30.Was Journey to the West actually written as a story about the human world?

If you ask an average Western reader, they might say it is because the book has flying monkeys, demons who can turn into beautiful women, and magical bottles that can hold the entire sky. It sounds a bit like an Eastern version of The Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, full of magic and adventure. But if you only read it as a fantasy story, then you are probably only seeing the surface of the book. It is like looking only at the clothes a person is wearing, without noticing the beating heart beneath them.