This little children’s book is an allegory to some of the important things in life that adults somehow forget as they grow up. By focusing on serious “matters of consequence”, grown-ups slowly lose their imagination, inquisitiveness, and creativity; and consequently, lose part of their humanity. By journeying from his little planet to other places, the little prince encounters grown-ups engaged in superficial, meaningless pursuits. More importantly, he learns about love and its power to change how one sees the world. I enjoyed reading The Little Prince. It spoke to me about love, loss, and loneliness. To me it is an understandably popular book because it deftly weaves in several oft-forgotten but important life reminders in an interesting, succinct, and digestible tale. We must remind ourselves to not take life so seriously but instead take time to enjoy the wonder and mystery of the world that surrounds us.
- A flower (symbolism for a woman) should be loved and appreciated for her beauty and grace, not for her words.
- The little prince visited successive planets where he met: 1) a king who demanded to be obeyed (power); 2) a narcissist who lusted for admiration (vanity); 3) a drunkard who wanted only self-pity (gluttony/ pride); 4) a businessman obsessed with counting his riches (greed); 5) a lamplighter who dutifully lights one streetlamp (faith); and 6) a geographer who only records but does not explore (fear). All consumed by silly pursuits, it was only the lamplighter who was not self-absorbed; he was the only one the little prince thought he could befriend.
- On Earth he meets a fox who wants the little prince to “tame” him so that they can be “tied” to and unique to each other. Without taming, that fox will not be special to the boy and the boy not special to the fox. The fox’s ‘secret’ to the little prince: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
- On Earth, the little prince discovers a rose garden with millions of roses. He learns he loved the rose on his planet, not because she was extraordinary, but she was special to him because he spent time on it, nurtured it, and knew its vulnerabilities (it was ephemeral). He eventually asks the snake to kill him so that he can die and reunite with his rose on his home planet.
- Stranded in the dessert and dying of thirst, the narrator eventually and unexpectedly finds a well. The water was the most delicious—not only thirst-quenching but reviving to the soul. No thirst-quenching pill would do the same. What we value most are things we’ve waited, journeyed, and worked for.
- At his death, the little prince asks the narrator not to be sad because he has given him an eternal gift—his laughter. When the narrator looks up at the stars in the sky, he will see the sky differently—he will hear the little prince’s laughter, wondering which of the stars the prince is on.
Finished: 20-Jul-2018