,darenottoadvocatebusinessactivitiesdirectly.Sohejustholdsacautiousattitudetowardthepromotionofcapitalism.Yet,wecanfindtheauthor’spromotiontotherisingbusinessmeninthebook.Everydestinationofthejourneyownspraisefromtheauthor,evenpubsaredescribedasparadise.Itisabreakthroughthattheauthorequatethelowly-consideredbusinessactivitywiththeloftyjourneyofTangMonk.Forexample,whenTangMonkseesagroupofbusinessmenwalkingondangerouslayerofice,hesays,“Benefitismoreimportantthananything.Theyrisktheirlifeforgainingbenefitwhilemyemperorbrotherbeloyaltofame.Itmakesnodifference”.Meanwhile,thereismuchpraiseforhumanityandaspirationforfreedomspirit.MonkeyKing,whateverherepresentsinthebook,representstheliberationofpersonality.Theauthorisapersonoflower-level.Hehasacloseexperiencetothebenefitbroughtbydevelopmentofbourgeoisietherefore,headvocatestherisingbourgeoisie.SomewritersofhistoryregardTheJourneytotheWestandThePlumintheGoldenVaseasworksoftwoage.Butthatisincorrect.GreatlyTheJourneytotheWestcontinuestotellthekindofstoryofThePlumintheGoldenVase.Boththenovelshaveasimilarattitudetowardrisingclass.

Totherisingbusinessmen,Bunyanacceptsandcriticizes.IfthereisnodescriptionofVanityFair,ThePilgrim’sProgresswouldbeamerereligionworkwrittentoexhort.Itisthedescriptionthatpresentsfeaturesofthatage.VanityFairisdescribedasamaterialisticandvileplace.Therearemanygoodssuchascountry,desire,happiness,whore,childrenandanythingtobepurchased.WhenthechristianandhispartnerMrLoyaltybuytruth,theyaremocked,attackedandevenbesentencedtodeath.Infact,the“VanityFair”mirrorsthelifeofEnglandbourgeoisnoblemen.Andistheauthor,weatherornot,anopponenttothecapitalismclassashedescribestheVanityFairsuchacorruptplace?

BunyanhadjoinedtheCromwell’sNewModelarmyandedifiedwithbourgeoisideology.Heisnottheopponenttocapitalismbutanopponentto“thosepeoplewhoareopposedtothesupremeofGod”.Namely,heisopposedtothosenoblemenwhodisobeystheedificationofGod,andtheclergywhoexploitchurches.

2.3Differentaimsofjourneys

Althoughthetwonovelsrevealrealitybyreligion,theyhavedifferentcognitiontoit,whichhatcanbeexploredinprotagonists’aimfortheirjourneys.

TheJourneytotheWestisasubvertingworkforitsatiresfeudalcultureofTaoism,ConfucianismandBuddhism.Andtheauthorexpresseshissatirebyanotherbuddhistandtaoistworksaswell.TheJourneytotheWestis“aworkofgame”,itcontains“sharprealism”,andconveysthetruthbygames.Thesatireisradiatedbyauthor’sunsatisfiedtonetofeudalismsociety.AttheperiodofmiddleandlaterMingDynasty,emperorsbecomemoreandmoreincompetentandcorrupt.Thecountryfallsdownandtheirpeopleliveinmisery.Thatsituationgeneratesthoughtsofsalvationandloyaltythataregreatlyadvocatedbytheauthor.ThereforeTangMonkstartshisjourney.However,itisnotforhimselfbutforthesalvationofallandforhisemperor’severlastingpower.Jambudvipa,whereTangDynastylocates,isaplacefilledwithavarice,slaughter,deception,lies,cheat,ingrateandmurder.

ObviouslytheplaceisnotarealplaceofTangdynasty.ItisaplotconceivedtoshowthedegenerationofmiddleandlaterperiodofMingDynasty.Facedwiththatsituation,theauthorwantstofindawaytoreform,whichmeanstochangethesituationandpeople’ssoulbygoodideologiesandmoralcultivation.

AtBunyan’sage,theemperorofEnglandwasabelieverofRomanCatholic,andChristianchurchwasbadlycorrupt.ItisnotthesameaswhatisdescribedinTheBible.Therefore,whatBunyanwantstodoistocorrectthewrongrealitywithhispen.Justasitiswritteninthisbook,“Whythechristianstartshisjourney?

Heisoppressedbythegreatburden.Heworriesabouttheruinofhishometownbyheaven’sfire.Hecries,“Howcanwebesaves?

”.

Althoughthewaysofsalvationisdifferent,itdiffersfromtheideologiesbetweenChinaandforeigncountries.TheaimofTheJourneytotheWestliesinhelpingfromothers,whiletheaimofThePilgrim’sProgressliesinself-rescue.Anyw