Monkey and Masculinity

Abstract Readers of the Ming novel Xiyou ji (Journey to the West) assume that the Monkey character, Sun Wukong, is masculine in gender. They see his outright claims to manliness and masculinity, especially in his proud references to himself as haohan, “good man,” or “true man.” Besides his masculinity, he also needs to be considered in light of his asexuality, which he expresses in his insistence that he “has never engaged in that kind of thing.” This study looks at Monkey in terms of both these issues: how he considers himself belonging to the social category of men, and how he manifests himself being an asexual individual, which involves not only his own sexual nature, but also that of the characters with whom he interacts. All such questions necessitate a review of what the standards and ideals of masculinity were in the social world of both the novel and its literary and historical context. The topic of Monkey and sexuality is important because his lack of interest in sex is only occasionally referred to and therefore in need of more clarity. Given previous portrayals of Monkey and other simian figures as blatantly lustful, his rendition in the 1592 Shide tang edition of Xiyou ji represents a step in a radically new direction.