The_Little_Prince_Essay

Syreeta Sanchez Professor Peter Scheponik English 101 Online 7 24 February 2011 The Little Prince Analysis The human characteristic that Antoine de Saint-Exupery's classic, The Little Prince, displays is compassion. The little prince expresses compassion to almost everyone he encounters. His compassion fosters a new understanding of relationships to other characters such as the lamplighter and the aviator. During the little prince's travels he meets and shows great compassion for many characters, primarily for those who need it most. When the little prince leaves the lamplighter he says, “that man would be despised by all of the others, by the king, by the very vain man, by the business man. Yet he's the only one that doesn't strike me as ridiculous. Perhaps it's because he's thinking of something besides himself” (Saint-Expuery, 43). The little prince tries to help the lamplighter by offering new ideas to help him get rest. When the little prince meets the other men he is perplexed by them, but he connects with the lamplighter and his dedication to his duties. The little prince's next display of compassion is to the aviator. The aviator losses his love of art and drawing because of negative comments he heard as a child by grown ups. The little prince tries to reassure the aviator of his artistic gifts by saying, “Oh, that'll be alright. Children understand” (Saint-Expuery, 72). His compassion shows the aviator that while a lot of grown ups forget what it's like to be a child, there is a sense of wonder that children understand and that adults can relearn. The Little Prince serves as a great reminder to all adults to view the world and each other with childlike compassion. Antoine de Saint-Expuery's tale of planets and stars is the back drop to a story of compassion and learning to see with not only the eyes but also the heart. The little prince represents the child that lives inside of all people and the struggle adults have to access their inner-child. Works Cited Saint-Expuery, Antoine. The Little Prince. New York: Harcourt, Inc, 1943. Print.