Monster: The Representation of Akusala-Kamma and Cultural in ‘Naen Kaew and Noi Chaiya’ Cartoon Book Series

Abstract

This research explores monster characters which are the representations of akusala-kamma and local and cultural identities in ‘Naen Kaew and Noi Chaiya’ cartoon book series. The results show that there are in total 11 types of monster, namely 1. ant, 2. TV monster, 3. monkey, 4. Japanese soldiers, 5. chicken, 6. sea monster, 7. pig, 8. buffalo, 9. ‘Phi-ta-khon’ ghost, 10. ‘sao khom fa’ ghost, and 11. tiger. Each of these monsters represents akusala-kamma — greed, hatred, and delusion. Greed is portrayed through pig and monkey monsters, hatred through 7 kinds of monster, and delusion (or lust) through TV and chicken monsters. Moreover, some monsters (monkey, sea, and buffalo monsters, and ‘ta-khon’ and ‘sao khom fa’ ghosts) are designed to depict local and cultural identities. All in all, with such distinct representation of akusala-kamma, Thai identities, and Dhamma, the series has been highly acclaimed and received many awards.