Learning From Literature

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Cover of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a fable published in 1943.

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General  Summary (No Spoilers!)

The narrator starts by pondering the perplexing nature of adults and their seeming inability to recognize what truly matters. In a bid to test their wisdom, he presents a drawing of a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant. The grownups always reply that the picture depicts a hat, so he knows to only talk of “reasonable” things with them, such as the stock market.

The protagonist, now a pilot, faces a dire situation when his plane crashes in the middle of the Sahara desert. Stranded with nothing but endless sand around him and a dwindling water supply, he only has eight days to repair his aircraft before the supplies are exhausted. Unexpectedly, a golden-haired boy emerges, introducing himself as “the little prince” and claiming to be a traveler from another world in search of wisdom.

The narrator, astounded by the little prince’s perceptiveness, shares the drawing of the elephant inside the snake, a depiction the prince interprets accurately. The rest of the book follows the next eight days, during which the prince recounts his life story as the narrator endeavors to repair his plane.

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Background

Much of Saint-Exupéry’s writing was influenced by his real-life experiences. 

In the 1930s, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry survived a solo plane crash in the vast Sahara desert. After being stranded for days and walking many miles while hallucinating in the merciless heat, he was miraculously rescued by a passing Bedouin. The narrator undergoes a strikingly similar experience in The Little Prince.

In addition, descriptions of his flying adventures are recorded in his nonfiction work Wind, Sand, and Stars.

Tragically, in 1944, Saint-Exupéry disappeared without a trace during a WWII reconnaissance flight over Europe. His wrecked plane was discovered over 60 years later, but what happened to him remains a mystery.

Themes

The Shortfalls Of Humanity

  • The prince has visited six other planets, each of them occupied by a single, irrational, narrow-minded adult. Saint-Exupéry uses each of the inhabitants to critique the common flaws of our society, such as materialism, conceitedness, and more

Narrow-Mindedness

  • The first-page example of the boa constrictor & elephant drawing highlights the limited perspectives of adults. Throughout the narrative, the narrator and the prince relate their experiences with a multitude of self-centered characters fixated solely on their own affairs, disregarding the broader complexities of the world and life

Relationships

  • Saint-Exupéry uses the relationship between the prince and the rose to illustrate a profound idea: our unique qualities and identity are shaped by our relationships with others
Review

Very few books can be read and equally appreciated by kids and adults, but The Little Prince is in that category. Its simplicity masks an intricate narrative, interwoven with profoundly resonant themes. 

The impact and enduring appeal of The Little Prince is highlighted by its translation into an astounding 505 languages and dialects, second only to the Bible. With approximately 140 million copies sold, it stands as one of the best-selling books of all time.

Personal Thoughts And Recommendations

I loved The Little Prince and would say it is one of the most timeless books ever written (I finished it from start to finish in one sitting). My favorite element of the novel is how Saint-Exupéry highlights the flaws of our societal values.

I recommend this book to anyone who likes simple, engaging stories but with relatable life themes. For example, if you like The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, you should read The Little Prince.

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