Unit 1a D

B.A. (Hons.
) English – Semester V DSE-1

Literature for Children and Young Adults Study Material
Unit-1
(a) Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
(b) Oliver Jeffers, Heart in a Bottle
(c) Bell Hooks and Chris Raschka, Happy to be Nappy
(d) Mahasweta Devi, The Why Why Girl
Edited by: P. K. Satapathy

Department of English
SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING

University of Delhi
Discipline Specific Elective (DSE-1)
Literature for Children and Young Adults
Unit-1
Edited by:
P. K. Satapathy
School of Open Learning
University of Delhi
Delhi-110007

UNIVERSITY OF DELHI
5, Cavalry Lane, Delhi-110007
Discipline Specific Elective (DSE-1)
Literature for Children and Young Adults
Unit-1
Contents
Lesson No. Title Pg. No.
(a) Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince 01
(b) Oliver Jeffers, Heart in a Bottle 21
(c) Bell Hooks and Chris Raschka, Happy to be Nappy 26
(d) Mahasweta Devi, The Why Why Girl 29
Prepared by:
Vishant Amrut Ramteke

UNIVERSITY OF DELHI
5, Cavalry Lane, Delhi-110007
Unit-1(a)
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: The Little Prince

Part-I
1. Introduction
1.1 About the Author
Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupéry (29 June 1900 – 31 July 1944),
was a French writer, poet, nobleman, journalist, and pioneering pilot. He was the recipient of
some of France’s top literary honours, as well as the United States National Book Award. [6]
He is well known for his novella The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince) and lyrical aviation works
such as Wind, Sand, and Stars and Night Flight. To the world he is more famous as the author
of The Little Prince originally published in French (Le Petit Prince). Apart from that he wrote
other books such as Wind, Sand, and Stars and Night Flight.]
St. Exupery flew as a commercial pilot, flying through Africa, Europe, and South
America. After WW II he joined the French Air Force and flew reconnaissance flights until
France and Germany signed an armistice in 1940. Following his demobilisation from the
French Air Force he left for United States to convince them to join the war against Germany.
Saint-Exupéry spent 28 months in America, where he composed three of his most famous
works. After leaving USA, despite being old and unhealthy, he joined the French Air force in
North Africa. On July 31, 1944, he went missing and was presumed to have crashed to his
death during his covert flight from Corsica to Mediterranean.
He was already a famous public figure as a pilot and his literary achievements,
particularly The Little Prince, elevated him, posthumously, to a national hero in France. The
text has been translated into 300 languages.
The speaker of The Little Prince, is marooned in the Great African Desert with his
wrecked plane. The story is actually Saint- Exupéry’s own Sahara experience, which he
recounted in his 1939 book Wind, Sand, and Stars. Saint-Exupéry and his navigator and co-
pilot André Prévot crashed in the Sahara desert on December 30, 1935, at 02:45 a.m., after 19
hours and 44 minutes in the air. They were aiming to break the record for the fastest trip from
Paris-to-Saigon in an aircraft racing competition.
Astonishingly, they survived the crash, only to suffer dehydration in the scorching
Saharan heat. The maps and charts they carried were old and the duo was lost in the desert
with just a day’s supply of fluids, a handful of grapes, a coffee thermos, an orange, and some
wine. They both started experiencing hallucinations, which got intense with the passage of
time. The duo stopped sweating entirely, owing to excessively low levels of water in their
bodies. However, on the fourth day, they were spotted by a Bedouin and they were rescued.
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‘Asteroid B-612’, the little prince’s residence, was most likely taken from A-612, cargo
plane that bore this serial number that St. Exupery once flew. The fennec (desert sand fox)
that he saw, while serving as a postal aviator in the Sahara, most probably influenced him to
develop the fox figure in the novella. A letter to his sister, Didi, reveals that he reared a
fennec that he cherished.
The fox in the novella is said to be based on the author’s close friend, Silvia Hamilton
Reinhardt. In the text, the fox tells the prince that his rose is special to him because he loves
her. It is presumed that Reinhardt motivated the novella’s unforgettable quote, “One sees
clearly only with the heart.”
According to experts, the frightening, grabbing baobab trees were supposed to depict
Nazism threatening to ravage the globe. Little prince’s assertion to the narrator that his
physical body is just an empty shell, is reminiscent of Antoine’s younger brother François,
who assured the author before dying: “Don’t worry. I’m all right. I can’t help it. It’s my
body.”
1.2 Short Intro to the Text
The French version of The Little Prince, Le Petit Prince, was published in 1943 with the
author’s own drawings. The modest fable speaks about a boy, the little prince, who explores
the cosmos in search of wisdom.
The narrator begins by introducing himself as a person, who, in his childhood,
discovered that adults lack creativity. Many years later he becomes a pilot and crashes into
the Sahara. There he meets a child who requests him to draw a sheep. The narrator calls him
the little prince and finds out that he is from a tiny planet called asteroid B-612. With the
passage of time the prince gradually speaks about his life on his planet. The prince spends his
time on his asteroid-world, which is no bigger than a home. He picks out baobab saplings,
fearing they would grow large enough to swallow the entire asteroid. One day, a rose
blossoms. Curious and confused that it could be a baobab sapling, he discovers that it is not.
The prince soon falls madly in love with her. Her narcissism and expectations, however,
become too great for the prince, and he leaves his home.
After leaving home, the prince travels to a series of asteroids, where he finds an
adult performing a monotonous task. The first is a sovereign who demands loyalty but has no
citizens. Next is the lone resident, a pompous guy who seeks nothing but praise from the
prince. On the next planet the prince encounters a drunkard, who drinks to forget about his
embarrassing drinking habit. On the fourth he finds a businessman who claims to possess the
stars. Next he finds a lamplighter, who is required to light a street lamp at dusk and turn off at
dawn. However, the planet rotates so rapidly that nightfall and dawn occur once a minute and
he ends up lighting and putting off the lamps every minute. Ultimately, the prince arrives at a
world populated by a geographer. Ironically, the geographer knows nothing about his own
world because his primary duty is to document what he gets to know from visitors and
travellers. When asked by the geographer about the prince’s planet, he mentions the haughty
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rose. The geographer replies that flowers are not documented, since they are fleeting. After
that, the geographer suggests that the little prince pay a visit to Earth.
On his arrival at Earth, the Prince encounters a snake and a flower. The snake claims to
have the power to send him back to his home, and the flower claims that humans don’t have
any roots. He stumbles upon a beautiful rose garden and learns, much to his chagrin, that his
rose is not as special as he imagined her to be. Later, he meets a fox who tells him that if he
formed a bond with him, they would be special and be a source of delight to each other.
The narrator and the little prince have been in the desert for eight long days and would
run out of water soon. The two then wander the desert in quest for water and mysteriously
locate a well. After quenching their thirst the little prince informs the narrator that he plans to
return to his home planet and his beloved rose that night. He informs the narrator that the
stars will be special henceforth for he knows that his beloved friend, the little prince, resides
in one of them. But, to return to his home, he must let the venomous snake bite him. The tale
is picked up six years later. The narrator claims that the prince’s body was missing the next
morning. The narrator concludes with a request to the reader to contact him if they were to
encounter the little prince.
2. Learning Objectives
After going through this lesson you will be able to:
 Understand the importance of childlike innocence that helps one to delve into the core
of things
 Appreciate the significance of true friendships
 Comprehend how relations make life worth living
 Realize the importance of exploring new places and things
 Learn the meaning of being accountable in life/relationships
3. Summary
Chapters 1-3
The novella’s narrator, before he became a pilot, recalls seeing an image of a boa constrictor
consuming a wild creature in a book when he was six. The narrator read in that same book
that boa constrictors have to sleep for approximately six months to digest their food. Utterly
enthralled by this information, the narrator created his debut sketch, which he refers to as
Drawing Number One. The artwork, which depicted a boa constrictor devouring an elephant,
was thick in the middle with two flat lines tapering off towards the right and left. Adults, on
the other hand, were not alarmed by the image since they mistook it for a hat. Artwork
Number Two, a see-through image of Drawing Number One that revealed the elephant within
the boa, was drawn by the narrator to clarify his sketch to grown ups. Adults were troubled
by this depiction so they suggested to the narrator to abandon sketching in favour of
geography, mathematics, and grammar. Seeing now that adults will constantly need things
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demonstrated to them, the narrator chose not to pursue art and instead became an aviator. He
acknowledges that the geography he learnt was beneficial for flying. The narrator’s attitude
toward grown ups hardly changed. When he encountered an adult, he would put them to
a trial by displaying them Drawing Number One. The adults would typically believe it was an
image of a hat. As a result, the narrator understood that the only way he could communicate
with grown-ups is by talking about dull, practical things like politics and bow ties.
The speaker is lonely until the day his plane crash-lands in the midst of the Sahara desert.
As the scenario begins to worsen, the narrator is startled by an unusual encounter. He hears a
tiny voice instructing him to sketch a sheep. He looks around to see the prince. He is a tiny,
blond boy and he looks at the narrator with the some intensity. However, the narrator doesn’t
really know how to sketch a sheep, so he re-creates Drawing Number One, which the little
prince immediately identifies as a drawing of an elephant within a boa constrictor, which
surprises the narrator. But the prince, summarily rejects the drawing and insists on a drawing
of a sheep. After sketching three separate sheep that the prince declines, the narrator
eventually sketches a box and offers it to him. The young prince is overjoyed with this
artwork. But he is concerned about availability of adequate green to graze on.
Later on, the narrator becomes curious about his little companion’s world and tries to
find out. He questions the little prince about his home but instead of an answer he is
questioned back about the air plane and its purpose. The narrator replies that it allows him to
fly in the sky. The little prince is happy to know that the narrator is a pilot like him and it
cheers him up. The prince proceeds to ask him what planet he was from and the narrator in
turn attempts to ask again where the young prince is from. The young prince, on the other
hand ignores the his questions and appreciates the sheep sketched by the narrator.
Self-check questions
a) What is drawing no. 1 supposed to be?
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b) Where exactly does the narrator’s air plane crash lands?
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Chapters 4-6
The narrator learns that the planet from which the little prince comes is hardly the size of a
home. When astronomers find new planetary bodies, they assign them numbers rather than
names. The narrator is quite certain that the prince lives on Asteroid B-612, which was
discovered in 1909 by a Turkish astronomer. That year he was dressed in traditional Turkish
attire because of which the presentation of his findings was mocked at the International
Astronomical Congress. Soon a Turkish dictator commanded that all of his citizens start
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adopting European attire. The astronomer re-presented his findings in 1920, which was
warmly welcomed. The speaker maintains that he is merely informing us of the prince’s
world to appease his adult audience. He claims that adults could only comprehend data and
statistics but could never ponder over vital characteristics such as love and beauty. Adults
determine what is lovely by looking at how mature an individual is or how valuable
a property is. Adults want more evidence than merely being informed; they want further
concrete evidence of the prince’s reality. The narrator wishes his work to be perused
thoughtfully because recalling these experiences of his tiny dead companion has been
extremely difficult for him. The narrator is concerned that he is becoming old, thus he pens
and draws his narrative to ensure that he does not lose his memory of the prince. Creating the
images, in particular, the narrator recalls his childhood. He admits that he can’t spot sheep
through the box walls since, like all people, he “had to grow old.”
Everyday, the narrator discovers a little more about the young prince’s household. On the
third day, the narrator discovers that the prince intends to get rid of the baobab saplings that
flourish on his world. Baobabs are massive plants with roots that might break the prince’s
little world in half. The prince observes that caring for one’s world requires extreme caution.
Because all worlds have both good and evil trees, one has to be alert and diligent in removing
the bad trees as soon as they sprout. The prince recalls a sluggish guy who habitually
procrastinated and disregarded three tiny baobab plants, which expanded to engulf the man’s
globe.
On the fourth day the narrator realises how small the little prince’s world is. The prince
is astonished to learn that on Earth, he must wait for the sunset. In his world it was only a few
steps away.The prince recounts seeing forty-four sunsets in one day. He describes how
these sunsets could cheer anybody up when he or she is depressed. However, he declines to
answer the narrator if he felt unhappy on the day he watched those forty-four sunsets.
Self-check questions:
a) What does the little prince ask the narrator to do upon their first meeting?
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b) How is the world of the little prince different from the narrators world?
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Chapters 7-9
The young prince worries about the sheep eating the flowers and shrubs. The narrator is busy
repairing his plane. The prince wonders if his rose will be able to defend itself with its thorns.
The prince keeps bothering the narrator with questions. On the other hand, the narrator is
frustrated because of the scarcity of resources. In his anger and preoccupation with ‘serious
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matters’ he shouts at the little prince. The little prince is critical of the narrators behaviour.
He thinks that the narrator, instead of recognizing what is truly essential, is behaving like an
adult. He starts crying and the narrator picks up the little prince in his arms and consoles him
by assuring him that his beloved rose will be absolutely fine and he offers to draw a muzzle
for the sheep.
The prince narrates the story of his flower. The sprout that quickly developed into a rose
was lovely and yet conceited. A flower that continually asks the tiny prince look after her.
The young prince adores the rose and is delighted to fulfil her wishes. Right from watering
her to keeping her safe from any environmental harm. But the flower lied to him and the
disappointment of being lied to led the prince to abandon his home. However, he, now,
regrets his decision.
On the day he bid farewell to his home, he cleaned all three volcanoes, including the
inactive one, and uprooted all the baobab buds he could locate. He watered his beloved rose
one last time. He bids the rose farewell. She first pays no attention, but eventually apologises.
She expresses her love for the young prince and declares that she no longer needs the globe
or the prince to safeguard her. The rose then encourages the tiny prince to depart.
a) Who does the little prince love?
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b) Why does the little prince leave his home?
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Chapters 10-13
At the start of his voyage, the young prince comes across many asteroids, numbered as 325,
326, 327, 328, 329, and 330 consecutively and chooses to explore each one of them. On the
first one, he finds a monarch seated on a magnificent throne and dressed in a gorgeous fur
coat. He claims that he rules over everything in the cosmos. However, he has no subjects. The
monarch treats the prince as his subject. The monarch claims that he has the authority to
govern, since he is so rational. When the prince chooses to depart, he desperately tries to
persuade him to stay. He even appoints him as the minister of justice. This seems
ludicrous because there are no people to be judged. The monarch then announces that the
prince may repeatedly sentence the planet’s old rat to a never-ending cycle of punishment and
forgiveness. But the prince firmly states that he has no desire to sentence anybody to death.
As the prince is leaving, the king appoints him as his envoy.
The prince travels to the next planet, he comes across a conceited guy who urges him to
applaud him and the man in turn would shyly tip his hat in gratitude. Initially, the prince finds
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this entertaining but soon gets bored of it. The man then wonders if the prince really admires
him or is putting up a façade? Sadly the prince doesn’t know what ‘admire’ means. However,
this doesn’t stop the conceited man from desperately pleading the prince to glorify him for
his intelligence, beauty and richness. The prince tells him that it is a ridiculous request since
the vain guy is the only resident.
The prince now travels to a third world and encounters an alcoholic. When the prince
enquires as to why he drinks so much. The drunkard says that he drinks to forget. The prince,
moved by pity, enquires as to what the alcoholic is trying to forget. The alcoholic responds
that he is attempting to erase the memory of how embarrassed he is of his habit. The
alcoholic then remains deafeningly silent. The little prince continued with his journey. He
was perplexed that adults were extremely strange.
When the prince arrives on the fourth planet he meets a businessman who is too busy in
counting numbers to notice the prince. The little prince is very inquisitive and quite persistent
too with his enquiries. Such tenacity and intrusion irritates the businessman and he dismisses
the prince by claiming that he is doing something ‘serious’. But eventually he gives in and
answers that he is counting the number of stars in the universe because he owns them.
Upon further questioning the businessman reveals that he counts the stars and deposits
them in the bank. The little prince finds this strange. Possessing things and not taking care of
them seems ridiculous to the prince. The prince and the businessman in this case do not
understand each other’s motives and so the little prince leaves the planet.
a) Who does the little prince meet first on his journey?
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b) What does the businessman do?
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Chapter 14-20
The next world that the prince visits is surprisingly tiny but big enough to accommodate a
street lamp and the lamplighter. Like the previous inhabitants he finds the lamplighter as
ludicrous. The only difference is that he performs a wonderful and useful task. The
lamplighter’s duty is to switch off the street lamp every day and switch it back on by the end
of it. He says that these commands were sensible, but his globe now rotates so quickly that
every minute there’s a new day. The prince appreciates the lighter’s feeling of responsibility.
He finds the lamp lighter as one person, of all he had met thus far, he could befriend. The
prince is saddened to see the lamp lighter’s plight, but he can do nothing to help. He soon
leaves the world’s sole inhabitant and proceeds further.
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The young prince meets a writer on the sixth planet he visits. The man claims to be a
geographer who knows the location of all the oceans, mountain ranges, towns, and dunes. But
he seems to have no knowledge about his own world because it is not his duty to travel and
inspect. He believes that a geographer’s duty is to gather information from adventurers and
then examine the personality of that adventurer. The geographer only examines the
adventurer’s findings if he has a decent reputation.
He then enquires about the planet of the little prince and learns about its flower and the
three volcanoes. Flowers, according to the geographer, are fleeting. He describes them as
“faced by impending extinction.” The young prince is taken aback to know that his
beloved rose is in jeopardy, and soon begins to regret abandoning her. The geographer
then tells the little prince to visit Earth, since its a well-known world. The young prince sets
off towards Earth, while contemplating about his beloved flower.
The prince reaches Earth. He couldn’t have contemplated the existence of such a large
world even in his dreams. He meets the narrator who informs him that the world has over two
billion adults, multiple rulers, vain men, drunkards, merchants, and geographers. The narrator
also adds that before the invention of electricity, Earth had thousands of lamplighters would
participated in a sort of global dance every day, instinctively synchronising their motions as
the sun moved across the rotating globe, with the exception of those who worked in North
and South Poles, because they only worked twice a year.
The narrator confesses that his portrayal of Earth is inaccurate since mankind occupies
just a tiny fraction of the planet’s surface and that too it is not as significant as most people
believe. The prince encounters a serpent, who warns him that the African desert is not
inhabited and could get lonely. The snake says that with a single bite it could send the prince
back to his world but then concludes that he is too “innocent” for him.
The little prince scales the tallest peak expecting to view the entire world and its
inhabitants from the peak, but all he sees is a barren, rocky terrain. When the prince gives out
a shout, he only gets an echo but he mistakes it as the voice of other humans. He believes
Earth is very harsh and rough, and finds it strange that the inhabitants of this planet just
repeat whatever he speaks to them.
The prince ultimately discovers a path leading to a vast garden full of roses. He is
astounded to discover that so many of them resemble his rose who had assured him that she
was one-of-a-kind. He is now full of self doubt. He suspects that his world, with its three little
volcanoes and a rose, is quite ordinary and that and that he is no magnificent prince. He
weeps at this realization as he lies down in the grass.
a) Why does the little prince feels sad when he discovers the garden full of roses?
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b) Who is the first visitor that the little prince meets when he arrives on Earth?
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Chapters 21-23
A fox emerges while the little prince laments in the grass. The prince invites the fox to play
with him. The fox says that he can play with him only after he is tamed. Since the prince
doesn’t know the meaning of “tame”, the has to explain. The fox says that they share no
bond. But, if the prince tames the fox, they will require each other’s company, and both will
become distinct and special to one another. The little prince claims to have been tamed by a
rose and admits to being from distant world. The fox is first excited by this knowledge, but he
quickly loses his fascination when it is revealed that the tiny prince has no chickens. The fox
says that his life is stagnant. He preys on chickens and in turn is hunted by mankind. He says
that should the prince tame him, he will anticipate the prince’s coming by his footsteps and
then run from them. The prince’s golden hair will remind the fox of his companion’s blonde
hair, and that will excite him even more.
At first, the little prince is nervous and says that he is short on time and is searching for
new acquaintances. The fox tells the prince that if he wants a companion, he must tame the
fox. The prince enquires as to how such a task can be accomplished, and the fox playfully
walks him through the ritual. He says that rituals are essential because they distinguish some
occasions from others.
Finally, the fox is tamed, but at the time of prince’s departure, the fox says he’ll cry. The
fox then advises the little prince to pay a visit to the rose garden again so that he could learn
why his beloved rose is so exceptional. And he promises to reveal a secret when the little
prince comes back to say his goodbye.
The young prince discovers in the garden that, while his rose is not a distinct sort of
flower, she is special to him because he took care of her and cherished her. He declares to the
roses in the garden that his rose is very much like the fox. Even if there are thousand other
roses she is now the special rose for him. The prince then returns to bid the fox farewell. The
fox reveals three secrets to him and they were: a) only the heart could see accurately since the
eyes overlook what is essential, a) the time the prince has invested on his flower is what
renders it so valuable and c) a person is eternally accountable to what he has nurtured.
The little prince meets a railway switch man on his journey. As he watches the train
rushing by, the switch man explains that these machines allow people to move from one place
to another. He continues to question the switch man about the trains. In this conversation, the
prince says that “only the children know what they’re looking for”. Everything is so
important to them. They cry even when a rag doll is snatched away from them. The switch
man agrees and comments that they are lucky ones.
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Continuing with his journey the prince meets a salesman who is selling pills that can
quench thirst and he claims that a person can save up to fifty three minutes every day if
he/she takes the pill. This sounds ridiculous to the prince who says he would rather stroll
slowly to a fountain if he had the additional fifty three minutes.
a) Who asks little prince to tame it? Why?
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Chapters 24-27
The narrator has been stuck in the African desert for eight days and has emptied his water
supplies by the time the little prince finishes narrating his adventures. He doesn’t want to
listen anything more about the prince because he’s afraid he’ll die of dehydration. However
the prince feels that having a buddy is still beneficial, even at the time of death. The prince is
thirsty and suggests that they look for a well. Despite the ridiculousness of the attempt, the
narrator concurs.
The prince and the narrator discuss the idea of beauty as they stroll through the desert.
The prince says that the desert is attractive because somewhere it has a hidden well. The
narrator is surprised to know that the sublime is always unseen. He recalls that his house in
his childhood was made unique for him because of the stories of buried wealth. The prince
comfortably falls asleep. With the little prince asleep in his hands the narrator wonders about
the prince’s delicate and innocent love towards his rose. He soon discovers the well they had
been looking for.
Both the prince and the narrator quench their thirst. The freshness of the
water rejuvenates their spirits just like a Christmas does. Both agree that mankind has lost
focus. People grow thousands of roses when they could get what they really desire from a
single rose. The prince feels that people gaze with their eyes rather than their emotions.
The little prince reminds the narrator about his promise; to design a muzzle for sheep.
Looking at the sketches the prince gives out a hearty chuckle over its shoddy design, but the
narrator assures the reader that children understand them. As he hands over the sketch the
narrator realises that the prince is hiding something.
The narrator leaves for some time to fix his aeroplane. When he returns he notices the
little prince perched upon the wall close to the well, talking to someone. The prince requests
the unseen listener to move so he could climb down. Shockingly, the narrator finds out that it
is a snake, the very snake whom the prince met earlier. The narrator draws his gun, but the
snake immediately disappears and leaves the prince frightened.
The prince now confesses that he is going to return back soon and tries to comfort the
narrator. He points at the stars and says that all stars are now unique to the narrator as he
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knows that his friend, the prince, stays on one of them. He is now overcome by sadness and
requests the narrator not to accompany him on his last journey, for it will appear as if the
prince is dying.
At night, the prince leaves furtively, but the narrator follows him and refuses to leave
him. The prince assures him that he will be unharmed because his body is simply an empty
shell and its too heavy to be carried back to his home planet. But the narrator strongly
disagrees with him. Even the prince starts doubting himself and under the weight of his terror
he bursts into tears. The prince goes quiet and says that his rose needs him. As soon as he
says this the snake bites his ankle and the prince falls silently.
Six years pass by and now the narrator wonders about the destiny of his friend. He is
somehwat assured that the prince returned to his world since he couldn’t discover the prince’s
body the next day. All the narrator’s friends are glad to see him. When he looks up to the
heavens he can listen to sound of tiny bells ring across the skies. When the narrator looks up
to the sky, he is no longer troubled by the fate of prince’s rose.
In a brief epilogue, the narrator presents the exact sketch of the African desert scene that
he depicted in his concluding section, but without the prince. He describes this final image as
the world’s most sorrowful yet most beautiful landscape. He encourages us to look out for
this scenery should we ever find ourselves in the Sahara. The narrator requests that we
alleviate his grief by notifying him immediately if we happen to encounter the little prince.
a) What is the narrator’s job?
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b) How does the prince return to his planet?

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Part-II
4. Analysis
Chapters 1-3
The drawing from narrator’s childhood, in the initial part of the narrative emphasizes the fact
that the way we perceive the world and its happenings are quite subjective. It is this
subjectivity that decides one’s attitude towards life as well as art. What looks like a boa
constrictor and a hidden elephant to the creative mind of the narrator, might well just be an
ordinary drawing of a hat for the adults. Just like interpretation of literature or any other form
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of art, the interpretation of drawing also varies according to the subjectivity and creativity of
the onlooker. Art also provides one with a platform to express oneself. Even in the novella, it
is only through the drawings of the little prince that Saint-Exupéry expressed what he desired.
He wouldn’t have been able to express those ideas by mere use of words. It is only through
the openness and creativity of art, such as drawing, that the nuanced and abstract layers of the
way children think can be understood. For instance, in drawing number one the narrator
intends to show the hidden/eaten elephant. But that is something that can only be perceived
through creativity and imagination of the viewer.
The next chapter further strengthens the idea put forward in the first chapter. The essence
of any work of art is only realised in the inherent creativity of the one who receives it. The
vision of the onlooker and the capability to receive the imaginative idea laid out by the artist
is really important. Even the novella can be truly understood only if the reader matches the
creativity and imagination of the narrator/writer. Through the drawings, the reader is invited
to join the voyage and go through the same experience of meeting the Little Prince, as the
narrator himself. The drawings within the text serve a peculiar purpose of not just introducing
the Little Prince to the readers but also vesting the same imaginative powers in the readers
that triggered the drawings in the first place.
The novella differentiates the children from the adults on the basis of their respective
powers of imagination. This is further enunciated through examples of drawings where the
adults fail to see beyond what meets the eye. The adults lack the higher faculty of
imagination and live their life in a practical fashion. For the adults, the world is rather black
or white, something tangible. But for the children, who have higher imaginative skills, there
are multiple layers of grey between the black and the white, which cannot be seen through
bare eyes. The nuanced reality that only creativity can show is missed by the so called adults,
who are actually missing out a lot in life because of their rational and narrow viewpoint.
The novella also pronounces the importance of companionship. Being a social animal,
human beings depend on a partner for various emotional as well as physical needs. In the
second chapter, the narrator feels lonely and points out the need for human relationship with
one another. His isolation in the desert makes him realise the true value of life and he
appreciates his friendship with the Little Prince as it offered him numerous life lessons.
The subsequent chapters also emphasize the importance of questioning one’s own beliefs
and the functioning of this world as well. Even when the narrator is full of apprehensions and
doubts, his questions are answered by the Little Prince but in a subtle unintended manner.
The narrative suggests that it is more important to raise the right kind of questions than
finding answers.
Analysis: Chapters 4-6
Later in the fourth chapter, the narrator creates a binary between the two worlds, that of the
adults and the Little Prince. Though the world is just the same for everyone but the way one
perceives it, makes all the difference. The world of the Little Prince or all the children in
12
general is free from the inhibitions of the world of the grown-ups. Even the narrator creates a
binary and addresses the adults as “they”. To further this distinction, the narrator makes sure
that the two entirely different worlds with different viewpoints are discussed in different
chapters. The quantitative world of the adults with stereotypes and set definitions has also
been criticized.
In the fifth chapter, the narrator presents a critique of the Nazi Germany. Through the
discussion of the baobab trees, the narrator critiques those who did not stand up against the
inhuman regime of Adolf Hitler. It was in the year 1942 that The Little Prince was written by
Saint-Exupéry in New York as he witnessed Europe trembling during the War. The narrator
emphasizes the need to recognize the bad seeds and stop them from growing because if they
are allowed to grow, then the full grown tress will palpitate the surroundings. Though such
trees won’t be a problem on earth, other smaller planets like Asteroid B-612 will be in
danger. These baobab trees symbolise a threat to human life and that they should be taken
care of before they rise and become big.
Saint-Exupéry suggests that is only through personal accountability that the problem of
the baobabs can be taken care of. The emphasis on maintaining responsibility towards oneself
is embodied through the recurring metaphor of gardening.
The prince begins his journey from one place to another and in his way he has many
adventures. The prince’s episodic visitation to planets is somewhat similar to adventures that
a picaresque hero experiences. However, the inhabitants that he meets on each planet are
adults with specific character traits.
The first inhabitant that the prince meets is a King. A monarch definitely indicates the
existence of subjects and a political system. But there is neither on the planet. The king is
presented as someone who is hungry for domination and power. He is so consumed by the
idea that he doesn’t even care that he is absolutely alone on his planet. The King doesn’t even
realise that the Little Prince could possibly be the only person who could remove his solitude.
So, instead of seeing him as a saviour, he unsuccessfully tries to cram the prince into his
distorted world by appointing him as minister of justice.
The king tries to customise his order to suit the prince’s needs, but the prince is unwilling
to comply because he is intrinsically opposed to the idea of being ordered about. The
dialogue between the prince and the king is centred around the concept of free will. The
prince plainly declines the King’s offers, be it the minister of justice or an ambassador,
simply on the grounds that he himself has not willed it. In the end he continues with his
journey out of his own choice without being answerable to the king.
He finds a person similar to the king, in the next asteroid he visits. The vanity of this
inhabitant is as meaningless as the authority of the king. This man considers himself to be the
most attractive, intelligent and superior to everyone else. Since he is the sole inhabitant, his
claims are not challenged. Consequently, his superiority depends upon appreciation of his
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visitors, even if they are forced. This only increases the narrators scorn for adults who are
perceived as unimaginative and only tend to push away the possibility of forming relations.
Unlike his previous visits where he simply shrugged off any thoughts and moved on, the
prince spends time to chastise the businessman when he meets him. Not only does the prince
think that the businessman’s work is shallow but also that he is no different than the alcoholic
who is engrossed in pointless work and could not expend any time towards forming a bond.
On the other hand prince appreciates the lamplighter’s task which beautifies the universe.
However, he still displays some of the values of adults, like blindly following outdated
commands. The lamplighters conscientious duty is symbolic of religious duty and worship.
Taking commands from an unseen greater power than his own and completing the task
‘religiously’ is suggestive of religious activities that are pedantically observed by devotees,
almost like the ritual of lighting up candles. Saint Exupery is certainly allegorising religious
ritual/tradition and submission to a higher power though the lamplighter’s story.
The lamplighter is tragic character. His tragedy is derived from his victimhood. He is
exhausted and desires respite and yet he cannot change his circumstances. Bound by his
religious lighting rites the lamplighter never contemplates about enlightenment, which is
quite ironic. In the world of the little prince sadness plays an important role. It is the one
thing that highlights the good in the novella.
The next inhabitant, the geographer, claims to have extensive knowledge of the universe
and yet seems unaware about the local terrain. His excuse is that geographers are not
explorers. This undue adherence to a random rule about what geographers should and should
not do renders him as shallow as other adults.
However, what makes the geographer a more important character than the others that
prince meets, is his comments on the rose’s transience. He is of the view that flowers are not
worth the trouble because they are transient. But for the prince his rose is now even more
special, because it is transient, than it already was. His realisation increases his affection and
yet deepens his regret as well. It dawns upon him that soon the rose will perish.
The snake, in this section, symbolises a lethal force. It reminds the reader of the biblical
serpent who tempts innocent Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit causing them to
lose their innocence, resulting in their expulsion from Garden of Eden. However, this snake is
very different from the biblical serpent. A lethal bite from this snake, as opposed to the
biblical serpent who caused the downfall of Adam and Eve, could send the prince back to
heaven/home. As opposed to the biblical serpent who actively plays a direct part in causing
the loss of innocence of Adam and Eve, this snake acknowledges the prince’s innocence and
says that he is too feeble for this harsh world,. The snake in this is not a villain but someone
14
who comes to deliver him back to his planet, after the prince learns and truly understands the
lessons.
In these chapters, the reader would notice that the narrator shifts his narration several
times. At first he gives a very factual account of all the businessmen, conceited men,
drunkards, and geographers that inhabit Earth. His tone swiftly becomes emotionally charged
as he starts talking about the worldwide dance of the lamplighters. In chapter 27 he assumes a
confessional tone and he acknowledges that human beings are not significant and that the
narrator hasn’t been entirely honest. The acknowledgement of his deceit dawns upon his
mind and it opens up.
Chapters 18 and 19 reveal the limited perspective of human mind. The world can never
be analysed correctly from a single perspective. Since the world is heterogeneous, sticking to
one perspective will never do it justice. This limitation is exemplified by certain characters
such as the three-petaled flower that has only seen a few passers-by and concludes that the
entire humanity is rootless. Even the prince who seems enlightened is limited by perception.
When he gives out a shout and mistakes his own echo for another human voice, seems to
think that men repeat what is said to them.
When the perspective changes it usually paves the way for new things, however some of
these changes can be painful. Consider prince’s position when he discovers that his rose is
not unique as she claimed. He breakdown crying at this realisation. It also dawns upon him
that he is not a magnificent prince. In a way, the prince lived a cocooned life on his planet,
like a frog in a well.
The text was originally published in French and later translated into English. The episode of
the fox assumes a different connotation when we read the text in French. The fox asks the
prince to “Tame” him. In English it immediately connotes the relationship of master and pet,
i.e. to domesticate an animal, to render them subservient. However, in the original text, the
French word “apprivoiser” is used by the prince which connotes a more caring, mutual
connection. Thus the original French doesn’t have a connotation of domination which the
English translation unfortunately conveys.
The revelation of fox’s secret summarises the idea that underpins the text: that what is
hidden is very essential too. At the beginning of the book the narrator’s sketches, elephant
inside a boa constrictor, are incomprehensible to adults and the narrator had to specifically
draw the details for adults to understand. Once Saint-Exupéry wrote, “Don’t you understand
that somewhere along the way we have gone astray? . . . We lack something essential, which
we find it difficult to describe. We feel less human; somewhere we have lost our mysterious
prerogatives.” This “something essential” and these “mysterious prerogatives” are the
important secrets that the fox wishes the prince to cherish.
The fox`s lessons are not text book instructions to be read and stored in memory, but are
more in the nature things that can be experienced. All that the fox did was only to point out
15
the deeds that the prince had already performed. Even though the prince has travelled
different planets before finally visiting earth, but it is the fox who guides the prince and gives
him the validation that he needs. This is evident when the fox asks the prince to visit the rose
garden again to truly understand why the prince’s rose is special. The prince realises that the
special bond is a result of a special reciprocal bond of companionship. That is why, the
prince’s approaching step is special to the fox, and the rose on his home world is special to
the prince.
The emphasis here is that when one invests time in securing anything, whether a goal or
human being, it creates a strong and valuable relationship. Anything that comes easy ceases
to be important.
The narrator understands that the truths that the prince acquired while he was in the company
of the fox, was through experience. The narrator learns from his hunt for the well that
individuals must find the actual meaning of anything by themselves in order for those things
to be worthwhile. The narrator discovers the well while cradling the sleeping prince in his
arms. The narrator realises that his learning through the princes experiences could at best be
second hand and have no value. He learns much more through his own experiences during
their search for well. The search teaches him that in order to truly value something one must
actively search for it, pursue it. His introspection on the journey /exploration for water in the
desert makes the outcome valuable and allows the narrator to imbibe it internally. Saint-
Exupery is obliquely telling the reader that in order to understand the value of anything one
must invest in hard-work and experience it first hand. Just listening to other`s accounts or
notes of such experiences won’t do. The narrator himself has to experience the loss of the
prince and acknowledge the invaluable bond that he shares, despite having heard the fox’s
narrative.
The prince tells the narrator about encountering a salesman who sold tablets that satiated
thirst. One might believe this is exactly what the narrator and the prince would need, stranded
in the desert as they are. But surprisingly none of them actually desire it. They prefer to look
for the well. And when they find it, the narrator gains more than just bodily nutrition as he
sips the water from the well. It also rejuvenates his heart, which he regards as a Christmas
gift. He claims that the hard labour that went into obtaining the freshwater is what makes it so
good, emphasizing that connections, things, and experiences only become worthwhile when
time, care, and energy is invested in achieving them.
The narrative of the little prince creates an uncertainty for us, as it does for the narrator.
We’re left to wonder if the prince was able to rescue his rose on time. The narrator is
convinced that the prince’s existence, in his world, is certainly joyful at times. Despite having
other friends, the loss of this particular companion has taken a toll on him. The narrative
makes no apologies for the reality that losing a loved one is heartbreaking, and its ending
16
holds out no promise that the narrator’s sorrows will be healed. These last sections are
allegorical as they inform the reader about the loss of a loved one.
Despite all the misery, the tale argues that bonds are worth every effort. Both the
narrator and the fox lose the little prince, but the memory of the prince stays on with them
and is reflected in it. The golden wheat fields remind the fox of the prince’s blonde hair, and
the night sky reminds the narrator of his home world. An important theme here is the bright
side of bygone relationships. The highlight here is beauty in desolation. The last painting by
narrator portrays immense sadness in his heart but it also expresses his deep admiration for
the place, because this is where the little prince collapsed. Despite dealing with complex and
unpleasant issues such as death, the narrative sends a message that, often, something good
and beautiful emerges out of tragedy. The little prince realizes that his rose will perish, but
this realisation only fuels his passion more. A similar passion is intensified when the narrator
realizes that the prince will leave him soon.
5. Characters
The Little Prince: One of the story’s two heroes. The prince travels throughout the cosmos
after leaving his home, asteroid B-612 and his beloved rose, eventually arriving on Earth. The
prince, who is sometimes bewildered by the actions of adults, represents the optimism,
compassion, love, simplicity, and wisdom of youth that lies latent in all of us. Despite the fact
that the prince is outgoing and encounters a variety of people on his journey, he never quits
loving his rose and keeps longing for her on his home world.
The Narrator: A pilot who meets the tiny prince while marooned in the desert. Before the
tiny prince’s departure from Earth, they spend eight days together in the desert. Despite being
stopped from sketching at a young age because grown ups are unable to understand his
drawings, the narrator illustrates his own tale and creates various sketches for his new friend,
the little prince. The narrator is a grown up himself, but he views the world more like a child
does. The narrator feels both invigorated and sorrowful as the tiny prince goes.
The Rose: A flirty flower who struggles to communicate her feelings for the tiny prince and
so pushes him far. She is both haughty and naive, but she confesses her love for the
little prince. Alas! it’s too late to stop him as she had pushed him too far, forcing him to leave
her and the planet. Throughout the story she fills the prince’s thoughts and emotions.
The Fox: In the story, the fox requests that the small prince tame him. The animal is the more
informed of the two characters, and he helps guide the prince toward what is vital in life. The
fox summarises three essential lessons in the secret he gives the tiny prince before they say
their goodbyes: only the heart can see accurately; the prince’s long break from his world has
helped him cherish his rose further; and love implies obligation and duty.
The Snake: The prince’s first encounter on Earth, who eventually sends him back to the sky
by biting him. The snake is a perpetual mystery, speaking in riddles and evoking the serpent
of the Bible that incited Adam and Eve to rebel and eat the forbidden fruit of the tree of
17
knowledge of good and evil. Consequently, they were thrown out of their home. However,
the snake here, unlike the biblical snake, sends the prince back home.
The Baobabs: Baobabs, which are normally innocuous trees on Earth, represent a significant
threat to little worlds like the prince’s if left unchecked. With their roots, they may shatter
whole worlds. Although baobabs have no evil thoughts or intentions, they reflect the
tremendous danger that might befall anyone who is too sluggish or apathetic to keep a
vigilant eye on his surroundings.
The King: The little prince meets a ruler who claims to govern the entire universe on the first
planet he visits. While not unkindly, the king’s power is a hollow one. He only has,
ironically, the ability to instruct others to do only what they already do.
The Conceited Man: The only occupant of the second planet visited by the tiny prince is the
conceited guy. The vain guy is lonely and desires the adoration of everyone who passes by.
One thing is sure that, only by being alone can he be certain of becoming the richest and most
attractive guy on the earth.
The Drunkard: The next person the tiny prince meets after leaving home is an alcoholic
who spends his entire time in drunken stupor the drinker is a sorrowful character, but he is
also dumb since he drinks to forget how embarrassed he is of his alcohol consumption.
The lamplighter: The prince encounters a rather complicated character before his arrival on
Earth. The lamplighter looks like just another ludicrous figure with no apparent function at
first, but the tiny prince admires him for his unselfish adherence to his duties. The
lamplighter is the one adult the little prince feels he could befriend among all the grown ups
he meets before arriving on Earth.
The Geographer: The little prince’s sixth and last encounter before arriving on Earth.
Although the geographer appears to be well-read, he refuses to learn about his own planet,
claiming that this is the work of explorers. He advises the tiny prince to visit Earth, and his
remarks on the fleeting nature of flowers disclose to the prince that his own bloom will not
survive forever.
6. Themes
 Insularity and Openness

Insularity is one of the many themes that run abundantly through the text. The little prince
reiterates the story of a Turkish astronomer being ridiculed in front of the European
audiences, because he was dressed in the traditional clothing of his people, paying no regards
to his scientific discovery of Asteroid B-612. But when he comes back dressed in European
clothing he receives a standing applause. Similar is the story of three petaled flower who
incorrectly describes humans as very few in number and rootless drifting beings, because the
flower spent all her life in a desert.
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Even the protagonists are afflicted with moments of ignorance. Ignorance breeds
prejudices resulting in unwanted stereotypes. A one dimensional approach renders one
impervious to changes resulting in a sad life.
It is important to note that the prince associates closed-mindedness with grown-ups.
Children, on the other hand are shown as capable of having immense imaginative prowess.
They are not as prosaic, stubborn and myopic as adults. Both these ideas are illustrated with
the narrator’s experience of adults in the first chapter where he showed them his first sketch
and they are completely clueless. The second is when he meets the prince who immediately
understands what the sketch was about .
The little prince embodies the qualities of openness, such are also the qualities that
usually characterise children. He is an explorer who tireless seeks adventure and is quite
inclined to unravel the secrets of the universe. The prince’s journey highlights that such
curiosity is the quintessential spice for the recipe of happiness. However the little prince is far
from immature, his friendship with the much older narrator shows that there is not much
difference between a child and an adult. When the prince asks the narrator to draw sheep, he
does so, even though he had given up sketching years ago. The fact that a grown up man was
able to re-establish connection with his inner child as well as develop a strong bond with the
prince dissolves the boundaries between adulthood and childhood.
The little prince in the story is an archetypal curious wanderer who is open to changes.
He is ready to explore the boundaries of the universe, willing to engage with the unknown.
Curiosity is something that drives the prince and keeps him happy. But the prince here is
more of a metaphor than a child. He represents the child in every person. That is why the
narrator too grows affectionate towards him, and this fondness, in turn, arouses the dormant
child in him.
 Wisdom through adventure
The protagonists, though separated by age, are united in their sense of exploration. This
physical/outer exploration symbolises internal exploration (introspection). The geographer is
an absolute contrast to both, he is knowledgeable but his knowledge didn’t help him grow.
His knowledge stems from information provided by adventurers who give him second details
of hand second-hand experiences. The adventurers are changed by such experiences, just like
the prince, but not the geographer. In the middle ages, it was believed that the internal
activity expresses itself in the external. Thus, from such a perspective the narrator shows that
physical exploration is actually a form of internal spiritual exploration. The strong bond that
both the protagonists create and sustain symbolises spiritual growth and wisdom.
 Love and Responsibility in Relationships
The entire story of the prince serves as an allegory that highlights the significance of
responsibility in relationships. The theme is established right from the beginning when the
rose sapling sprouts and the prince begins to adore her. His love grows and with that comes
the responsibility of taking care of his beloved flower from all kinds of harm. When he
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reaches Earth and meets the fox, the fox asks the prince to tame him, so that a unique bond is
formed between them. This bond will be nourished by one’s dutiful investment in the other,
and in turn, both will receive care, a sense of belonging, love, stability and attachment. And
even if the world is filled with a number of foxes and humans the bond will render the prince
and the fox as absolutely special to each other. Although, in the beginning the prince
acknowledges that he is not mature enough to understand the love of his rose it soon dawns
on him how special his rose is, compared to all the roses that are in the garden. He finally
realised that his rose was special because he cared for her, protected her, nourished her and
kept her safe.
7. Summing up
In this unit we have learnt:
 Creativity, curiosity, and exploration creates a better person
 Relationships are what gives meaning to our lives
 Responsibilities are integral to the maintenance of relationships
 View things through heart and not just only with eyes
 Ignorance breeds toxicity and negative behaviour, as exemplified by the inhabitants of
other planets.
8. Further Reading: Includes a list of books/essays/websites

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APG1upS8LDw&ab_channel=ChristopherWillia
ms
 https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-strange-triumph-of-the-little-
prince
 https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Little-Prince
 https://www.telegraphindia.com/culture/books/antoine-de-saint-exupery-s-classic-the-
little-prince-is-a-story-about-deep-love/cid/1693301
 https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/3/7/the-little-prince/
 https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/literally-psyched/the-big-lesson-of-a-little-
prince-recapture-the-creativity-of-childhood/
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Unit-1(b)
Oliver Jeffers: Heart in a Bottle

1. Introduction
Oliver Jeffers works as a visual artist and writer and focuses primarily on illustration,
painting, collage, sculpture, bookmaking, and performance. As a storyteller, his method and
narrative is driven by ‘Curiosity and Humor’ which are the causal motifs in his work. His
work is described as both solemn and funny at the same time. It tries to interrogate the human
psyche while trying to grasp the world around and this interrogation also acts as a comic
relief at times. Jeffers’ is by all standards an international artist as his visual novellas have
been translated into more than 40 languages and have sold more than 10 million copies
around the globe. His work finds a place in many galleries around the world including the
Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Irish museum of Modern Art in Dublin, and the
National Portrait Gallery based in London. Oliver Jeffers has received several awards
including United Kingdom Literary Association Award and the New York Times Best
Illustrated Children’s Books Award. Oliver Jeffers was born in 1977, Belfast Northern
Ireland. He presently lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. The story Heart in a Bottle is
about a small girl who views the world with wonder in her eyes. But something happens in
her story that compels her to place her heart in a bottle. Whether she is able to find a way to
free her heart or not is a mystery to be solved.
2. Learning Objectives:
After going through this unit you will be able to:
 Understand the curious nature of an innocent child.
 Understand how children sometimes deal with a sense of loss.
 Understand why it is important to reconnect with the child in us.
3. Summary
The story begins with the narrator telling the reader about a young girl. She, like many
children of her age, was bursting with inquisitiveness regarding her world. Whether it is
laying down and watching the glittering stars in the enormous night sky, or taking a swim in
the vast ocean, she found wonder in all that was there. The girl is always accompanied by her
grandfather in her pursuits. He would, usually, sit in his comfortable chair. But one day she
found her grandfather’s chair, empty. Her beloved grandfather, who would always
accompany her on her adventures passed away. It caused her immense pain. So, in order to
save herself from any more emotional pain, she locked her heart inside a bottle. She hung the
bottle around her neck and somehow it appeared to mend things at first. But it came at a great
21
price. She could no longer experience the childlike, exuberant delight she felt before. She
forgot about the stars in night sky, about the wonderful beach and the sea. She was no longer
curious about her world, nothing seemed to excite her. She did not notice things what’s
happening around her. The bottle now had become uncomfortable and bulky but the only
solace that she could give herself was that her heart was safe.
a) What kind of activities did the little girl do with her grandfather?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………….………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………….…………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
The narrator tells us that the girl, now a grown up, would have been clueless about such a
scenario had she not met a younger girl who was as curious about the world as she once was.
The young girl asks her if she knew whether there were elephants swimming underneath the
ocean. The grown up woman in her realises that she could’ve easily answered the young
girl’s question, if she had her heart. At that very moment she decided to have it back, but she
was unsuccessful for she could not remember how to open the bottle. She tries to break the
bottle with tools, by throwing it off from a high building, but nothing seemed to work. The
bottle was simply unbreakable.
a) What causes her to encase her heart in a bottle? Why does she do it?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………….………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………….…………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
However, the bottle was picked up and popped open by a young girl who was still curious
and filled with wondrous excitement about the world. The lady, thanks to the young child,
regained her heart, and placed it in its rightful place. She then goes to her grandfather’s chair
and sits down filled with the same wonder she once possessed. The chair is not empty
anymore, but the bottle is.
a) What happens when she locks the heart in the bottle?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………….………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………….…………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
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b) Why was the other little girl able to open the bottle and not the young woman?
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………….………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………….…………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
4. Analysis
The story of Heart in a Bottle deals primarily with emotions of loss, especially the loss of a
protective loved one, under who’s guidance a child learns. Under an adults protective shadow
children can experience exhilarating amount of wonderful learning that satiates their
unbounded curiosity about the world. Jeffer’s work talks about a child’s inherent
inquisitiveness, but he also adds an element of subtle tragedy and how it affects the little girl
herself. The heart here is symbolic the child’s love for her mentor and protective grandfather
and the sense of that loss that pervades her consciouness after the grandfather passes away.
The grandfather’s death causes her to lock her heart because she feels this great sense of loss
in her heart and she hopes to protect her sense of connectedness with her grandfather by
locking it. But this proves to be counter intuitive. By locking her heart she also renders
herself immune to all the joys she once felt. Shutting up ones heart may take away all the
pain but it also takes away something vital in us. It takes away all the joy with it. As the
narrative soon reveals, the protagonist, now a young woman, has locked away all her
emotions along with the pain.
The empty chair indicates the death of the grandfather. This empty chair also reminds us
of the fact that the mind and heart of the little girl, that was filled with curiosity and
amazement under the protective shadow of her grandfather, is now empty as well. However,
at the very end when the moment arrives and when she is able to unlock her heart with the
help of the little girl, she gets to occupy the empty chair that her grandfather used to occupy.
And the cycle begins once again.
The little girl who unlocks the protagonists heart is quite emblematic. Seen from a
psychological perspective, it seems that one needs to get in touch with one`s inner child in
order to unlock what years of adulthood has buried so. And when one is able to reconnect
with the child in us the wonder returns. No wonder it is said, “A creative adult is the child
who survived”. If creativity, ‘out of the box’ thought processes marks our chilhood then
passing into adult hood with its cold logic and unfeeling rationality is achieved by locking
away the wonder and amazement of childhood. But then is that desirable? In the story when
the young lady gets her heart back from the bottle, opened by the little girl, her mind is again
filled with the same imagination that she once had.
5. Themes and Symbols
 Curiosity and Imagination: The underlying themes of the story are curiosity and
imagination. The reader at the very begining of the text is introduced to the girl’s
23
inquisitiveness and sense of wonder. This is a particular characteristic of children,
who at their age of learning are preternaturally curious with anything that presents
itself. They have a vivid imagination and they are continuously looking for answers to
questions that may confound most adults.
 Loss: The story also deals with the issue of the tragic loss of a loved one, especially a
mentor protector figure. It often has an unfortunate consequence as in the case of the
protagonist of this story. She flowered under the loving mentorship of her grandfather
but his sudden loss confuses her and forces her to take counter intuitive measures.
 Coping Mechanism: The protagonist`s approach towards her grief is, predictably, a
defensive one. She folds in and to protect her fragile heart she locks her heart. But this
response is something that one can expect from a child. Instead of allowing her heart
to experience the full range of emotions that she is going through at the loss of her
grandfather, she makes her heart immune to emotions by keeping it out of reach. It
certainly helped her cope with the loss. But she ends up paying a big price for it; the
loss of joy. She no longer felt, the heart being detached from her, any joy as she felt
before. This loss grows in her sub-conscious as she grew into an adult, and she grew
distanced from herself. Even after realising that she needs to reconnect with her self
by freeing her heart, she couldn’t do it on her own. Fittingly, her heart is freed by a
young girl who represents, metaphorically, her own younger self.
6. Symbols
 Heart: The seat of imagination, creativity, emotions, innocence. These are few of the
many things that are associated with children
 Bottle: Symbolic of protection, but also an obstruction that renders individuals
unemotional, unfeeling towards anything, including the very things that they once
enjoyed.
 Young girl: The story contains two young girls, one the central character in the
beginning and later in the story another one who unlocks the heart locked in a bottle
for the now grown-up woman. The young girl itself symbolises innocence and
curiosity, but she also represents strong bond towards ones inner-self. Everything in
life is joyous when we stay connected with the child in us represented by our heart.
Once that bond is ruptured life loses its joy.Despite many attempts the woman fails to
unlock her heart , until she is helped by a young girl who did it with ease, thus re-
establishing a connection that she had lost.
7. Summing up
In this unit we have learnt about:
 The inherent wondrous curiosity of children
 How children become defensive when they deal with a tragis loss and how that same
very mechanism that protects the child alienates her from her own self.
24
 The numbing effect of separating one emotions from ones persona.
 Importance of reconnecting with the child in us.
8. Reading List
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/emotional-detachment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q4W2P4HgcY&ab_channel=StorytimewithSuzanne
https://www.oliverjeffers.com/about
https://www.brainpickings.org/2015/05/14/oliver-jeffers-the-heart-and-the-bottle/
25
Unit-1(c)
Bell Hooks and Chris Raschka: Happy to be Nappy

1. Introduction
Bell hooks is the pen name of Gloria Jean Watkins. She was born on 25th of September 1952.
She is an American feminist critic, writer, professor, and a social activist. She has published
numerous works and academic writings. She has given
numerous public lectures, and has appeared in several
documentaries too. Bell Hooks works focus chiefly on
intersectional theories of gender, race, and class. She has
written and spoken extensively on systems of domination.
Such systems have the ability to preserve and spread.
Apart from that, her work also dwells on issues
concerning education, sexuality, mass media, and history.
Happy to be Nappy is a essentially a picture book that
celebrates different hairstyles of young African American women.
It is nor prescriptive and shows no preference for this or that style. It just celebrates
varied hairstyles and encourages young African American girls to be comfortable with their
hair.
After reading this unit you will be able to:
 understand self-love and the idea of body-positivity
 understand the importance of developing self-respect
 understand how the author is trying to empower young girls by bolstering a positive
self-imag.
3. Summary
The text starts straight away with a young girl named Girlpie. She is described as a girl who
has hair that is sweet, fresh, clean, and fragrant. The narrator continues with a picturesque
description of Girlpie’s hair
which is gentle and soft like
cotton. Her hair is wavy and soft
as the petal of a flower, full of
frizz.
26
But the narrator is not particularly concerned with any particular style. Some have hair
akin to a crown, while some have hair in shape of an angelic halo. One can even mould the
hair the way they want, smoothen it, pat them down, pull them tightly, cut them close, or
simply let them flow freely, as if carried by the wind.
The narrator also mentions, that one can use a brush or comb, twist them into a plait, or
let them be as they are. One can Touch them with hands, play with the hair, change the
hairstyle to chase away the sadness. The narrator strongly suggests sitting down and letting
the hands gently comb hair to start a day full of hope.
a) How does the author describe Girlpie’s hair?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
The narrator then concludes with a celebration of all types of hairstyles, long, curly, short,
with twists and turns or plaited whatever they may be. It is an exhortation to accept oneself
with everything that is bestowed because with acceptance comes freedom and with freedom
comes happiness.
a) What is the underlying message of this text?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
4. Analysis
The story can be seen as an encouragement to accept one’s identity.The question of identity is
often linked to one`s hair, especially in the case of African American women who sport a
wide range of seemingly quirky hairstyles that is different from other Americans. But being
different doesnt make one unequal or unacceptable. Seen in this light, this narrative then
becomes a discourse on gender and racial politics on hair. The text clearly defends the
numerous styles of hair sported by African American people. It also celebrates various
features, like length, texture, shapes, etc. The specific line that clearly reflects the idea of
pride in oneself is the description of hair in the likeness of a crown or a halo. Hooks’ text
follows the tradition of children literature of Black Americans for their hair. One of the
earliest stories is by Alex De Veaux who wrote “An Enchanted hair tale”, in which a young
Sudanese hates his dreadlocks, because his neighbours comment that they are ugly, unsightly,
and uncombed. He is labelled as weird and strange. But when he meets a troupe of
27
performers having dreadlocks like his, he is assured that his hair is nothing less than
something magical. In celebrating hair that looks and feels different from other Americans
the narrator challenges the discriminatory and negative perspective about African American
hairstyles.
5. Themes
Body Positivity and Acceptance: Building a positivite self image and being comfortable
with ones identity is the central idea in the story. This is especially important in today’s world
dominated by social media where acceptance on social media platforms is considered the key
to happiness. But for African American girls it becomes a struggle because in social media
difference often, especially in physical appearance and hair style, results in racial
discrimination. An unfortunate consequence of this discriminatory approach towards hair,
race, and gender creates a negative mind set. All these issues are intersectional and the
author, in this story, tries to normalise these differences by celebrating them and thereby
creating an enviroment of acceptance.
6. Summing up
 The story is an encouragement to (but not limited to) African-American girls to accept
their hair as they truly are.
 There are no central characters as this addresses the general sensibility to accepts ones
natural state of being.
 The narrative focuses on boosting self-confidence and accepting ones self-image,
ultimately finding happiness in ones self.
7. Reading List
Include a list of books/essays/websites (preferably the ones you have referred to in your
analysis)
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-body-positivity-4773402
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI8ZWpx1nyk&t=79s&ab_channel=GoldenScholars101
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/books/bell-hooks-min-jin-lee-aint-i-a-woman.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_hooks
https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/cfr/article/view/25166/31031
28
Unit-1(d)
The Why Why Girl

Mahasweta Devi
1. Introduction
Mahasweta Devi (1926–2016) was one of India’s foremost literary figures from the late
twentieth and early twenty-first century. She is not just a writer but a social activist too. She
authored numerous novels, plays, essays and short stories. In 1996, she received the Jnanpith
Award, India’s highest literary honour. She was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award in
1997 for her ‘compassionate crusade through art and activism to claim for tribal peoples a
just and honourable place in India's national life’.
Mahasweta Devi was born in 1926. She was a writer as well as an activist and her fame
as a writer is only matched by her dedication towards social activism. She championed
equality and fair treatment for the marginalised and tribal communities and this concern for
the rights of the marginalised communities premeated her literary works. This seamless
blending of leterary genius with genuine social activism is rare and she is one of the rare
writers to have recieved the Jnanpith Award as well as the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay
Award.
The Why Why Girl, one of the many short stories that Mahasweta Devi has penned,
happens to be the only children’s story in her writing career. The story is about a young tribal
girl in a village. She is unable to go to school or rather cannot find the time to attend one. She
is always busy with gathering the firewood, looking after the goats, carrying water, etc. But it
is her remarkable curiosity and inclination to continuously ask questions that earns her the
eponymous name ‘The Why Why Girl’ from the village postmaster.
Being a social activist, Mahasweta Devi worked very closely with the tribal communities
of Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Gujarat. The reason that she specifically chose
Moyna’s story is because the tribals had to go through tough geographical terrains for their
day to day tasks. Reaching school is a hard task for students as well as teachers. Despite that,
the author found in Moyna an ever curious girl. Unfettered by the challenges put in her paths,
she is keen on learning. Mahasweta Devi worked tirelessly for the upliftment of ostracised
tribal communities especially Shabar’s to which Moyna belongs. Later committees such the
Shabar Samiti were founded and set up many schools with evolving teaching and learning
amenities.
Mahasweta Devi writes, “I have found that tribal children are close to nature in mind, it
is easy to explain things, scientifically to them. They truly love nature. In writing about
Moyna, I have written about so many children and I write because I love children.”
29
After going through this Unit you will be able to:
 Describethe life of Shabars, a tribal community.
 Describe the central character of the story Moyna and her daily routine.
 Write a critical note on the importance of asking questions.
 Understand the emancipatory potential of questions and education.
 Analyse the state of education in tribal/rural societies in India.
3. Summary
The story starts with Moyna, a Shabar girl, being held back by her hair by the author. The
reason; Moyna was chasing a cobra. When the author tries to stop her she protests (HUH!)
and starts with her barrage of questions ‘But Why?!’ She fearlessly argues that they eat
snakes, despite being warned that it is a poisonous snake and not a rat snake which is
harmless.
The author then pulls Moyna into the Samiti office, much to Moyna’s dismay. This
where the author worked, it is also the place where Moyna’s mother Khiri was intertwining a
basket. In fact, the Samiti was a place where all the village public are free to come, read,
learn, write, sing, and dance together. The author then asks Moyna to sit down and rest for a
while as she believed that she must’ve gotten tired. But Moyna strongly refuses by shaking
her head. She asks the author if she were to rest then who will tend to the goats, gather
firewood and carry water.
Khiri, Moyna’s mother, is also present in the room. She reminds Moyna to express
gratitude to the Babu for sending rice to them. Moyna, being so ever interrogative, asks why
she should thank the Babu. She boldly persists that she is the one who does all the odd jobs
for him. Therefore, she should be thanked by the Babu and not vice versa. After putting
across her bold and valid argument, she runs away. Her mother breathes a sigh and comments
that she has never seen such an unruly kid. She is always full of questions. Because of her
opinionated nature and habit of questioning, the village postman calls her the why why girl.
Owing to her ceaseless questioning, the author expresses her appreciation for Moyna but her
mother responds that the girl is quite stubborn.
a) What was Moyna doing when the author caught her by her plaits?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
30
b) Why does the postmaster call her ‘the why why girl’?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
Moyna belonged to the tribal community known as ‘Shabar’. They are the landless, poverty
stricken people but contented with whatever they have. However, being satisfied was not a
part of Moyna’s nature. She always challenged the state of affairs with her questions. Why
does she have to go to a distant place to fetch water? Why do they stay in hut made of leaves?
Why can’t they consume rice twice a day? The Shabars do not send their daughter’s for work,
but Moyna does because Khiri has a limp and can’t even walk properly. Moyna’s father has
left for Jamshedpur in search of work and her brother goes to jungle every day to collect
wood. Thus she is the only one in her family who has to serve the babus or tend to the
landlord’s goats. Unlike her fellow Shabars, she doesn’t like to eat leftover food given by her
employers. She would rather very much like to cook a delicious meal and eat it together with
her family.
The author recounts her stay in the village, in the month of October. At the same time
Moyna decided to stay with her too. Of course her mother refused, but Moyna again
confronted her with a question, asking why not. She came with a pair of clothes and her pet
mongoose pup, to stay with the author. She comforts her mother by saying that she will watch
out for bad snakes and at the same time, will catch nonvenemous snakes. She assures her
mother that she will catch and give them to her mother, who cooks delicious snake curry.
However, Moyna’s mother remembers to warns the author about her endless stream of
‘whys’.
a) What kind of work did Moyna do?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
b) Moyna belonged to which tribal community?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
The author reminisces the time spent with Moyna. She seems to have a question for every
situation, such as – why does she have to manage babu’s goats? Why can’t fish talk? Why do
stars look tiny despite being larger than our sun? etc. One evening Moyna asked the author,
31
why does she read books before going to sleep? The writer responded that it answers her
‘whys’. Hearing this Moyna fell silent for the first time. She then cleaned her room, watered
the tree, and fed her baby mongoose. Then she came to author and declared that she will learn
to read so she could find answers to her questions. So began her journey from being a girl
who only asked questions to the girl who answered them too. And slowly,when she would
take the goats out for grazing, she started instructing other kids with whatever she learned
from the author.
When the author visits the village, after an year, the first thing that she gets to hear is
Moyna’s voice asking why the school is closed. The Samiti teacher Malati told Moyna that
classes happened from 9 am to 11 am and that school time is over. However, Moyna
frustratingly asks why the timings can’t be changed. Since she had to graze the goats in the
morning, she misses her classes. She expresses her disappointment and tells the teacher that if
the classes keep on happening at the said time then all the cowherds and goatherds would be
deprived of an education. She then sees the author approaching and soon runs away.
a) What kind of questions did Moyna pose about her employer, the babu/zamindar?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
b) What was Moyna doing when the author visited her after a year?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
Later that evening the author visited Moyna’s house. There she saw Moyna and her siblings
huddled together near the kitchen stove. Moyana was instructing them about why they should
wash their hands before eating. She even strongly advised them to plant two trees if they cut
one. She berates them for not knowing such integral things because they don’t attend Samiti
classes like she does.
The author then asks a rhetorical question, directly to the reader. ‘who do you think is the
first girl to be admitted to the primary school? It was Moyna. She tells the readers that Moyna
is now eighteen years old and is a teacher at the Samiti School. One can surely listen and
notice her piqued and challenging voice, encouraging her young students to always ask
questions. And her students are learning to heed to her questions. The author continues that
Moyna doesn’t know that she is writing down her story, if she were to know, Moyna would
undoubtedly ask, “Why?”
32
a) What exactly did the author say that rendered Moyna silent?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
b) As a teacher, what does Moyna encourage her students to do?
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
4. Analysis
The story revolves around Moyna who, like most children of her age, is curious by nature but
unlike other children is not afraid to ask questions. The story is set in a tribal village where
Moyna lives with her mother and siblings. Though the story is meant for children, it rises
above the confines of its genre and comments upon the state of the tribal people, the
education system, social progress, etc. The story also questions the status quo. Moyna`s,
seemingly, innocent questions links all these themes together. At first it may seem like some
innocuous questioning by a feisty child, but the way they are posed tells the reader about
underlying social stigmas that exist in the tribal societies. When Moyna asks questions like
“Why cant she consume rice, twice a day, or why do they live in a leaf hut, or eat left overs of
babus/zamindars?” it tells the reader about the discrimination faced by the tribals at the hands
of rich landlords. The reader is also made aware of the status of the Shabar community to
which Moyna belongs. The reader gets to know that they do not own any property. The sorry
state of tribals is the underlying theme, which is made more explicit with more questions as
the reader moves with the narrative. When Moyna asks questions like why can’t the babu’s
boys tend to the goats?, or why cant babu thank her for doing all the petty chores instead of
she thanking him for giving her a left-over meal?, it lays bare the deeply unequal and
exploitative social system that the tribals live within. Thus, Moyna’s questions, most of them
rhetorical ones, while revealing her ability to pose relevant questions also poses a challenge
to authority. The reader also gets acquainted with the difficulties faced by the teachers and
students in furthering education within the marginalised communities. Moyna complain about
the school timings points to a system that has remained indifferent to the needs of the
children from the lower strata of the society who need to work and contribute their labour for
the survival of the family. It clearly places service to the rich and powerful as more important
than education. It is only due to her persistence that Moyna manages overcome not just
systemic but also social impediments to get an education. This struggle allows Moyna the
moral authority to mildly scold her siblings for not getting an education.
33
5. Characters and Themes
5.1 Moyna: The central character of this story, Moyna is feisty young girl who questions
everything. And that fearless and persistent questioning earns her the moniker the ‘why why
girl’. She is energetic, curious and, at times, a little impatient. She displays a strong sense of
self-respect and questions the social heirarchy that puts her in an inferior position in relation
to her employer, the babu. Thus she establishes herself as quite a non-conformist. She is a
headstrong young girl whose proclivity to ask questions propels her in pursuit of knowledge,
inadvertently setting her on a learning curve that is emancipatory. As a courageous girl she
challenges the status quo and demands what is rightfully hers. This is amply demonstrated
when she questions the Samiti teacher about the discriminatory school timings. Soon she
grows up to be a quite an instructive teacher at the Samiti school. She retains her strong
boisterous personality as well as curiosity. And, as a teacher, she tries to develop the same
curiosity and an urge to educate oneself in her students, thus multiplying the benefits of
learning through her instruction.
5.2. Themes
5.2.1 Tribal Lives: The story revolves around Moyna, who is a Shabar girl. Through her, the
author projects the impoverished conditions of the tribals. The Shabars were perceived as a
‘criminal tribe’ during the ‘The British Raj’, and this perception persists in the modern times
as well. The Shabars endure a lot of stigma and ostracisation. They are not allowed to eat rice
twice a day, not even cook for themselves. They are expected to eat leftovers of the Babus.
The story not only captures the unequal status and exploitation of the tribals but questions
them in subtle ways. Though the story offers no straightforward solution to these problems it
suggests that education could be the way out.
5.2.2 Education System: The story delves into the problems that besets the education system
in rural areas. Reaching young minds in remote rural areas is at best challenging. Apart from
logistic, the social and economic system itself is discriminatory against the marginalised
sections. Even if a school is established in a rural area, the marginalised sections face the
issue of access. The children from this section of society need to work during the day, often
tending to livestock of the Babus/ Zamindars. Consequently they are not able to attend a
school that operates during regular working hours. This problem is further compounded by an
absolute lack of awareness in the tribal communities who would consider an education as a
waste of precious time. At times the schools are hardly accessible because they are located in
areas that are difficult to access for both teachers and students. Despite all of this, efforts are
being made by organisations such as Shabar Samiti to impart education to as many people as
possible.
5.2.3 Questioning: One of the themes of this story is the importance asking questions, not
just in the developement of children but also as a possible catalyst for social change. This is
exemplified by the central character Moyna. It is her her questions tghat drive the story. At a
34
primary level, the questioning serves the purpose of acquiring knowledge, but at a deeper
level it challenges the status quo and authority. Questioning then becomes the first step
towards possible emancipation. Questioning leads Moyna to pursue knowledge, and it is
knowledge that sets her free. Towards the end the author notices that Moyna is instructing her
siblings by the fireside in the kitchen. And she ends up as a teacher in the same Samiti school
where she herself got an education. She will pass on to others not only what she learnt at the
school but also the importance of asking questions that got her to the school in the first place.
6. Summing up
In this unit, we have learnt that:
 Moyna is a Shabar girl whose curiosity knows no bounds. She challenges authority by
questioning them and refuses to accept conditions as they are, unlike her fellow tribals
who are content with what they have.
 Her curiosity is shaped by the author who guides her by motivating to read books
which has all the answers.
 As she learns she gives back by instructing her siblings and people around her.
 In the end, Moyna is seen working as a teacher at the Samiti school, urging her
students to always ask questions.
7. Reading List
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmN93NuDwIg&ab_channel=TheRedCurtainProject
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-do-children-ask-why_b_9233266
https://ijip.in/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/18.01.060.20210901..pdf
https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17990/IN
https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/tribals-mahasweta-touched-back-to-cursed-
life/cid/1320197
35

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Unit 1a D

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B.A. (Hons.

) English – Semester V DSE-1

Edited by: P. K. Satapathy

SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING

SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING

(a) Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince 01

(b) Oliver Jeffers, Heart in a Bottle 21

(c) Bell Hooks and Chris Raschka, Happy to be Nappy 26

(d) Mahasweta Devi, The Why Why Girl 29

SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: The Little Prince

b) How does the prince return to his planet?

 Insularity and Openness

8. Further Reading: Includes a list of books/essays/websites

Oliver Jeffers: Heart in a Bottle

Bell Hooks and Chris Raschka: Happy to be Nappy

The Why Why Girl

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