Picture Credit- Amazon
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
-Antoine de Saint- Exupéry
The Little Prince can perhaps be best described as a children’s book for adults. It talks about real, adult behavioural patterns in a somewhat childish manner. And it is definitely this youthful way of writing the book that makes the contents of the book all the more emphatic. The book has also been made into animated movies, the latest of which came out in 2016.
The two main characters in the novel, the narrator and the Prince are in constant conversation about the important things in life. Things like friendship, love and loneliness are a few of the topics that they discuss over the course of the book.
Introduction
Book’s Name - The Little Prince
Author’s name - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Genre - Fable/ Speculative Fiction
Language - French and English
Synopsis - Spoiler Alert!
The narrator, who is also a pilot, crashes his airplane in an isolated desert and meets a small boy who calls himself The Little Prince. The Prince makes clear that he is not from the same planet as the narrator and has in fact come from a place where everything is very small.
The narrator introduces himself as a person who learnt the sad truth about how adults lack imagination and creativity very early on in his life, when they couldn’t appreciate his drawings.The narrator and the Prince engage in a long conversation about anything and everything and engage some valuable stories about love, life and friendship.
About the Author
Picture Credit- Wikipedia
Born on 29th June, 1900, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a French aristocrat, writer, poet, journalist and pioneering aviator. He was a successful commercial pilot before the Second World War and also the recipient of many of France's highest literary honors.
He is best known for his novella Le Petit Prince, translated into English as The Little Prince and for his lyrical aviation writings such as Wind, Sand and Stars and Night Flight.
He won the United States National Book Award and also played a very important role in persuading the United States to go to war against Germany. He died on 31st July, 1944.
About the Book
The narrator, a pilot ends up in the Sahara desert after his plane crashes. While he is trying to fix the plane, a little boy appears out of nowhere and asks the narrator to draw him a sheep.
The boy calls himself the Little Prince and after much difficulty, the narrator learns that the boy comes from a far away place called Asteroid- B612, where he has left a beloved rose and three volcanoes.
The rose’s fickle nature had forced the Prince to leave his home and although she was sad when he left, she didn’t try to stop him. Before landing on Earth, the Prince had been to many other planets where he had encountered strange people like a king, a vain man, a drunkard, a lamplighter and a geographer, who had suggested he visit the Earth.
On landing at the desert, the Prince meets a snake who tells him that if he ever needed to go back to his home planet, the snake would happily bite him, helping him to return home. Then he meets a fox that taught him to realize that to know others we must “tame” them and this was what made things and people unique.
The narrator grows to adore the boy and marvels at how this little boy talks of great things. The narrator and the boy enter this amazing bond and when the narrator is almost dead with thirst, they find a well together that saves the narrator’s life.
He is very sad when the Prince asks the snake about the poison as he wants to return to his rose and when he drops in the sand and the narrator cannot find his body, he hopes that the Prince is not dead. The narrator returns to his life but always wonders about his Little Prince.
Themes Involved
The first important theme in the novella is of relationships. In fact the very reason why the narrator keeps drawing certain things is so that he remembers his relationship with the Prince.
On the other hand, the entirety of the Prince’s account, revolves around his relationship with various people he has met, back at home as well as on his adventures.
The next theme is that of Adulthood Vs Childhood. The narrator often compares grow ups and children in the story, remarking time and again how adults lack the childlike innocence and the curious minds of children. The narrator also highlights how adults have only utilitarian concerns and ignore the power of imagination.
Famous Quotes
“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
“It is the time that you have wasted on your rose that makes your rose so important.”
“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”
“It is such a mysterious place, the land of tears.”
The Bottom Line
The Little Prince is a beautiful book that is so simple and yet so emphatic. Every conversation that the narrator has with the Prince is in itself a lesson about the important things in life. It is a short novella and is a must read because of how good it will make you feel after reading the book.
My ratings for the book - 4 on 5
Written By - Sakshi Singh
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