Topic: Analyze themes and symbols in the story The Little Prince

The Little Prince can be supposed to be the only book I have spent all my life to look
into. And each time I read the book, I discover another interesting detail which enticed me. On
the surface, the plot of The Little Prince is like a fairy tale for kids with the fantasy sounds:
our narrator, who is a pilot, when traps in the Sahara Deserts, he meets an oddly-dressed boy
from another planet called the little prince. Two of them become fast friends. The mysterious
journey of the little prince and his chance encounters of him and other people is recorded by
the narrator. Going with delightful drawings, The Little Prince also offers sharp insights into
the mankinds life. Saint-Exupry and his story were certainly affected by the historical events
of the time, but The Little Prince succeeds in using of diffenrent themes and symbolism,
which we think is admirable.
The first element to analyse is themes. Themes are defined as the fundamental and
often universal ideas explored in a literary work.Throughout the novel, it is the comparison
between the childhood and the adulthood. In the storys opening pages, the adult narrator
explains of his loss of innocence at the age of six when the grown-ups lack the imagination to
see his drawing, which represents a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant, as anything other
than a hat. And his comment through a grown-up himself is: Grown-ups never understand
anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for children to have to provide explanations over
and over again1. For a long time, the narrator as a pilot has lived with them and pretend as a
grown-up to integrate until he meets the little prince who represents for childhood with full of
imagination. The appearance of the little prince has changed the mind of the narrator, so it
proves the ability of reversion in the thought of adults.
The two main characters of the book the prince and pilot is hungers both for
adventure (exploration of the outside world) and for introspection (exploration within
themselves). Compared to them, the other characters in the story who only inhabit tiny planets
that they share with no one else are caged by themselves. They are the typical of the
narrowminded adults always preventing the creativity of children, making up the reason to
stop childrens question. In the story of the little prince, for example: "I know a planet where
there is a certain redfaced gentleman. He has never smelled a flower. He has never looked at
a star. He has never loved any one. He has never done anything in his life but add up figures.

1 Chapter I, page 12

And all day he says over and over, just like you: 'I am busy with matters of consequence!' And
that makes him swell up with pride. But he is not a manhe is a mushroom!"2.
Both the pilot's and the prince's stories involve the relationship between the
storytellers and other characters. For the pilot, the entire story are used by the narrator to
describe the connection of him and his friend the little prince. And all the story the prince
tells to the narrator is about his journey. Especially, in the chapter with the fox, the prince
studies the meaning of friendship and love. The fox uses the language of "taming," which
creates a relationship. The fox also helps the little prince realize that his rose is unique from
all the others he encountered on Eartheven if all the roses appeared alike from the outside
since it has tamed him. Also because of these relationships, the characters grow in the story.
For the little prince, the main lesson is about responsibility to those you've tamed, or
befriended.
The symbols is a main element of The Little Prince, the question is how this plays
throughout the story? As we all know the journey of the little prince through the record of the
narrator in the book has impressed kids for decades. Children love the characters, the story
and the drawings. In general, the bizarre sound of this story is what appeals to kids. But as an
adult, I can not deny that this story is one of my favorite and each word I swallow makes me
to think deeper and enjoy its symbolic meanings.
The dual level in this book reveals firstly in the little prince himself the main
character of the story? A good kid like the little prince is alone on his planet but always happy
with his life. When the flower shows up, he doesnt quite know what to do with her or how to
talk to her. Therefore, he starts his journey to find the answer from a wiser. The strangers he
meets on his journey, their activities seem to be misunderstood for him because of his
innocent. Furthermore, he can see what adults don't. Adults don't know anything which can
satisfy them except for power and money. The prince brings back childhood memories into
the life of the narrator and indirectly encourages the narrator to be himself even though no one
listens to him. The little prince also teaches us to pay attention to tiny, everyday pleasures and
beauty, and to make time for friends, and not to worry too much about ambition and fame and
money.
Symbols also can be objects, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or
concepts. Stars which show up over and over again in The Little Prince, take a different role
and have a different meaning for each character in the story is an example of symbol. To the
2 Chaper VII, page 31 - 32

prince, they are symbols of magic, beauty and his sweet home; to the king, they are subjects
to the rule; and to the businessman, they are a number to count and own. It is clear that stars is
important symbol in the story. As the little prince comments before his final departure from
Earth to his planet: All men have the stars, but they are not the same things for different
people..3
In the situation the story taken place Sahara Desert, water is much essential. To show
us how special water in the desert is, the narrator compares it to something very precious: the
princes laughter. He says, I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any
more. For me, it was like a spring of fresh water in the desert4 . The pilot and the little prince
grow very thirsty by the end of the book, and they walk beneath the desert stars to search for
water. Later they find a mysterious well in the middle of the desert, they drink the water as if
it were a "present". The water is said to be totally diffenrent thing from ordinary
nourishment and reminds the narrator of Christmas festitives. His thoughts of Christmas
ceremonies suggest that his spirit, and not his body, is what truly thirsts. What takes notice of
us readers is that in daily life, water is an ordinary resource we can enjoy everytime we need
and rarely think about. But at the end of the book, the small pleasure of drinking water
reminds us that in fact, we have several opportunities for happiness that we dont pay much
attention to. We are in danger of becoming like one of the grown ups.
The last symbol analysed is the baobabs which are giant plants but in the little princes
planet, he clears off them immediately when they are still small shrubs. If not, like the prince
said, they firmly take root and can even cause a planet to split apart. In addition, he tells the
narrator: It is a question of discipline.When youve finished your own toilet in the
morning, then it is time to attend to the toilet of your planet, just so, with the greatest care.
You must see to it that you pull up regularly all the baobabs, at the very first moment when
they can be distinguished from the rose-bushes which they resemble so closely in their earliest
youth 5. Symbolically, the trees represent bad habits and problems that appear small and
harmless at first, but that can quickly spiral out of hand like the tippler's drinking habit. It's
important to watch them out to determine whether they must be weed out.

3 Chapter XXVI, page 91

4 Chapter XXVI, page 92
5 Chapter V, page 26

Two words remind me of The Little Prince is warm and wise. I believe that the
themes, symbols, and underlying meanings intertwined into the story is the core factors
making the book to become one of the most widely translated books in the history of French
literature and a favorite for all kinds of age. Imagination, friendship and love is the things
readers remember the most from this story thanks for the literature elements successfully
using in the story.

Bibliography
Saint-Exupry, A. d. (1946). Le Petit Prince. Paris: dition Gallimard.