preface
In the history of Chinese literature, the two masterpieces "Water Margin" and "Journey to the West" have attracted countless readers with their unique charm.
The former tells the story of the heroes of Liangshan, while the latter depicts the fantastic journey of the four Tang monks and apprentices to learn the scriptures.
However, behind the heroic deeds of the heroes of Liangshan, there is also no lack of bad deeds, and the three apprentices of Tang Seng were not good before they converted to Buddhism, and even on the way to learn scriptures, what they did could not be regarded as representing justice.
Let's talk about it in detail.
1. The atrocities and good deeds of the heroes of Liangshan
First, let's examine the evil deeds of the heroes of Liangshan. Although most of them claim to be righteous, their actions are mixed with many heinous atrocities.
Evil deeds such as the indiscriminate killing of innocent people outside Qingzhou, the blood-spattered Mandarin Duck Tower, and the indiscriminate killing of Huang Wenbing's innocent family members are all indifferent to and trampled on life.
For their own selfish interests, they do not hesitate to kill innocent people, this kind of cruelty and violence is far from the name of heroes.
In particular, Li Kui's behavior in Hujiazhuang is even more outrageous. Ignoring the fact that Hujiazhuang had surrendered, he slaughtered all the old and the young, robbed the money, and set fire to the village, and his methods were so cruel that they were horrifying.
These evil deeds are undoubtedly a great irony of the title of Liangshan hero.
Later, after the "Liangshan Group" officially became a climate, they converged a lot, even if they occupied the mountain as the king, they did not rob the past merchants, nor did they infringe on the common people, Chao Gai was also very disgusted with the kind of chickens and dogs and thieves in the times, but Song Jiang was better at using all kinds of "talents", so that Liangshan grew rapidly, in fact, he was also in order to realize his highest ideal of feudal literati.
Before they were recruited, in several direct confrontations with the government, they did not harm the people, but opened the granary of the government and distributed the grain to the people.
And after being recruited, they fought for the country and truly "did the right thing for heaven".
2. The evil deeds and refuge of the three apprentices of Journey to the West
In contrast, the evil deeds of Tang Seng's three apprentices before converting to Buddhism in Journey to the West are equally shocking.
Although Sun Wukong was born a stone monkey and had no father or mother, when he was in Huaguo Mountain, in order to live forever, he did not hesitate to cross the ocean and learn art.
After returning from school, he made a big fuss in the heavenly palace, stirring up the restlessness of the Three Realms, in addition, he also gathered a lot of demons, and the six demons such as the Bull Demon King swore as brothers, perhaps out of the beautification of the protagonist, there are not many descriptions of his evil deeds in the book, but it can also be seen that Sun Wukong is a cannibal, and he also transforms into a beauty, and tricks humans into a cave to kill.
In addition, after he had a conflict with Tang Seng and briefly returned to Huaguo Mountain, he encountered human hunters coming to catch monkeys, and he cast a spell and killed thousands of people.
Let's talk about Zhu Bajie, before Guanyin Bodhisattva enlightened him, he bit the sows and the pig brothers and sisters of his compatriots, occupied the cave, and lived a cannibalistic life.
This cruel deprivation of life is contrary to the Buddhist doctrine of compassion.
As for the sand monk, he was a monster in the quicksand river before he took refuge, and he went out to eat every few days and ate countless people.
This kind of evil behavior is undoubtedly an extreme disregard for life.
In general, Sun Wukong's behavior is the worst, and he has formed a criminal gang with the demons, while Zhu Bajie and Monk Sha are both individual behaviors.
However, we have to ask, can the crimes they have committed really be written off?
3. The heroes of Liangshan do not oppose the emperor, and the three disciples of Journey to the West do not practice justice
From the above comparison, we can see that both the heroes of Liangshan and the three apprentices of Tang Seng in Journey to the West committed many evil deeds before being recruited and converted.
They brutally deprive and trample on innocent lives, either for their own selfish interests or because of their personal desires. These evil deeds are undoubtedly a profound revelation of the evil side of human nature.
Although they had committed evil deeds, they eventually embarked on the path of reformation and conversion. Whether it is the heroes of Liangshan who accepted Zhao'an under the leadership of Song Jiang, or the three apprentices of Tang Seng who went through hardships on the way to learn scriptures and finally achieved positive results, they all reflect the complexity and variability of human nature.
But one thing to note is that the heroes of Liangshan eventually preserved the emperor's country, which was contrary to the original intention of most of them, and of course, this was exactly what Song Jiang wanted.
And although the three disciples of Journey to the West fought a lot of demons on the road, in fact, these demons were sent from above to hone them, and they did not kill any demons with backgrounds, and the evil done by the demons was not punished.
epilogue
To sum up, don't say that there are no heroes in Liangshan, and the three disciples of Journey to the West are all evildoers.
Whether it is a hero in Liangshan or the three apprentices of Tang Seng in Journey to the West, they have committed a lot of evil deeds before they convert or become heroes.
However, this does not negate their value and significance. Instead, we should see their ultimate choices and changes, and see the complexity and variability of human nature.
Only in this way can we understand and evaluate these literary images more comprehensively, and can we better recognize and understand ourselves.