Taiwanese novels written during the Japanese reign developed three views of nature. In these novels, nature is not only a place where characters make a living and achieve a sense of local identity, but also a medium through which to express emotion. In Chang Wen-Huan's “Night Monkey”, however, the function of nature extends beyond these three roles. Because the main characters are simple village people incapable of reflecting on the implications of their lives, many ideas are expressed through the dramatized narrator. Though its basic role is still that of a life-sustaining environment, nature becomes a transcendent entity that produces eternal values and psychological freedom.