“The Little Prince”: meaning and analysis of the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

“The Little Prince”: meaning and analysis of the book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Literature

Simple and kind, beloved by all, the fairy tale “The Little Prince” is one of the most popular among adults and children. It carries in itself simple truths, without the knowledge of which life will not be full and rich. Each page of this fairy tale-parable is saturated with warmth and light emanating from the main character – the Little Prince. He is naive and wise, it would seem – these are incompatible qualities, but in the main character they only complement each other.

What is the book “The Little Prince” about?

Before you understand the hidden meaning of the book, you need to remember all its main content.

The little prince flies to Earth and meets the pilot, on whose behalf the story is being told. It is to him that the boy tells about his interesting adventures. Speaking of having flown off his planet, trying to escape from a capricious plant, for which the prince had tender feelings, but could not cope with the responsibility entrusted to him.

So the prince flew to the planet of the self-confident king, who believes that everything in this world belongs to him. True, this was not so, the king only thought that he could control matter, but in fact he, like many others, adjusted to the changes of great nature. So the society of a stupid king quickly bothers the prince and he goes on.

On the next planet, the boy meets a narcissistic narcissist. Togo is tormented by the question of his own popularity and nothing more. The narcissist is ready to make any sacrifice, as long as everyone around him loves and admires him. Communication with such a person is also not very happy for the boy, and he again flies to another planet.
This time, our prince meets with a certain drunkard. He does not consider his life successful, but rather full of troubles and suffering, and drinks from this to drown out the pain of the heart and the eternal emptiness inside. Now the boy has completely different feelings for this unfortunate person, compared to other people he has met. This time, the prince is imbued with compassion and pity for this drunkard, but since he cannot help him in any way, the prince flies away.

On the way to other planets, the little prince meets an accountant. This business stranger is forever counting stars, thinking that in this way each new star counted becomes his personal property. The prince does not accept this order of things, considering such thinking stupid, and life useless, which is why he again flies away from this gentleman.

After this meeting, the protagonist meets a lonely lamplighter who is tirelessly doing his job. This is the only person in the entire journey of the child who did something for others, which, of course, touches the prince.

Finally, the boy meets a geographer who loves to write books on any motive. It is he who causes the flight of the little prince to Earth.

The meaning of the book “The Little Prince”

Exupery immediately put several hidden meanings into his creation. First, finding yourself. After all, during his travels, the prince changed his attitude to the world, began to think differently than he thought before. Being on different planets can serve as a reference to the fact that at a young age people often think about who they will be in life. There are thousands of options for human behavior and lifestyle, and just during the transition period, many go through, if not all stages of life, then definitely the majority.

The second main meaning is true love. After all, because of her, the prince left his Rose, or rather, because of his unwillingness to love. To feel such feelings, you need not only time, but also a desire to take care and help your beloved, which our hero did not want to do. In the end, he realizes that his Rose is one in a million and there are no more, but how much time had to pass to rethink love. And there are many such life stories. That is why Exupery leaves us imperceptible clues that tell the viewer that “love is not just looking at each other, but looking in the same direction.”

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Another important theme in the work is the theme of friendship. During communication with the Fox, the Little Prince learns to be friends. A small animal helps the child in every possible way, accompanies him as best he can, gives the necessary advice his friend needs, supports him… It is these moments that show the reader a real strong friendship and how it can be built.

The history of the creation of George Orwell’s “The Little Prince” book

“The Little Prince” was born during the Great Patriotic War. It all started with the drawings of Exupery, in which he portrayed the same “little prince”.

An interesting story about a boy traveling the planets was written by a French author, whose name is Antoine de Saint-Exupery. This man was part-time pilot and one of his crash influenced the writing of the book.

In 1935, on the way from Paris to Saigon, Exupery had a car accident. Memories of this incident, as well as thoughts about fascism, which spread throughout the world during the Second World War, prompted the author to write The Little Prince. The author singled out the main task for himself to write a book that would return people the ability to look into the depths of things and give their mercy to the world, and would also make it clear that any evil must be fought together and constantly. As a result, the author’s works were published in an American magazine in 1943. Exupery dedicated the work to his friend and writer Leon Werth, who had a hard time during the war years, since he was a Jew.

What is the themes of the “The Little Prince”

In his work, the writer raised many global topics that have worried and continue to worry all of humanity for centuries. First of all, this is the theme of the search for the meaning of life . This is what the Little Prince does, traveling from one planet to another.

The author is sad that the inhabitants of these planets do not even try to go beyond their usual little worlds and find the answer to the eternal question of the meaning of being – they are quite satisfied with the usual life framework. But after all, truth is born only in the search, which is proved by the main character, returning to his beloved Rose at the end of the story.
The writer is also concerned about the problems of friendship and love . He not only reveals these burning topics, but also conveys to readers the need for responsibility for a loved one and the whole world as a whole. The little prince works tirelessly to look after and protect his tiny planet. He loves his Rose with all his heart and takes care of her, and she remains alive only thanks to his efforts.

All-consuming evil is represented in the work with the help of baobabs, which can quickly absorb all life on the planet if they are not regularly uprooted. This is a vivid image that has absorbed all human vices that must be tirelessly fought throughout life.

The main idea of ​​the work lies in the phrase: “ Love does not mean looking at each other, it means looking in the same direction .” You need to learn to trust people, to be responsible for your loved ones, not to close your eyes to what is happening around – this is what the famous fairy tale teaches.

The meaning of the title of the book “The Little Prince”

The meaning of the name of the work is associated with its main character, who flew to Earth. Since the boy was the only person who lived on his planet, he is its owner. The prince could also be a king, but the author wants to make it clear to the reader that he is a child, and not an adult, and therefore calls him a prince.

The Little Prince is a story about a traveler who travels throughout the universe. He does not just travel, but is in search of the meaning of life, the essence of love and the secret of friendship. He learns not only the world around him, but also himself, and self-knowledge is his main goal. It is still growing, developing and symbolizes an immaculate and tender childhood. Therefore, the author called him “small”.

Why a prince? He is alone on his planet, it all belongs to him. He is very responsible in his role as a master and, despite his modest age, has already learned how to care for her. Such behavior suggests that we have a noble boy in front of us, managing his property, but what should he be called? Prince, because he is endowed with power and wisdom.

What is the main idea of the “The Little Prince”

The story-tale “The Little Prince” touches on the themes of love, friendship, loneliness and many other life topics. But still, the main plot concerns the relationship between the boy and the pilot. The pilot admires the sensual and vulnerable alien. He becomes attached to him and is sad about parting.

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The main idea of ​​the work can be expressed by a quote from the book: “The most important thing is what you can’t see with your eyes … It’s like with a flower. If you love a flower that grows somewhere on a distant star, it is good to look at the sky at night. All the stars are blooming.” In simple terms, the author is trying to convey to readers how good it is to love and have a friend. Even if you are not together, wonderful high feelings illuminate life, give meaning to existence.

“The Little Prince” book analysis

The main theme of the tale is the search for depth. It is with this that the story of the acquaintance of the boy and the pilot begins. The victim of a car accident does not see and does not understand what kind of snake he is talking about, because the picture shows only a hat. The entire book is filled with such moments. With this method, Exupery tells us that many adults have stopped looking into the soul and depth of things, unlike children. And that considerable number of people who can see not only the surface of objects are real lucky ones, according to the author, since few people were able to maintain such a quality.

The work is certainly philosophical, although it is not overloaded with semantic turns. Since the fairy tale was written primarily for children, it has a slightly funny character, but thanks to the author and his ability to correctly insert

Despite the fact that the main character is a little boy, he is truly aware of the surrounding reality and tries to change the situation. The fact that The Little Prince is a fairy tale brings a touch of childhood and does not overload the creation with philosophical thoughts.

Nevertheless, the work is precisely philosophical. Exupery considers global problems in a generalized world. Perhaps, by creating a small children’s world in the hero, the writer hints that it was the “adult” world that lost all spiritual, positive qualities, mired in vices and abominations.

What is the moral of the “Little Prince” quotes will tell in the best possible way: “You are forever responsible for the one you tamed.” “Only the heart is vigilant. You can’t see the most important thing with your eyes.” These phrases from the fairy tale have become winged. In addition, the moral of the fairy tale can be expressed by proverbs: “It’s easier to lose a friend than to find one.” “Friend is known in trouble”.

The most important thing that the book “The Little Prince” teaches is wisdom. It contains many secrets that help to live happily and find the right path. For example, the king’s phrase teaches wisdom: “Then judge yourself. This is the hardest part. It is much harder to judge oneself than others. If you can judge yourself correctly, then you are truly wise.”

The Little Prince teaches children: Take care of your home and don’t be lazy. The young hero every morning put things in order on the planet, removed weeds, cleared volcanoes, looked after Rosa. And Lazy, who lived next door, lost the planet because of his laziness. Be friends and love. Friendship brings happiness, makes people special and valuable to each other. Sometimes you need to endure the whims of a loved one, because parting, quarreling with him will bring suffering. Fantasize and think. The author’s drawings are inextricably linked with the book. They are childishly simple, but mysterious. You need to show imagination to see a boa constrictor and an elephant in the outlines of the hat, and a tiny lamb in the drawn box.

Characteristics of the main characters of the book “The Little Prince”

  1. The Little Prince  is partly autobiographical, although it is very difficult to imagine that an adult pilot was once a little dreamer. The protagonist is a little boy, but at the same time he very often turns out to be smarter than adults who “love numbers very much”. Exupery endowed his hero with seemingly incompatible qualities: spontaneity and reliability. He is kind and loves his Rose very much, which remained on his planet. At the same time, he is still growing and does not know many things. For example, he learned friendship only on planet Earth, and he realized his love only after separation.
  2. Rosa . The prototype of Rosa is the author’s wife, Consuelo, a hot-tempered Latin American. The rose was a special flower, the little prince would have recognized it among thousands of other roses, all other flowers were “empty” for him. The rose was fragile and vulnerable, so the boy covered it with a glass cap. But the character of this lady was explosive and capricious: she imperiously addressed the interlocutor and often insisted on something of her own.
  3. The pilot  plays the role of the narrator in the work. Despite the fact that he is an adult and experienced, the man suddenly finds a common language with the Little Prince. This is because in childhood he was different from all people, and even later he did not find a way to understand them and become the same as them. He just adapted to their ways. The author showed misunderstanding through drawings and their interpretation. The narrator drew one thing, and others saw another. As a result, he lost faith in himself and stopped drawing, became a pilot. But here’s a guest from another planet immediately understood him. This gave the pilot the hope that he was not mediocre, it was just that everyone else did not understand him. Thus, before us is a person of fine mental organization, sensitive to criticism and able to appreciate spiritual kinship.
  4. The fox  is a wild animal that has become a true friend to the Little Prince. It was he who taught him responsibility for the one he tamed. Wise advice and moralizing often slip out of his mouth, probably this is a universal image of a mentor, whom each of us sooner or later meets on his way.
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Problems of the book “The Little Prince”

The work “The Little Prince” is not just a children’s fairy tale about traveling around the planets, but a real key that gives answers to many questions. Such a book will be interesting to read both for children, who will be able to find solutions to many of their problems in it, and for adults, who will be able to return to childhood again and see the world through the eyes of a child. In the process of telling the boy’s story, the author imperceptibly raises very important issues regarding friendship, love, good and evil.

For example, in the problem of love, Exupery conveys to the reader the complexity of the ability to truly love. After all, this process does not mean eternal enjoyment of the partner’s beauty, quite the contrary. True love implies the ability to take care of a dear person and accept him with all his shortcomings. No wonder the author quotes the line: “the most important thing is what you can’t see with your eyes…”. It is in this case that people are able to know love and find their meaning in life in it.

Another example is the problem of fighting evil. Since the work was written at the height of the war, the author naturally inserted the idea that evil does not sleep and every day is gaining strength to destroy all life. Exupery was able to convey this thinking by introducing baobabs into the fairy tale, killing everything in its path. Of course, evil is presented to each in his own way, but at the time of 1942 the writer meant the word evil, under the Nazi movements and fascism, which had to be stopped at any cost.

What does The Little Prince teach ?

The story of the Little Prince is surprisingly heartfelt and instructive. Exupery’s creation tells about how important it is to have a true friend nearby and how important it is to be responsible for those whom you “tamed”. The fairy tale teaches to love, be friends, warns against loneliness. In addition, you should not lock yourself in your small territory, fencing off the whole world around. You need to get out of your comfort zone, learn new things, look for yourself.

Exupery also urges the reader to listen not only to his mind in making decisions, but also to his heart, because you cannot see the main thing with your eyes.

Explanation of the ending of The Little Prince

In the finale, we see how the prince asks the snake to bite him for his speedy return home. Unfortunately, there is no other way to overcome the gravity of the Earth. But why would he return to his planet when he could continue his journey? The Prince wishes to be reunited with his Rose. After long journeys through the stars and rethinking of life, the boy realizes how much he loves and yearns for his flower. It is for her that he endures physical pain from a snake bite, because now he is ready to do anything just to be close to the beautiful scarlet Rose.

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