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Sophie Callaway
8.11.13
What Does the Little Prince Mean to Me?
The Little Prince is a story filled with so many life lessons. When I was a little girl my nana would read it to me and I know, without a doubt, that I understand far more now. That is the beauty of a story like this, everyone has a different interpretation and your outlook may even change with every time you read the tale. If I had to come up with a theme for this story I guess it would be the importance of looking beneath the surface to find the real meaning and truth of a thing. For example, it is the fox who teaches the Prince to see with one's heart instead of just with one's eyes. He said, “Here is my secret. It’s quite simple: One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes...It’s the time that you spent on your rose that makes your rose so important...People have forgotten this truth but you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose...”
When the Little Prince first comes to earth, he also suffers from looking at the surface of things. He leaves his planet because he is bothered by the vanity of his flower; he never stops to think how important they are to each other. When he sees the garden of roses, which look just like his special flower, he is crushed. He had imagined that his rose was unique and valuable; now he believes it is common and worthless. The fox, however, makes him realizes that his flower is unique.
Because the Little Prince has loved and nurtured the flower, she is very special.
Finally, the Little Prince understands that he must look beneath the surface to understand the true importance of things.
Throughout his book, Saint-Exupéry emphasizes the importance of looking beneath the surface to find true beauty in even common things. The star of the
Little Prince becomes special and beautiful because it is home to his unique rose, made special