One of the most well-known stories of the 20th Century, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, is often misunderstood and mistaken for a simple children’s book. This is beginning to sound familiar, isn’t it? Most of the most meaningful stories are masked as children’s stories. Probably because the deepest messages are best delivered directly into our inner child. No matter what our age, our inner child will always enjoy a good children’s story.
The Little Prince is, in fact, poetry. It may not be written in verses, but if we swim deep into its pages and beyond our first impressions, we’ll discover the author’s deeper meaning of love in his relationship. Yes, that’s right. Who said that “adult matters” had to involve “X-rated scenes”? This is one of the reasons why poetry should be called the magic side of literature. With it, we can talk openly about any subject. Those who understand it, will get it beyond the metaphors, and those who can’t yet, will still be able to see and indulge in the beauty of the metaphors themselves—the Little Prince flying through space, the rose, the friendship with the fox, and even the magic of meeting a little boy from another planet just after your plane crashes in the middle of the desert.
Ah, the adult mind’s lack of comprehension. They see just a hat, when the drawing was actually showing a boa constrictor that just swallowed an elephant! How many children have abandoned their dreams at an early age, just because of someone’s lack of appreciation? How many young artists still pursued their careers despite of this, and still endure the same misunderstanding when they’re older? Even if their art is well renowned worldwide, they’ll all still hear an ignorant “It’s a hat!” once in a while.
My Own Little World
The Little Prince lived alone on a very small planet—most everyone does, metaphorically at least—which he had to take care of every single day. He cleaned its volcanoes every morning and weeded the whole planet to prevent it from getting infested by baobabs. Just like we need to weed our thoughts every day, or certain ones will grow to the point they’ll invade our little personal planet like huge baobabs.
Besides the comfort of living a better life, what was the reward for the Little Prince’s hard work? Well…after keeping one’s little planet clear and tidy for a while, one might be blessed with the pleasant surprise of finding a rose growing in one’s garden. And that’s exactly what happened to him.
The rose was delicate and incredibly beautiful. The Little Prince quickly fell for her, treasured her as unique, and started doing everything he could to keep her happy and safe. But her thorns and her constant demands made him feel like she was taking advantage of him and his devotion. The Little Prince then decided to leave his small planet to explore the universe. On the day he left, the rose apologized for her vanity, but still encouraged him to be free—for real love should always be about freedom.
During his time exploring the universe and after visiting several strange worlds—inhabited by strange individuals—the Little Prince finally landed in the middle of the desert on Earth. He tried to find other people, but all he found was a snake. There are several possibilities of what this particular snake could symbolize. Temptation, danger and even something related to drug use are just some of the possibilities. “One sting, and you can say goodbye to it all,” says the snake, “It’s almost painless…” Sounds like something was really going on there, probably not in the story of the Little Prince but perhaps, in the author’s personal life instead. The Little Prince felt very lonely, and the snake appeared just then, set a little bit like a trap, yet the snake’s poison ends up being the only chance for the Little Prince to return to his world, back to his beloved rose, so that he could be happy again.
After leaving the snake, the Little Prince discovers a row of rose bushes, all of them like his beloved rose, or even more beautiful. This confused him. He had always thought of his rose as being unique, but now he couldn’t remember what made her so special. It’s the fox that showed him that she was special because he loved her. When at first the Little Prince asked the fox to play with him, the fox said that, in order to play, they needed to become special to each other first: he had to take the time to tame the fox. This actually shows the deepest meaning of love between two beings…any two beings, from a little boy and a fox, to two friends, to a couple. Before a bond can be formed, each person, or rose, is no different from any other. But once there is a bond, they become unique, they become special to us, and nothing about them will ever be the same again.
Metaphors in “The Little Prince”
“The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is rich with metaphorical elements that explore themes of innocence, love, and human nature. Throughout the story, the author uses various characters and scenarios as metaphors to delve into complex human emotions and societal critiques. The rose, for example, serves as a metaphor for the uniqueness and fragility of love, while the different planets and their inhabitants symbolize the often rigid and misguided perspectives of adults. The fox, with his wise words about taming and relationships, becomes a metaphor for friendship and the importance of establishing meaningful connections. As the Little Prince journeys through the universe, each encounter reflects a different aspect of human experience, highlighting the absurdities and beauty of the world through a child’s eyes. The metaphors in “The Little Prince” offer readers a profound yet simple lens to examine life’s deeper truths.
There are many other little treasures hidden in this poetic tale, but there isn’t enough space in here to talk about them all. It’s one of the shortest books I’ve ever read and yet it says so much. Would you like to explore it and tell us about what you found?
