The Little Prince

By: Antoine De Saint – Exupery

Paola Diaz LIBR 268 July 8, 2013

Major Plot of the Little Prince

“ The most

beautiful things in the world cannot be

seen or touched, they are felt with the heart

”

The story begins with a pilot who has just crash landed in the Sahara Desert, as he is working on his plane he is interrupted by what appears to be a child with unruly blonde hair who has appeared out of nowhere. The Little Prince as he is referred to, asks the pilot for a drawing of a sheep. The pilot is somewhat hesitant having explained that when he was a child he had been discouraged by adults to pursue drawing but rather focus on serious things like History. Eventually he grants the Little Prince’s request and they become friends in the eight days that they are together.

In their time together, the Little Prince relates his adventures and speaks about his homeland, Asteroid B-612. He tells the pilot of how his planet has three volcanoes, one of which is extinct, and how he rakes them. He also mentions the importance of getting rid of bad seeds, especially those of the Baobabs, who if allowed to grow can cause much harm to his planet. Beside this he mentions that he has a rose that he loves very much but has come to distrust because of her lies. She is very vain and doesn’t treat the Little Prince very nicely, it is for this reason that he decided to leave his home planet.

While on his travels, he visits seven planets, which include Earth. In his visits he encounters many different adults: the king, vain man, drunkard and businessman among them. He finds them to be very perplexing and mostly concerned with themselves. Only the Lamplighter, seems to gain some respect with the Little Prince, because in doing his job, he is thinking of others. As he travels he starts to miss and worry about his rose, who is left to fend on her own.

He eventually comes to Earth where he ventures upon a rose garden, he is surprised to find that his rose isn’t the only rose around as she had claimed. This encounter only makes him long for his rose more. He also encounters a fox, who gives the Little Prince wise lessons about humans and life. Than he comes upon a poisonous snake that assures him that he can help get him back home. The story ends with the Little Prince deciding to return to his home planet with the aide of the poisonous snake. As he prepares to be bitten by the snake he tells the sadden pilot that the stars will always serve to be a reminder of him. The stars will appear to be laughing at him, a reminder of the Little Prince’s laughter.

Characters The Little Prince: The real main character of the story, he is described as

being a child, with golden hair who comes from the Asteroid B-612. He runs away after having a confrontation with his rose and ends up relating his travels to the pilot in the eight day that they are together.

The Pilot / Narrator: He is among one of the principle characters who retells his memories of meeting the Little Prince while stranded in the Sahara Desert after crash landing his airplane. He relates the story of how as a youth he was told by adult to focus on important things like History and Geography rather than on his drawings.

The Little Prince’s Rose: With the exception of three volcanoes, one of which is extinct and the Baobabs, the only other thing that lives in the same planet as the Little Prince is his friend a single rose. She isn’t very modest and gives the Little Prince so much grief with how she treats him that he decided to leave his planet because of it. However as the story proceeds the Little Prince grows to miss his rose and fear for her well being since he isn’t their to tend to her.

The Fox: The Little Prince first encounters the fox while visiting Earth. The fox teaches the Little Prince about the ways of humans and the importance of being tamed. He then asks the Little Prince to tame him, to which the Little Prince agrees to. Before leaving the fox, he is told by him ,“One sees clearly with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes” (De Saint – Exupery, 1943, p. 63)

Characters

The Snake: While on Earth the Little Prince also encounters a snake who tells him that there aren’t any people on account that they are both in an African desert. The Little Prince finds him to be a curious creature and judges the snake to have little power. The snake assures him that he has more power than it seems, being able to send people to the land they come from. Eventually it is the snake the will aide the Little Prince in returning to his planet.

The King: While visiting different planets the Little Prince comes upon the planet of a lonely king sitting on his thrown. The king is happy to see the Little Prince as it gives him a chance to have a subject to rule over. He assures the Little Prince that he is rule of everything including all the planets and the stars. The king while given to giving many commands assures that he only give those that are reasonable and that can be performed by those commanded. He is sadden to see the Little Prince leave as he is the only true subject the King has.

Vain Man: On another planet, the Little Prince encounters a vain man who is convinced the Little Prince’s trip is on account of his admiration for him. When asked whether the Little Prince admires him, the Little Prince is confused by the word. He doesn’t quite understand the concept and therefore doesn’t see the big deal in being admired. He soon leaves this planet to visit another.

The Drunkard: On another planet the Little Prince briefly meets a drunkard and in doing so becomes depressed. The drunkard admits that he drinks because he feels shame that he is a drunkard.

Characters

The Businessman: On a trip to another planet, the Little Prince meets a businessman, who assures him that he is a “very serious man”, who is too busy making calculations of the stars to bothered by the Little Prince. He states the stars belong to him, because he had the forethought to claim them first. When the Little Prince tries to interject by mentioning that the king has taken ownership, the man corrects him stating that Kings reign over things, which is quite different. Unsatisfied with the answer the businessman gives him after asking what the stars do for him, he ends up leave.

The Lamplighter: When visiting his fifth planet, the Little Prince meets the lamplighter, whose job it is to light it every morning and put it out at night. Unfortunately for the lamplighter days consist of minutes and therefore he finds himself doing this constantly. The Lamplighter laments that he never gets any rest and does it on account of having been ordered to (although there aren’t any houses in this planet). Unlike the other people that he meets on the other planets, the Little Prince doesn’t find him to be ridiculous because his thoughts are on something besides himself.

The Geographer: On another planet the Little Prince meets the geographer who sits on a desk with a big empty book. The geographer explains to the Little Prince what his job entails. When asked about geographical landforms on the planet, the geographer isn’t able to answer because after all he is a geographer not an explorer. While he is tasked with knowing about the landforms , he is dependent on explores to relay information about them, for his job is to write down what the explores say.

The Turkish Astronomer: He is the one that first discovered Asteroid B-612, the home planet of the Little Prince. The Little Prince explains that the Turkish astronomer first discovered his planet in 1909 but because of his clothes wasn’t taken seriously until 1920, when the Turkish King ordered that European cloths be worn. It wasn’t until the Turkish astronomer reported his finding in a suit , that people took him seriously.

Characters

Railway Switchman: The Little Prince meets him while on Earth. He asks him what the passengers are looking for, and in seeing another train car asks if the passengers are coming back because they aren’t satisfied. The switchman tells him that he doesn’t know what they are looking for and that the train car is a different one than the previous but that nobody is ever satisfied where they are at.

Three Petal Flower: The three petal flower mistakenly tells the Little Prince that there aren’t many people on Earth. She lives in the desert and therefore hasn’t seen many.

Sales Clerk: The Little Prince also meets him while on Earth, and finds that this sale clerk sales pills that quench people’s thirst. The sales clerk claims to sell them to save people some time, the Little Prince however doesn’t seem to understand why it’s even necessary.

Roses in the Rose Garden: While on Earth, he stumbles upon a rose garden and is surprise to find that his rose isn’t the only rose that exists , as she had claimed.

The Baobabs: Dangerous seeds that have the potential to destroy the home planet of the Little Prince, if they aren’t disposed of.

The Where and When of the Little Prince

The primary setting of the Little Prince is in the Sahara Desert, although through the narration of his travels the reader is transported to seven other planets/ asteroids. These are as follows: 325,326,327,328,329,330, and the home planet of the Little Prince, B-612. As far as the time period or year in which the story takes place, the narrator only mentions that it happened six years ago.

Major Themes of The Little PrinceImportance of Relationships:

The Little Prince learns the importance of relationships when he encounters the fox. Who in turn presents him with the importance of being tamed. It is only when the Little Prince tames the fox that the fox sees him as more than just a n ordinary little boy. Just as the Prince finds out that although his rose isn’t the only rose, she is none the less special to him because of the bond that was created between them, and the responsibility he feels to her.

Love at a Distance:Another theme often found in the book, is learning to love from a distance. The Little Prince having left his home planet starts to realize how much he truly loves and misses his rose. The fox after asking to be tamed, is saddened by the departure of the Prince, stating that he will weep. When the Prince states that the fox has gotten nothing from being tamed, the fox replies that he does “because of the color of the wheat.” The color of the wheat that will always remind him of the Little Prince’s golden hair. And when the Little Prince is bitten by the snake, the pilot takes comfort in knowing the starts will always hold special meaning to him. When they twinkle it will be as if they are laughing at the pilot, always reminding him of the Little Prince and his laughter.

Loss of Innocence:Its first seen with the narrator explaining that when he was little he drew a picture of a boa constrictor after having eaten an elephant. After showing it to adults they took it to be a hat and advise him to focus on serious things. Repeatedly in the book you see the difference between the perspective of the Little Prince and that of the adults that he encounters. He doesn’t understand why the vain man should take so much interest in being admired or why the king should be so concerned with commands. Even the narrator seems to acknowledge that adults can be disconnected at times.

“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.”

At the time The Little Prince was written, WWII was raging in Europe and France had fallen to the Nazis. The 1940 Armistice between both countries essentially allowed the Nazis to occupy France. In the wake of this, Saint – Exupéry fled to the United States with the hope of convincing it’s government to enter the war against the Nazis. The innocents of the Little Prince is in stark contrast to what the Nazis represented. And like the Little Prince who longs to go home, it can be surmised that so too did Saint – Exupéry . He stayed in the United State for 27 months , having left will the support of the United States military to join the Free French Air force.

Historical / Social Context

Top left picture:Antoine de Saint – Exupery while in the French Air Force.

Bottom left picture: soldiers during WWII occupying France in front of the Arc de Triomphe.

Right picture: Hitler standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in France.

Parallels of Saint-Exupéry and the Little Prince

The narrator/pilot crash lands in the Sarah Desert.

The Little Prince encounters a fox while on Earth.

“ He feel gently, the way a tree falls” (Saint-Exupéry, 1943, p.81). This is how the Little Prince is described after he is bitten by the snake.

Saint- Exupéry's was a life long aviator whose first crash in 1935, was in the Sarah Desert. Due to dehydration, Saint – Exupéry experienced hallucinations while in the Sahara Desert, one being of a desert fox.

Saint-Exupéry lost his brother, Francois, to a fever after caring for him. Years later when describing the death of his brother, he stated that his brother “...remained motionless for an instant. He did not cry out. He fell as gently as a [young] tree falls” (Saint-Exupery, Wikipedia).

Saint- Exupéry travelled to various places on account of him being a pilot. After 27 months of being in the United States, it has been suggested that he was eager to go back to his home of France.

The Little Prince Saint - Exupéry's Life

Parallels of Saint Exupéry and the Little Prince

The Little Prince has a difficult relationship with his rose; mistrusting her while at the same time loving her.

The Little Prince is described as having golden hair and being very inquisitive in nature

It has been suggested that the Rose is a reference to Saint-Exupéry's , Consuelo. They had a tumultuous relationship, with both engaging in extra- marital affairs.

Saint – Exupéry briefly lived in Canada, with Charles De Koninick and meet his blonde haired inquisitive eight year old son at the time. He could have been the inspiration for the Little Prince.

The Little Prince Saint - Exupéry's Life

There are many more parallels that can be made between Saint-Exupery’s life and his lovable book. As Stacy Schiff stated about the relationship between Saint-Exupery and his beloved character, "...the two remain tangled together, twin innocents who fell from the sky.” But beyond Saint-Exupery, parallels have been drawn between the Little Prince and World War II. The baobabs to some researchers represent the Nazis and their ability to destroy. For me there is the idea of innocence lost in the transition from childhood to adulthood. This innocence lost can easily be equated to the lost of innocence war brings with it’s atrocities.

The Parallels of The Little Prince beyond Saint-Exupery

Picture on the left: Saint – Exupéry and Consuelo the year they got married.

Middle Picture: Saint-Exupery’s illustration for the book. The Little Prince tending to his rose

Picture on the right: Picture of Saint-Exupery and his plane after crash landing in the Sahara Desert.

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t - Exupery1900 – On June 29th Antoine De Saint – Exupery is born in Lyon, France. 1904 – His father dies, leaving a financial stray on the family

1912 – At age 12, Saint- Exupéry takes his first flight at the Amberieu airfield.

1921 – He started serving in the French military and was stationed in Neuhof. He would eventually take classes to become a pilot.

1922 – He transfers from the French Army to the French Air Force.

1923 – Gets in a airplane crash while in Le Bourget. Ends up leaving the military.

1927 – Becomes airfield chief for Cape Juby, located in Morocco. He also begins to write his first book, Southern Mail.

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t - Exupery1929 – His job transfers him to Argentina and Southern Mail is published. 1931 – Night Flight is published which would eventually win the Prex Femina. He also ends up getting married to Consuelo Suncin.

1935 – He gets into another airplane crash trying to break the speed record by flying from France to Saigon. He crash lands in the Sahara Desert, him and his co-pilot end up walking fours days dehydrated until they are rescued.

1938 –Saint-Exupery experiences yet another plane crash as he is flying from New York City to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.

1939 - With France’s entry into WWII, Saint-Exupery enlists in the French Air Force as a Pilot. His novel, Wind, Sand, and Stars, is also published and would end up winning both the Academie Francaise’s Grand Prix du Roman and the United States’ National Book Award.

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t - Exupery1940 – Because of the armistice between France and Germany, Saint-Exupéry no longer is needed in the air force and therefore ends up going to the United States. He stays there for approximately 27 months hoping to persuade the United States to enter the war against the Nazis.

1942 – Flight to Arras and Letter to a Hostage are published.

1943 – The Little Prince is published. After 27 months he leaves to join the Free French Air Force Squadron in northern Africa.

1944 – While on a reconnaissance mission, Saint-Exupery goes missing on July 31st. It is assumed that he is dead.

Significance vs. Sentimental

I would say that this book is both significant and sentimental. It is sentimental because as Stevenson (1997) states sentimental value will “…call up a connection with childhood even more than a connection with children.” Having read this for the first time, I can say that I was so deeply moved by the story that I couldn’t help but cry at its ending. De Saint- Exupéry manages to capture both the curiosity and innocence of childhood in The Little Prince, that even adults can appreciate.

This book is often times considered a book that some argue is more for adults than children because of the philosophical nature of it. I speculate it also has something to do with the ending of the book, which I won’t mention. In doing research I came upon an article by Munakata (2005) that connected The Little Prince with science education for children. In this article the Little Prince is transformed from a mere children’s story to a series of lesson that can be learn to promote science education to children (Munakata, 2005).

Upon further research I came upon another article written by Cowles (1997) which highlighted the lessons counselors can take from The Little Prince and the importance of relating them in their sessions, especially with child clients. In the article she highlights the interaction between the Little Prince and the fox and in doing so comes up with protocol that centers on bettering the relationship between the counselor and the client (Cowles,1997).

Whether teaching philosophy, or helping to delve into the minds of children, The Little Prince is more than just a children’s story. People have found this book to be a tool, with lesson to be learned and applied. For these reasons I make the case that this book is both sentimental and significant.

“One sees

clearly only with the

heart. Anythi

ng essenti

al is invisibl

e to the

eyes.” – The Little Prince

“If I were to be cast away, not on the proverbial desert island-there are no more desert islands-but in the dreariest of all places during this World War (which might be a schoolroom), I have always felt my one book would be Andersen’s Fairy Tales. No; I should beg for a companion volume and its title is The Little Prince.” – Anne Carol Moore

What the Critics Say …

“ I therefore feel strangely alone, since, to my mind, The Little Prince is not a book for children and is not even a good book.” – Katherine S. White“If you appreciate the simple things in life, if you want to know what is it that makes children find so much joy out of life, read this book and you’ll treasure its simple but deep wisdom” - Mandar Talvekar (Ink Scrawl Blog)

“ The book that most influenced my life-perhaps even my entire career – is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, which I discovered sometime between the ages of twelve and fourteen… The Little Prince showed me that very individual and personal feelings could be communicated in a story.” – Peter Sis quoted by Elizabeth Bird

Numbers and My thoughts

“ For Hartcourt alone, the book still sells close to 200,000 copies a year, impressive frontlist-like numbers for a 50-plus year-old title” – Judy Quinn (2000)

“ In 1943, the text turned from a scribble manuscript by a relatively unknown author, into a literary phenomenon that has since sold 140 million copies in about 260 languages. After the Bible, “The Little Prince” is the most translated book in history, according to the Paris-based Saint-Exupery Foundation” – Thomas Adamson (2012)

I really loved this book, so much so that I cried at the ending. I think both children and adults can take something from it. I would say that perhaps the only concern would be how children interpret the ending. But perhaps this is an adult making to much of nothing as seems to be the case at times in children’s literature.

References

Make note of where the pictures come from