A Book Review

The Little Prince

by Antoine de Saint-Exupery Summary In the story, the narrator begins the tale with an explanation of his dislike of adults; he claims he does not enjoy them, for they are much too practical. Instead, he prefers the company of children, who are natural and curious. The narrator next tells of how his plane crashed in the desert, where he met the Little Prince, a mystical creature from another planet. The narrator tells why the Prince left his planet and where he visited before coming to Earth. His adventures on six different planets are recounted, including the encounters with the king, the conceited man, the tippler, the businessman, the lamplighter, the geographer, the snake, the desert flower, the garden of roses, the railway switchman, the merchant, the fox, and the narrator. The narrator and the Prince share a rewarding relationship on the desert, and when the Little Prince departs, the narrator misses his company. He writes the novel in memory of the Little Prince. Elements Analysis A. Characters:

The Little Prince The Little Prince is a pure and innocent traveler from outer space whom the narrator encounters in the Sahara desert. Before the little prince lands on Earth, SaintExupry contrasts the princes childlike character with different adult characters by having the prince hop from one neighboring planet to another. On each planet, the prince meets a different type of adult and reveals that characters frivolities and weaknesses. The Narrator The narrator of The Little Prince is an adult in years, but he explains that he was rejuvenated six years earlier after he crashed his plane in the desert. He was an imaginative child whose first drawing was a cryptic interpretation of a boa constrictor that had swallowed an elephant. The shortcoming on the narrators part makes him a character we can relate to as human beings more easily than we can relate to the otherworldly, extraordinarily perceptive little prince.

The Rose Although the rose appears only in a couple of chapters, she is crucial to the novel as a whole because her melodramatic, proud nature is what causes the prince to leave his planet and begin his explorations. Also, the princes memory of his rose is what prompts his desire to return. Because of the rose, the prince learns that what is most essential is invisible, that time away from ones beloved causes a person to better appreciate that love, and that love engenders responsibilityall of which are broad morals that obviously extend beyond the authors personal history. The Fox The fox appears quite suddenly and inexplicably while the prince is mourning the ordinariness of his rose after having come across the rose garden. When the fox immediately sets about establishing a friendship between himself and the prince. The Snake Even though the snake the little prince encounters in the desert speaks in riddles, he demands less interpretation than the other symbolic figures in the novel. The snake also has less to learn than many of the other characters. The grown-ups on the various planets are too narrow-minded for their own good, and the prince and the narrator edge closer to enlightenment, but the serpent does not require answers or even ask questions. B. Theme

In The Little Prince, Saint-Exupry explains the importance of seeing the whole truth in order to find beauty. He believes that visible things are only shells that hint at the real worth hidden inside. He points out that man has not learned to look beneath the surface, or perhaps, has forgotten how to do so. Because adults never look inside, they will never know themselves or others. C. Plot

Exposition: The narrator has crashed in the Sahara Desert. He meets with a little price who then asks him to draw a sheep. The two become friend and later the narrator finds out that the Little Price came from a different planet. Little by little he finds out the journey that the Little Prince has been through. Rising action: The Little Prince believes that the rose does not love him, he then flies away from his planet and travels to the neighboring planets before he lands on Earth. Climax: The climax in this story occurs when the time comes for the little prince to say goodbye to the fox, who has taught him; "only the heart can see correctly", which mean, the most important thing cannot be seen with the eyes, but we need to feel it with our

heart. The fox remind the little prince that he was responsible for his rose, and that made him realize that his rose is indeed very special. The time that the Little Prince has spent away from his planet made him appreciate his rose more and love involves responsibility. Falling action: The Little Prince meets the narrator and passes him what the fox has taught to him. The Little Prince decides to leave the narrator and lets the snake bite him. Resolution: Six years later the narrator is still wondering what had happen to the little prince. D. CONFLICT

Protagonist The protagonist of the short novel is the Little Prince. He is a simple, yet mystical, creature from asteroid B-612. One day a seed arrives on his planet and blooms into a beautiful flower. Though the flower is lovely, it is vain and irritates the Prince. Finally he leaves his planet, to escape the flower. After visiting several asteroids, the Little Prince reaches Earth, where he meets the narrator in the Sahara Desert. Antagonist The problem, or antagonist, of the Little Prince is his thirst for answers. He visits many planets and meets many people, whom he questions about life. In particular, he wants to understand the existence and pastimes of adults on Earth. He tries to find his answers from a snake, a fox, and the narrator. Climax The climax of the plot occurs when the Little Prince decides to return to his planet and care for his special flower. He has learned from the fox that the important things in life cannot be seen with the eye, only felt with the heart. This lesson eventually makes the Little Prince realize that the flower from which he has fled is really very special. After meeting the narrator and explaining all that he has learned since he left his planet, the Prince accepts that he really loves the flower because she is his responsibility, and he has invested time and trouble in her survival. As a result, he decides that he must go back to his star to take care of his special rose. Outcome The story ends in comedy. The Little Prince finds the answers to his questions about what is important in life. When he realizes his love for the flower, he accepts that he must return to his star to care for the rose. He makes arrangements with the poisonous snake to bite him, which will insure his safe passage back home. Before he

departs,

the

Little

Prince

makes

profound

impression

on

the

narrator.

Reactions The Little Prince is an endearing tale of equal appeal to the young and the grown-ups. It is entertaining, thought-provoking and mind-triggering in the process. It has simple and expressive language that conveys deeper shades of philosophy. It is a worth reading for. The story discusses and illustrates the complexity of mans life and how crucial is the world with millions of different species of existence. It shows how hard being innocent in the things that you are approaching. Its what Ive felt for the Little Prince. He has lots of questions in the world that he is living and starting to grow. He even should go far beyond what he sees. He, the Little Prince, has to visits different planets and has to meet several types of people to answers all his queries. Also, Ive seen in the story, how bold and brave the Little Prince. His character is extraordinary. In spite of his young age and inexperienced, he still manages to go beyond his objectives and he takes the risks of leaving behind what is important to him just to prosper on his goal. In leadership, The Little Prince, is the character that portrays an aspiring good leader. He wants to become a good leader. He is leading on his planet. Although small, he dreams something big for his planet and the things he owns like the rose and the volcanoes. He is inspiring those leader in his neighboring planets. He has goals and objectives. He is using all his ability to achieve these goals. Even the world beyond his control, he conquers just to gain the knowledge and understanding on how to perpetuate his resources. He, The Little Prince, is transformational and change leader, in the way that hes goal oriented and risk taker in proceeding his career paths. He is open to changes and innovations. Hes willing to cover up his shortcomings as he wraps his rose in a glass globe just to protect it when hes not around, as illustrates in chapter 9. He takes all the challenges necessary for his development and progress. He doesnt stick to one approach. He tries more than six as he makes visit variety of people in several planets just to get the best and lasting benefits of his visions. In chapter 10 to 16, the Little Prince has visited his neighboring planets wherein he has met different kind of people that shows different characteristics of leaders. There he met a king, clad in royal purple and ermine, who felt consumingly proud of being the last king over somebody. He represents a great man, a monarch or aristocratic leader. Another one is the planet who leads by a conceited man. He is an authoritarian leader. He wants everyone obey his rules and commands. A tippler leads another planet. A laissez fair leader, he is drunk and ashamed. The Little Prince wonders for this odds adults. In a far planet, there leads by a businessman. He is so much preoccupied that he did not even raise his head at the little princes arrival.

Other leader he has met is the lamp-lighter. He is terrible obedient to his work. Little Prince thinks that this one has a useful occupation than those he has met earlier Though this man is unhappy because of its unable to sleep and rest. He, the lamplighter, is a servant leader. Hes thinking something else besides himself. The other leader he visited is the old gentleman who wrote voluminous books, a geographer. He is smart and intelligent leader. He told Little Prince to describe his planet. He gives an idea that his (Little Prince) flower is ephemeral. He also suggest Little Prince to visit the Planet Earth for its good reputation. In earth as his last destination, Little Prince has met not only one kind of odds people, but hundreds and millions of kings, conceited men, geographers, tippler, lamp-lighters, businessmen and grown-ups. Thus, on earth, in our planet come the different kinds of leaders. Every one is a leader in our own ways and ventures. Each has goals and objective wherein we have to take lead and do something to win others to bridge back to us and help us in pursuing our plans and visions. However as mentioned in last 3 chapters , The Little Prince also emphasizes that goodness can be derived from sad events. After they drink the water from the well , they feel good because it represent their hard work in their exploration turn into a rewarding outcome . Their relationships grounds the story and through their conversation that introduces weightily topics like spirituality and morality , the friendship between the narrator and the little prince keeps the conversation casual . The story of the little prince ends in mysterious . We are left to figure whether the prince can saved in his rose . At times , the narrator feels that the prince is happy but he refuse it unless he is willing to do it himself. The Little Prince at the some other time he hears the sounds of tears . The prince firsts question whether the sheep will eat his rose emerged as the most important question because he did not like to condemn others, he managed to draw a muzzle for the prince . On the one level , these final chapters are allegory about dealing the death of a loved ones . In spite of the sadness , this story insists that the relationships are worth the trouble . The last drawing describes loneliness and the sadness the narrator felt at the world ..