The Laughing Sutra

A detailed Summary of The Laughing Sutra

The Laughing Sutra by Mark Salzman is a story about Hsun-ching's journey to America so he may find an old Buddhist scripture and bring it back to his adopted father in China. Hsun-ching is accompanied by Colonel Sun, an immortal who spent his early life as a soldier, he was essential in assisting Hsun-ching on his journey to America and retrieving the sutra. Although The Laughing Sutra portrays Hsun-ching as the hero because he brought his master the final sutra, I think that Colonel Sun is the real hero because he saved Hsun-ching's life on many occasions, he was critical to safely travel through China and Hong Kong, and he was essential to recover the sutra in order for Wei-ching to finally be able to read it.

A hero can be defined as a person who performs acts without expecting anything in return. Hero may also be defined as "a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability." (Webster) A hero is also a person who is willing to sacrifice his or her own life for the greater good. Colonel Sun is the hero in this novel because he was committed to helping Hsun-ching at all costs. "But the only reason I am here and not closer to the boat is that I assumed you wanted to get th

"A few minutes later Hsun-ching heard shuffling sounds from the room below him.... Now what will I do?" (243-244) The colonel thought that if he was on his way back to China, how hard would it be to bring a little piece of paper for an old man. Although the colonel could not read, he still had to try and find it. It took the colonels strength and Hsun-ching's ability to read to find the sutra. Colonel Sun acted as a hero again during this part of the novel because he was prepared to finish what they had started, and although he knew it was very unlikely he would find the sutra on his own, he still put forth the effort to attempt it.

Colonel Sun demonstrated his heroism on many occasions throughout the story. First when he saved Hsun-ching from his demise by catching him when he was thrown off the waterfall. "Someone tried to kill this boy today, I happened to be nearby, so I was able to save him." (13) This was heroic because the Colonel did not know who the boy was, and would receive nothing for saving his life except knowing the fact that he was responsible for allowing the boy to try and live a full and complete life. He only asked that Wei-ching not say how the boy came to be with him. Colonel Sun was also ready and willing to stand up and fight for Hsun-ching if needed. "Just as quickly, the colonel stepped between Hsun-ching and the black haired man." (229) Without any care for his own safety, he was ready to protect Hsun

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Approximate Word count = 976
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English