The novel begins with the narrator explaining his earliest attempts at drawing. The message is that adults do not look beneath the surface of things; therefore, they are not able to see beauty or comprehend true value. It is obvious that the narrator does not have a very high opinion of adults. He thinks that children are able to see more than they see; he also thinks that he has to bring down his level to converse with them, for they are unable to talk about boa constrictors, primeval forests, and stars.
The real story begins in the second chapter when the narrator meets the Little Price in the desert after his airplane has crashed there. With his small build, wavy hair, and child-like innocence, he does not seem to be a human, but a visitor from another planet. When the narrator draws for him a picture of a boa constrictor eating an elephant, the Little Prince immediately recognizes it for what it is. The narrator is amazed and delighted that he has finally found someone who understands his drawings.
The Little Price asks the narrator to draw for him a picture of sheep, a request that seems as mysterious as the little man himself. When the narrator draws the first picture for him, composed of three sheep, the Little Prince does not respond. In the next drawing, the narrator makes a box and puts the sheep inside it; this drawing pleases the Prince.
The first two chapters set the mood of the novel; it is to be adventurous, but mysterious. After all, the narrator has a plane crash in the middle of a desert, where he encounters a strange, but sensitive, little man who seems to come from a different planet and who requests a drawing of sheep. The tone of the novel is also set; the narrator respects children more than he respects adults. As a result, he immediately likes the Little Prince with his child-like simplicity and his ability to see beneath the surface.
As he converses with the Little Prince, the narrator closely observes his character traits. He seems quaint in his habits, persistent in having his own questions answered, and a bit sad. He is also mysterious, refusing to answer any direct questions related to himself. The narrator, however, does find out that he comes from another planet, which is very small; he assumes that asteroid B-612, discovered by a Turkish astronomer, is probably the Little Prince's home. The narrator then tells how most adults did not take the Turkish astronomer seriously at first; then when he dressed in formal wear and gave a formal presentation, filled with facts and figures, the people believed in his discovery. The narrator is again pointing out the hypocritical ways of most adults, who thirst for meaningless facts and figures and fail to see what is really important.
The narrator says it is important to give the homeland of the Little Prince a name. Otherwise, he fears that no adults will take the Prince's story seriously. They will, however, probably pay attention to a tale about a Prince who hails from Asteroid B-612.
The narrator wants people to read the book with care and sensitivity, for he has suffered in writing down these memories of the Little Prince, whose friendship is of great importance to him.
During these two chapters, it becomes clear that the book will be about the Little Prince and the narrator's friendship with him. It is also obvious that the narrator will not become omniscient, pretending to know and understand everything. Instead, he is vulnerable and uncertain, which makes him appealing to the reader.
The Little Prince reveals a few more facts about the planet from which he has come. There is a bad plant there called the baobab; if it is not destroyed when it is tiny, it will grow into a monstrous tree that could threaten the well-being of the small planet. As a result, the concerned Prince wants to know if sheep might be used to eat the small baobab plants before they become a problem. The narrator fully understands the danger of the baobabs and sees them as a symbol. Since he says they are particularly dangerous to children, he implies that the baobabs are like adults, who harm children with their prejudiced and dogmatic thinking.
The Little Prince again points out the small size of his planet. Since he is fond of quiet and simple things, he enjoys watching the sun set on his planet; since it is so tiny, he can watch as many as forty-four sunsets in a row. His fascination with the setting sun, symbolizing the end of the day and the beginning of darkness, is in keeping with his sad, solemn nature.
It is important to notice that the narrator is still drawn towards artistic endeavors. As the Little Prince speaks of the baobab trees, he feels compelled to draw a picture of them. Like the narrator's own nature, the drawing is simple and child-like, and so is his explanation of the picture. It is obvious that he and the Little Prince share many similar characteristics; the most important is that they can both see below the surface of things and understand what is really important in life.
By the end of these chapters, the Little Prince has revealed why he left his planet. There is a special flower that grows on his planet, which is one of a kind. If anything destroys the plant that bears the flower, the Prince's world will become dark. Since the Prince is worried that the sheep on his planet will eat the flower, the narrator promises to draw a muzzle for the sheep to keep them from harming it.
When the Prince questions the narrator about the purpose of thorns on a flower, the narrator ignores him, for he is busy working on his airplane. The Prince is furious that the narrator does not consider his question important. Saint-Exupéry is clearly pointing out that people and their concerns are much more important than things, such as the airplane.
With excitement, agitation, and tears, the Little Prince explains the importance of the flower to him. Although the flower, personified as a woman, lends beauty to his planet, she is very vain. The Prince is greatly tormented by her vanity and exaggerations. For the first time in his life, he feels he cannot love something, for he doubts the flower's truthfulness. He is so troubled by his feelings that he leaves the planet that he dearly loves. Now, however, he is concerned about the flower's safety.
While narrating his story to the author, the Prince criticizes himself. He thinks that he should have been more patient with his flower, refusing to grow angry with her. If he had been tender to her, rather than scorning her, she might have changed to the better. He feels terribly guilty that he had been too young to know how to love her properly. Through the Prince and the flower, Saint-Exupéry is stating that love needs to be nurtured with tenderness and patience.
The meticulous Prince puts his planet in perfect order before departing. He cleans out the volcanoes and pulls out the last little shoots of the baobabs. When he goes to put a glass globe over the flower, to protect her, he realizes that he is close to tears at the thought of leaving her. The flower, sensing that she is the cause of his departure, apologizes to the Little Prince and says she loves him; he is surprised in her change in attitude, but he is still determined to leave. Although she seems less vain and begs him not to cover her with the globe, the flower still does not want the Prince to see her crying, so she sends him away.
The Prince's interplanetary travels begin; the goal of his visits is to gain more knowledge. His first stop is on an asteroid ruled by a king who claims he is an absolute monarch. There is light-hearted humor in the description of the king. Wanting to be strong, he demands to be obeyed; but because of his basic goodness and gentle nature, all of his orders are fair and reasonable, and the people have no problem following them. When the king cannot produce a sunset for the Prince, it is obvious that his so-called absolute monarchy is shallow and vain. The king becomes symbolic of a vain, demanding, and hypocritical adult, who tries to be powerful, but who really only rules over his own narrow domain.
In Chapters 11 and 12, the Prince meets a conceited man and a tippler, both symbols of adult characteristics. The conceited man's sole aim in life is to be admired; everything he does, he performs in order to gain praise. He wants to make certain that he is judged as the best man on his planet. The Prince finds this very confusing since the conceited man is the only person on the planet. Feeling he has learned nothing from this asteroid, the Little Prince departs in a dejected mood. Through the conceited man, Saint-Exupéry is trying to depict the pointlessness of the concern of humans to be admired and judged as best.
The tippler puzzles the Prince even more. He drinks because he is ashamed, but the reason for his shame is his drinking. Through the satire of the tippler, the author clearly points out the fallacious reasoning that mankind gives to justify their bad habits.
The Prince meets a businessman who is so occupied with counting stars that he does not even raise his head when the Little Prince arrives. The man is certain that if he successfully counts all the stars and writes the total number on a sheet of paper, he will then own all the stars. The Little Prince believes that the businessman is involved in a useless occupation, for he is so busy counting that he can not even enjoy the stars; and even if he did own all of them, he would be of no use to his stars. The Prince is glad he needs to take care of his possessions, watering the flower and cleaning the volcano; it makes him feel useful.
Before he departs from the fourth planet, the Little Prince decides that the businessman is just as confused as the tippler; neither of them is able to stop their activity (counting or drinking) and enjoy life. Through the businessman, Saint-Exupéry is being very critical of men who love their possessions and wealth so much that they spend all their time accounting for them, rather than enjoying them and sharing them.
On the fifth planet the Prince meets a lamplighter, whom he finds to be faithful and sincere in doing his job. Although he spends his life lighting, putting out, and re-lighting the lamp, he never complains and completes his work just as ordered. In all his travels, this is the only man that the Little Prince respects; he even feels he could be the lamplighter's friend. Before he departs, the kind and concerned Prince tries to help the lamplighter figure out a way to get more rest.
On the sixth planet, the Little Prince meets a geographer, who spends all of his time recording the existence of rivers, mountains, and lakes that he has never even seen. The Prince thinks that it is tragic that he has so much information about the physical characteristics of Earth but never goes out to enjoy the natural world. When the geographer says that flowers are not really important because they are ephemeral, the Little Prince is upset; he regrets that he has left his defenseless flower alone on his planet. He promises to go back and check on her as soon as his visit to Earth is complete.
With the geographer, the author is once again pointing out that adults do not take time to look beneath the surface. Although he thinks he knows a lot about rivers, mountains, and lakes because he charts them on maps and writes about them in books, the geographer really knows little about the world, for he is too busy to go out and enjoy it; his knowledge is really superficial and unimportant. A child who take time to splash in a river really knows more about that river than the geographer does.
In the sixteenth chapter, the Little Prince finally lands on Earth; he describes it with child-like wonder, for he is totally amazed by its size and diversity. It is not surprising that this little man from a very little planet chooses to stay on Earth for awhile.
The narrator begins the chapter by explaining that men occupy a very small place on Earth, even though they think they are very important. The Little Prince, however, has a very hard time finding any men. Instead, he encounters a snake, which has the power to harm the Prince. The snake, however, does not strike, for it judges the Prince to be too innocent and pure. When he asks the snake where to find them, the creature warns the Prince not to be occupied with finding men. Even in their company, the snake warns that he will still feel lonely. Saint-Exupéry is criticizing man's tendency to not care for or interact with his fellow man.
The snake has a very high opinion of itself. It tells the Prince that it can solve all riddles. It also explains how it has the power to bite other creatures and send them back to the planets from where they have come. This information is useful to the Little Prince later in the book.
As the Prince continues across the desert, he longs to meet some other men, for he feels very lonely. When he meets a flower with three petals, he asks her where to find some men who can keep him company. The flower claims that there are only about six men in existence. Her opinion cannot be trusted, for her thoughts are shaped by her limited exposure; in a similar manner, men with little exposure also have very limited points of view.
The flower goes on to explain, from her point of view, why there are so few men. She says that since humans have no roots, their life is very difficult, and they cannot survive for long. Saint- Exupéry is obviously criticizing the fact that men often do not put down roots and establish firm values about what is important in life. As a result, they are blown across the hot desert of life, never knowing who they are or what they stand for.
The Prince climbs a mountain, erroneously thinking he would be able to see the entire Earth. From the top, he is disappointed by the view and the sound of his own voice echoing back. With no other being in sight, he feels lonelier than ever.
After descending the mountain, the Little Prince is shocked to see a garden of roses, which look just like his special flower at home. Both he and the flower had thought she was one of a kind, making her quite valuable. When he realizes that his flower is common and worthless, he lays down in the grass and cries. It is a touching picture of a broken-hearted little man who has invested all his love in his special flower.
When the Little Prince encounters the fox, they want to play and become friends, but the fox insists on first being tamed. He feels that a person can only understand the things that one truly knows; therefore, it is important to put time and effort into a friendship. After the Little Prince follows the fox's instructions about taming him, the two become friends; in the process, the narrator explains the importance of friendship in a heart-warming manner. He stresses that true friendship is always cultivated, never bought.
The fox teaches the Little Prince an important lesson of life. He explains that a person can only see with the heart, for eyes are often blind to beauty. Before the Prince departs, the fox wants him to go and see the roses in the garden again. When the Little Prince looks at them this time, he realizes that his own roses is much more lovely, for she has been tamed and loved by him.
As the Prince departs, the fox says that he will always remember him and think about him when he sees wheat, for the Prince's hair is the same color. The Little Prince knows he will always remember the important things that the fox has taught him. It is obvious that the fox has become a mouthpiece for the author's own thoughts and ideas about friendship and love.
In the twenty-second chapter, the Prince meets a railway switchman and questions him about why the trains hurry so fast and then never stay in one place. The switchman has no answer, for he feels they have no reason to rush. Saint-Exupéry is comparing the trains to men, who rush forward through life never knowing where they are headed and never being satisfied with the place that they find themselves. The Prince says that it is only children who seem to be able to enjoy life and feel satisfied with where they are; they can "waste their time over a rag doll...and if anybody takes it away from them, they cry." The switchman agrees that children are very lucky to be satisfied with what they have.
Throughout the book, the author places an emphasis on the innocence and purity of children. Since they are simple and inexperienced, children are not colored by the world and other people's opinions; therefore, they are able to see below the surface to find the truth. Because of his keen appreciation of children, Saint-Exupéry has made his main character a little prince, filled with innocence and wonder.
The Prince meets a merchant who has invented pills that will quench thirst. The merchant feels that the pills will sell well, for by taking these pills, humans will be able to save fifty-three minutes in every week, which they can use to be more productive. The Little Prince says he would prefer to spend fifty-three minutes leisurely walking to a fresh spring of water for a drink. Unlike humans, who rush through life and seek short-cuts to save time, the Prince is able to relax and savor life; he understands that pleasure comes from small things.
It has been eight days since the narrator's plane crashed in the desert. He is frustrated because he has not been able to repair his plane, and he feels he is dying of thirst. The Little Prince also admits that he is thirsty. As a result, the two of them set out to look for water. After traveling for hours, the narrator feels sick and feverish; therefore, they sit down to rest for awhile. The Prince uses the opportunity to explain to the narrator how the beauty of a thing can only be seen with the heart, for it is often hidden from the eye. He says that what makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well, and what makes the stars beautiful is that one of them hides a flower that is precious to the Prince.
When the narrator is ready to travel again, the Little Prince is asleep; therefore he picks him up and carries him in his arms. He believes he is carrying a fragile and precious load. It is obvious that the narrator has become fond of the Prince, judging him to be very special.
At daybreak, the narrator and the Prince find a well ready to be used. The narrator is surprised at finding such a well in the desert, but the Prince does not seem surprised. The reader is left to believe that somehow the Prince has planned it all. As the narrator works the pulley to draw the water, the Little Prince talks about the sweet reward of hard work. He compares a feeling of satisfaction over work to the warm feeling that a person has at Christmas. He also expresses the importance of little water of a single rose, reiterating the theme of looking a thing with the heart.
Even though the color of the sand early in the morning makes the narrator happy, he also has a feeling of grief; he seems to intuitively know that the Little Prince is about to leave. He becomes sure of it when the Prince asks him for the drawing of a muzzle to take with him to his planet. Since he feels that he has been tamed by the Little Prince, he has become emotionally attached to him and knows that he will miss him greatly.
When the narrator comes back to the well the next evening, he is amazed that the Little Prince knows that the airplane is repaired and ready to fly, for he has not told him the news. He is also shocked that the Prince is talking to the snake about his poisonous bite. It is obvious that the Prince believes that in being bitten by the snake he can return to his star.
Once again the Prince talks about the importance of things that cannot be seen and reminds the narrator that he must always look with his heart. He then gives the narrator a gift by describing the stars as laughing. Now each time the narrator looks into the sky, he will remember the Prince and the laughing stars and feel happy.
At the end of the chapter, the Little Prince optimistically talks about what is going to happen to him. He looks forward to again seeing his special flower and taking responsibility for her well- being. He then gently falls to the ground in death. The snake has done his work and freed the Prince to return home to his star.
The final chapter serves as an epilogue to the book. The narrator tells how he has searched for the body of the Little Prince the morning after his death, but could not find it. He decides that the Prince has miraculously returned to his star. He then thinks about the fact that he never drew a muzzle for the sheep and worries about whether the animals have eaten the Prince's special rose. When he thinks that the flower may have been destroyed, the stars seem to weep at the thought. He adds that only the children, not the adults, will understand why the survival of the rose is so important.
The narrator also explains that he has written the book in memory of the Little Prince, who has tamed him during their short acquaintance. Although it has been six years since he met the Prince, the narrator remembers him very well and is changed by his friendship with this little man from another star.
The Fox
The fox is another important character, for he teaches the Little Prince the most important lesson in the book. The fox meets the Prince when the latter is disappointed and lonely. He has just seen the garden of roses and realized that his flower is common, not unique and valuable as he had imagined. The fox, however, teaches the Prince that one cannot judge another by seeing with the eyes; instead, one has to see and judge with the heart. As a result, the Little Prince realizes that his flower is really very special, for he has loved and cared for it.
The fox asks the Little Prince to "tame" him. He explains that one is tamed by being loved and valued. Since the Prince invests time and energy into the fox, the animal does become tame, and a close friendship develops between the two of them. The Little Prince always remembers the teachings of the fox, who proves that he is wise indeed.
