  |
|
|
|
See Part I of this article here.
The little prince visits six asteroids (or tiny planets) en route to Earth to keep himself occupied, and to learn. On these planets, he meets a king, a vain man, a drunkard, a businessman, a lamplighter, and a geographer. Like stock characters in fairy tales, these men are motivated by specific and uniquely adult needs. The king, whose ermine robe covers his planet, would count all men as his subjects, for his need is to reign over all, even the stars. The businessman barely has time to talk to the little prince; his task of counting the stars is important because it renders them his property. What good does owning so many things do, asks the prince. "'It does me the good of being rich,'" is the reply. The little prince does not understand the good of riches when in fact the businessman is not useful to anyone. He tells the businessman, "it's of some use to my volcanoes, and it's useful to my flower, that I own them. But you're not useful to the stars.'" (XIII) The final planet that the little prince visits before landing on Earth is home to a geographer. Because he is "'too important to go wandering about...[he] never leaves his study. But he receives the explorers there.'" (XV) The geographer, like many scholarly types who glean knowledge from books rather than experience, can't answer the little prince's many questions about the planet's physical elements. The geographer loftily says that he writes only of eternal things, such as mountains. Flowers don't deserve scholarly attention, being comparatively short-lived. The prince thinks,"'My flower is ephemeral...and she has only four thorns with which to defend herself against the world!'" (XV) For the first time, he regrets leaving his rose alone on his planet--hence, the significance of the sheep that he later asks the aviator to draw. The little prince's anxiety shows that the flower is precious to him, and his distress, though distant from her, illustrates the real meaning of the relationship. The prince later meets a fox who teaches him that 'what is essential is invisible to the eye'. Adults have forgotten the lesson, but children know it instinctively; they see the sheep inside the crate, and the elephant inside the boa. The little prince only fully understands this once he tames the fox. Still, one must invest time and care into something, be it friendship or art, in order for something to meaningful. Like the rose tamed the prince, the prince tames the fox. The aviator gave up his art at age six, and struggled in adulthood to regain his skill. Through his narration, the prince makes the aviator understand that "'[t] he stars are beautiful because of a flower you don't see.'" (XXIV) The little prince knows the stars will have more meaning for the aviator than they do for men like the businessman and the king: "'At night, you'll look up at the stars. It's too small, where I live, for me to show you where my star is. It's better that way. My stars will be...one of the stars, for you.'" (XVI) Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Everyone Eventually is Consoled : Part II in Children's Literature is owned by Irene Tanner-Yuen. Permission to republish Everyone Eventually is Consoled : Part II in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
|
|
|
|
