What are the heroes of the fairy tale the little prince. Analysis of the work “The Little Prince” (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)

“The Little Prince” is childish, but at the same time a thoughtful work. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry placed a reflection of the real adult world with its advantages and disadvantages in a light and short fairy tale. In places it is satire, myth, fantasy and tragic story. Therefore, the multifaceted book appeals to both small and large readers.

"The Little Prince" was born during the Great Patriotic War. It all started with Exupery’s drawings, in which he depicted that very “little prince”.

Exupery, being a military pilot, once got into a plane crash, this happened in 1935 in the Libyan desert. Opening old wounds, memories of the disaster and news of the outbreak of the World War inspired the writer to create the work. He thought about the fact that each of us is responsible for the place where he lives, be it a small apartment or the whole planet. And the struggle calls this responsibility into question, because it was during that fierce battle between many countries that deadly nuclear weapons were used for the first time. Alas, many people did not care about their home, since they allowed wars to bring humanity to such extreme measures.

The work was created in 1942 in the USA; a year later it became available to the reader. The Little Prince became the author's final creation and brought him worldwide fame. The author dedicated his book to his friend (Leon Werth), moreover, to the boy his friend once was. It is worth noting that Leon, who was a writer and critic, being a Jew, suffered from persecution during the development of Nazism. He also had to leave his planet, but not of his own free will.

Genre, direction

Exupery talked about the meaning of life, and in this he was helped by the genre of the parable, which is characterized by a clearly expressed morality in the finale and an edifying tone of the narrative. A fairy tale as a parable is the most common crossing of genres. Distinctive feature A fairy tale can be called because it has a fantastic and simple plot, but at the same time it is instructive in nature, helps young readers to form moral qualities, and adults to think about their views and behavior. Fairy tale - reflection real life, but reality is presented to the reader through fiction, no matter how paradoxical it may sound. The genre originality of the work suggests that “The Little Prince” is a philosophical fairy tale-parable.

The work can also be classified as a fantasy story.

Meaning of the name

The Little Prince is a story about a traveler who travels throughout the universe. He does not just travel, but is in search of the meaning of life, the essence of love and the secret of friendship. He learns not only the world around him, but also himself, and self-knowledge is his the main objective. It is still growing, developing and symbolizing an immaculate and tender childhood. Therefore, the author called it “small”.

Why a prince? He is alone on his planet, it all belongs to him. He takes his role as a master very responsibly and, despite his modest age, has already learned to care for her. Such behavior suggests that this is a noble boy who rules his domain, but what should we call him? A prince, because he is endowed with power and wisdom.

The essence

The plot begins in the Sahara Desert. The pilot of the plane, having made an emergency landing, meets the same The Little Prince that arrived on Earth from another planet. The boy told his new acquaintance about his journey, about the planets he had visited, about his former life, about the rose that was his faithful friend. The little prince loved his rose so much that he was ready to give his life for it. The boy loved his home, he liked to watch sunsets, it’s good that on his planet they could be seen several times a day, and for this the Little Prince only had to move his chair.

One day, the boy felt unhappy and decided to go in search of adventure. Rose was proud and rarely gave her patron her warmth, so she did not withhold him. During his journey, the Little Prince met: a Ruler who is confident in his absolute power over the stars, an Ambitious man for whom the main thing is to be admired, a Drunkard who drinks out of guilt for alcohol abuse, no matter how paradoxical it may sound. The boy even met a Business Man, whose main occupation is counting stars. The little prince encountered the Lamplighter, who lit and extinguished the lantern on his planet every minute. He also met the Geographer, who in his entire life had never seen anything except his planet. The traveler's last place was planet Earth, where he found a true friend. All the main events are described by us in a summary of the book for the reader's diary.

The main characters and their characteristics

1. A little prince– the image is partially autobiographical, although it is very difficult to imagine that an adult pilot was once a little dreamer. Main character - a little boy, but at the same time, he very often turns out to be smarter than adults who “really love numbers.” Exupery endowed his hero with seemingly incompatible qualities: spontaneity and reliability. He is kind and very fond of his Rose, who remained on his planet. At the same time, he is still growing and does not know many things. For example, he learned friendship only on planet Earth, and realized his love only after separation.
2. Rose. The prototype of Rosa is the author’s wife, Consuelo, a Latina with a fiery disposition. The rose was a special flower, the little prince would have recognized it among thousands of other roses; all other flowers were “empty” for him. The rose was fragile and vulnerable, so the boy covered it with a glass cover. But the character of this lady was explosive and capricious: she addressed her interlocutor imperiously and often insisted on something of her own.

Loving does not mean looking at each other, it means looking in the same direction.

A person should take care of his home, and not tear it apart by wars into bloody, lifeless parts. This idea was especially relevant then, during the Second World War. The little prince cleaned his planet every day, preventing the baobabs from growing to alarming proportions. If the world had been able to unite in time and sweep away the National Socialist movement led by Hitler, then the bloodshed could have been prevented. For those who love the world should have taken care of it, and not locked themselves on their little planets, thinking that the storm will pass by. Because of this disunity and irresponsibility of governments and peoples, millions of people have suffered, and the writer calls to finally learn to faithfully and responsibly love the harmony that only friendship provides.

What does it teach?

The story of the Little Prince is surprisingly heartfelt and instructive. Exupery's creation tells the story of how important it is to have a faithful friend nearby and how important it is to bear responsibility for those whom you have “tamed.” The fairy tale teaches love, friendship, and warns against loneliness. In addition, you should not lock yourself in your small territory, fencing yourself off from the whole world around you. You need to get out of your comfort zone, learn new things, look for yourself.

Exupery also encourages the reader to listen not only to his mind when making decisions, but also to his heart, because you cannot see the main thing with your eyes.

Interesting? Save it on your wall!

There are works that can be read and reread many times. The book by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry “The Little Prince” is one of these. Since its first edition in 1943, it has been one of the most widely read in the world. Its author, a French pilot and writer, is an adult who remains a child at heart. The book “The Little Prince” tells about an extraordinary meeting between a pilot (due to engine problems, the pilot had to land the plane in the desert) with the Little Prince, a guest from another planet. This work is included in the 6th grade literature program.

“The Little Prince” is a story in form and a fairy tale in plot, a story for everyone in clear language about serious and eternal questions: love, friendship, loyalty and responsibility for loved ones. In order to present meaning and main idea we suggest reading the stories summary"The Little Prince" chapter by chapter online.

Main characters

Narrator- a pilot who made an emergency landing in the Sahara, an adult who remained a child at heart.

A little prince- a boy who lives on a small planet and one day goes on a journey. He meets different adults who seem so strange - he himself sees the world completely differently.

Other characters

Rose– the favorite flower of the Little Prince, a capricious and proud creature.

King– a ruler for whom the main thing in life is power. He considers all people his subjects.

Ambitious- an inhabitant of one of the planets, who considers himself the best, smartest and richest, and all people as his admirers.

Drunkard- an adult who drinks, trying to forget that he is ashamed of what he drinks.

Business man- a person who constantly counts the stars. He thinks that it is enough to be the first to call himself the owner of the stars in order to really be one.

Lamplighter- an inhabitant of the smallest planet that the Little Prince visited, lights and extinguishes his lantern every second.

Geographer- a scientist who knows nothing about his beautiful planet, because he never leaves his office. Records travelers' stories.

Snake- first Living being, seen by the Little Prince on Earth. It seems to him that the snake speaks in riddles. Offers to help the boy when he starts missing his home.

Fox- a friend who revealed to the Little Prince many secrets of life. The fox teaches him friendship and love.

Chapter 1

As a child, the narrator drew his first picture: a boa constrictor that swallowed an elephant. The adults who saw the drawing decided that it depicted a hat and advised the boy to study geography and other sciences instead of drawing. Because of this, the child lost faith in himself.

He chose the profession of a pilot and flew around almost the whole world. He dated various adults. As soon as it seemed that the person spoke “the same language” with him, he showed him his childhood drawing - the same one with a boa constrictor and an elephant - but everyone, without exception, saw only a hat in the drawing. And then the narrator had no choice but to talk with them about politics, ties and other things that they lived by. There was no one to talk heart to heart with.

Chapter 2

So the narrator lived alone until one day a breakdown in the engine forced him to land the plane in the desert. At dawn, the sleeping pilot was awakened by a little man who had come from nowhere. He asked me to draw him a lamb. The hero drew the only picture he could. Imagine his amazement when the boy exclaimed that he did not need an elephant in a boa constrictor!

Trying over and over again to draw the kind of lamb the kid was waiting for, the pilot lost patience and drew a box. The kid was very pleased - after all, he was able to see his lamb there.

This was the narrator’s acquaintance with the Little Prince.

Chapters 3-4

The kid asked many questions, but when the pilot asked about himself, he pretended not to hear. From the scraps of information received, it became clear that the child was from another planet, and this planet was very small. After thinking, the pilot decided that his home was asteroid B612, seen through a telescope only once - it was so small.

Chapter 5

Little by little the pilot learned something about the life of the Little Prince. So, one day it became known that there were also troubles in the baby’s house. Among the plants, baobabs are often found. If you do not distinguish their sprouts from others in time and do not weed them out, they will quickly destroy the planet, tearing it apart with their roots.

To prevent this from happening, the Little Prince had a firm rule: “Get up in the morning, wash your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order.”

Chapter 6

Gradually it became clear that the baby was often sad on his planet. If “it becomes very sad, it’s good to watch the sun go down,” said the Little Prince. There was a day when the boy looked at the sky more than forty times...

Chapter 7

On the fifth day of their acquaintance, the pilot learned the secret of the Little Prince. On his planet there lived an extraordinary flower, which no one else in the world had. He was afraid that someday the lamb that destroys the baobab sprouts would eat his favorite plant.

Chapter 8

Soon the narrator learned more about the flower. The Little Prince once had a tiny sprout, unlike other flowers. Over time, a bud grew on it, which did not open for a long time. When all the petals opened, the baby saw with admiration a real beauty. She turned out to have a difficult character: the guest was a subtle and proud person. The boy, who took everything the beauty said to heart, felt unhappy and decided to run away and go on a journey.

Telling the story about the flower, the Kid already understood that “it was necessary to judge not by words, but by deeds” - after all, the beauty filled the planet with fragrance, but he did not know how to enjoy this and “did not know how to love.”

Chapter 9

Before the trip, the boy carefully cleaned his planet. When he said goodbye to his beautiful guest, she suddenly asked for forgiveness, wished him happiness and admitted that she loved the Little Prince.

Chapters 10-11

There were several asteroids very close to the baby’s planet, he decided to go there and learn something.

On the first planet there lived a king. The monarch gave only feasible orders. For this reason, it was necessary to wait for the exact time to see the sun set. The little prince became bored - he needed to see the sunset whenever he wanted, at the call of his heart.

On the second planet there lived an ambitious man who thought that everyone admired him. The ambitious man's desire to be smarter, more beautiful and richer than everyone else seemed strange to the boy.

Chapters 12-13

The third planet belonged to a drunkard. The little prince was perplexed to hear that he drank to forget how ashamed he was of drinking.

The owner of the fourth planet was business man. He was always busy: counting the stars in the confidence that he owned them. According to the hero, there was no benefit from him.

Chapters 14-15

On the smallest planet there lived a lamplighter who lit and extinguished the lantern every moment. His occupation was useful, according to the kid, because the lamplighter thought not only about himself.

The hero also visited the geographer’s planet. The scientist wrote down the stories of travelers, but he himself had never seen seas, deserts or cities.

Chapters 16-17

The seventh planet on which the Little Prince found himself was Earth, and it was huge.

At first, the baby saw no one on the planet except the snake. From her he learned that not only in the desert, but also among people it can also be lonely. The snake promised to help him on the day when the boy became sad about his home.

Chapter 18

While wandering through the desert, the hero met a small, unattractive flower. The flower did not know where to look for people - in his entire life he had seen only a few of them and thought that they were carried by the wind, because people did not have roots.

Chapter 19

Having climbed a mountain along the way, the Little Prince hoped to see the whole Earth and all the people. But instead I saw only rocks and heard an echo. "Strange planet!" - the kid decided, and he felt sad.

Chapter 20

Somehow little hero I saw a garden with many roses. They looked like his beauty, and the baby stopped, amazed. It turned out that his flower is not the only one in the world and not special at all. It was painful to think about it, he sat down in the grass and cried.

Chapter 21

At that moment the Fox appeared. The little prince was going to make friends, but it turned out that the animal had to be tamed first. Then “we will need each other... My life will be illuminated as if by the sun,” said the Fox.

The fox taught the baby that “you can only learn those things that you tame,” and “to tame, you need to be patient.” He revealed an important secret to the boy: “Only the heart is vigilant. You can’t see the main thing with your eyes” and asked to remember the law: “you are forever responsible for everyone you have tamed.” The little prince understood: the beautiful rose is more valuable than anything, he gave her all his time and energy, and he is responsible for the rose - after all, he tamed it.

Chapter 22

Walking further, the Little Prince met a switchman who was sorting passengers. The kid asked him where people go and why, what are they looking for? No one knew the answer, and the hero decided that “only children know what they are looking for.”

Chapter 23

Then the boy saw a merchant who was selling improved pills. Thanks to this, you could save almost an hour a week; you take one pill and you don’t have to drink for a week. If the baby had so many free minutes, he would simply go to a living spring...

Chapter 24

The pilot drank the last of his water. Together, a boy and an adult set off on a journey in search of a well. When the baby was tired, he was consoled by the thought that somewhere there was his flower, and the desert was beautiful because springs were hidden in it. After the baby’s words about the desert, the narrator realized what kind of mysterious light he saw over the sands: “Whether it’s a house, the stars or the desert, the most beautiful thing about them is what you can’t see with your eyes.”

At dawn, the pilot with the boy in his arms reached the well.

Chapter 25

The pilot gave the baby something to drink. The water was “like a gift to the heart,” it was “born from a long journey under the stars, from the creaking of a gate, from the efforts of hands.”

Now the friends spoke the same language and both knew that very little was needed to be happy.

The main character realized that the baby wanted to return home.

Chapter 26

Having repaired the engine, the pilot returned to the well the next evening and saw that the Little Prince was talking to the snake. The pilot became very scared for the baby. After being told that he would be able to return home at night and protect the rose, the boy became very serious. He promised to give his adult friend special stars. “Every person has his own stars” - the pilot’s stars will be able to laugh.

Very soon a snake flashed near the Little Prince, biting him, and he fell silently and slowly.

Chapter 27

The pilot never told anyone about the Little Prince. He knew that the baby had returned to his home, because the next morning he was not on the sand. And now the narrator loves to watch and listen to the stars; they either laugh quietly or cry.

Conclusion

Talking about the hero's journey, the author talks to us about eternal human values, about the importance of preserving childlike purity and naivety in life, about the real perception of the world. Having studied brief retelling"The Little Prince", having become acquainted with the plot and characters, you can move on: read the full text and feel the life-affirming beginning of the fairy tale, where the adult hero began to hear the stars and see the world in a new way.

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The work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery “The Little Prince”, through the prism of a fantastic plot, sheds light on simple universal truths that were relevant both in the time of the writer (the work is dated 1943) and now.

Deep philosophical ideas the human soul’s comprehension of wisdom, goodness, love and beauty are fully revealed thanks to the system of images of this parable-fairy tale.

It is noteworthy that the main character is a child - the Little Prince. According to the author, it is children who, with their spontaneity, purity and sincerity, are able to perceive the world in its entirety. “You know... when it becomes very sad, it’s good to watch the sun go down...” Taking seriously things that seem ridiculous and unimportant to adults, the Little Prince thereby casts doubt on people’s ability to experience the simple joys of life: the scent of a rose, admiring the stars , which ultimately turned them into callous mechanisms.

The life of the Little Prince is radically changed by Rose - an eccentric and capricious flower, “but she was so beautiful that it was breathtaking!” The prince takes care of her, looks after her, but she still hurts the soul of the little hero, and he leaves her, setting off on a long journey.

The Little Prince's journey to neighboring planets brought him many meetings with various kinds adults who consider themselves significant and serious people, but in fact are just captured by their own weaknesses: vanity, rage, drunkenness, greed. In fact, all these images are the personification of the vices of humanity, which prevent us from seeing the truth and turn life into a meaningless existence.

Doubts about the correctness of his views also overcome the prince when he lands on Earth and sees a whole garden of exactly the same roses as he has on the planet. “I imagined that I owned the only flower in the world that no one else had anywhere, and it was the most ordinary rose. All I had was a simple rose and three volcanoes that were knee-high, and that was one of the them went out and, perhaps, forever... what kind of prince am I after that..."

The Fox helps the prince discover the truth and restore spiritual harmony. It is not for nothing that in fairy tales he often symbolizes worldly wisdom, because it is the Fox who helps the Little Prince see the truth and regain the lost purity of consciousness: “Here is my secret, it is very simple: only the heart is vigilant. You can’t see the most important things with your eyes.”

The hero is also led to understand simple wisdom about the importance of love, friendship and purity of heart by another character - the Snake - with a simple but very capacious characteristic of humanity as a whole:

“Where are the people? - The Little Prince finally spoke again. “It’s still lonely in the desert...” “It’s also lonely among people,” the snake noted.”

She is the one ancient symbol secret knowledge and wisdom, sends the hero back to his planet with the help of his poison.

Surprisingly deep and so naive simple idea the essence of life, as the highest value, as a path in the soul’s desire for development and spiritual insight, is revealed in many ways precisely thanks to the heroes of the fairy tale.

Familiar not only to children, but also to adults.

Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince" main characters

The main characters of the story “The Little Prince” are:

• The pilot - the story is told on his behalf
• A little prince - main character, who perceived it completely differently the world. He was able to appreciate all its diversity and noticed the unusual in the most inconspicuous.
• Fox is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge of life
• Drunkard
• Lamplighter
• Baobab
• Dealer
• Rose is a symbol of beauty
• The snake is a symbol of wisdom and immortality
• Switchman
• Geographer
• An ambitious person is a person who strives for an honorable position and craves fame.
• King
• Turkish astronomer
• Business man
• Flower with three petals

A little prince- the main character of the work, a child living on asteroid B-12, symbolizes for the writer purity, selflessness, and a natural vision of the world.

Fox- this is very important character, it helps to reveal the very essence of the philosophy of the entire fairy tale, helps to look into the very depths of the narrative. And it guides the plot.

The tamed fox and the insidious snake are important, plot-shaping heroes of this work. Their importance in the development of the narrative cannot be overestimated.

Characteristics of the Little Prince

The Little Prince is a symbol of a person - a wanderer in the universe, looking for the hidden meaning of things and his own life. The soul of the Little Prince is not shackled by the ice of indifference and deadness. Therefore, a true vision of the world is revealed to him: he learns the value of true friendship, love and beauty. This is the theme of the “vigilance” of the heart, the ability to “see” with the heart, to understand without words. The little prince does not immediately comprehend this wisdom. He leaves his own planet, not knowing that what he will look for on different planets will be so close - on his home planet. The little prince is a man of few words - he says very little about himself and his planet. Only little by little, from random, casually dropped words, does the pilot learn that the baby has arrived from a distant planet, “which is the size of a house” and is called asteroid B-612. The little prince tells the pilot about how he is fighting with the baobab trees, which take such deep and strong roots that they can tear apart his little planet. You need to weed out the first shoots, otherwise it will be too late, “this is a very boring job.” But he has a “firm rule”: “...get up in the morning, wash your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order.” People must take care of the cleanliness and beauty of their planet, together protect and decorate it, and prevent all living things from perishing. The little prince from Saint-Exupery's fairy tale cannot imagine his life without the love of gentle sunsets, without the sun. “I once saw the sun set forty-three times in one day!” - he says to the pilot. And a little later he adds: “You know... when it becomes very sad, it’s good to watch the sun go down...” The child feels like a part of the natural world, and he calls on adults to unite with it. The kid is active and hardworking. Every morning he watered Rose, talked with her, cleaned the three volcanoes on his planet so that they would provide more heat, pulled out weeds... And yet he felt very lonely. Looking for friends, hoping to find true love He sets off on his journey through alien worlds. He is looking for people in the endless desert that surrounds him, because in communication with them he hopes to understand himself and the world around him, to gain the experience that he so lacked. Visiting six planets in succession, the Little Prince on each of them encounters a certain life phenomenon embodied in the inhabitants of these planets: power, vanity, drunkenness, pseudo-learning... The images of the heroes of A. Saint-Exupery's fairy tale “The Little Prince” have their own prototypes. The image of the Little Prince is both deeply autobiographical and, as it were, removed from the adult author-pilot. He was born out of longing for little Tonio, who was dying within himself - a descendant of an impoverished noble family, who in his family was called the “Sun King” for his blond (at first) hair, and in college was nicknamed Lunatic for his habit of looking at starry sky. The phrase “The Little Prince” itself appears, as you probably noticed, in “Planet of People” (like many other images and thoughts). And in 1940, during breaks between battles with the Nazis, Exupery often drew a boy on a piece of paper - sometimes winged, sometimes riding on a cloud. Gradually, the wings will be replaced by a long scarf (which, by the way, the author himself wore), and the cloud will become asteroid B-612.

Characteristics of Rose “The Little Prince”

Rose was capricious and touchy, and the baby was completely exhausted with her. But “but she was so beautiful that it was breathtaking!”, and he forgave the flower for its whims. However, the Little Prince took the empty words of the beauty to heart and began to feel very unhappy. Rose is a symbol of love, beauty, feminine. The little prince did not immediately discern the true inner essence of beauty. But after a conversation with the Fox, the truth was revealed to him - beauty only becomes beautiful when it is filled with meaning and content. “You are beautiful, but empty,” continued the Little Prince. - You won’t want to die for your sake. Of course, a random passerby, looking at my Rose, will say that she is exactly the same as you. But to me she is dearer than all of you...” Telling this story about Rose, the little hero admits that he didn’t understand anything then. “We were to be judged not by words, but by deeds. She gave me her scent and illuminated my life. I shouldn't have run. Behind these pitiful tricks and tricks one had to guess the tenderness. The flowers are so inconsistent! But I was too young and didn’t know how to love yet!”

The prototype of the capricious and touching Rose is also well known; this is, of course, Exupery’s wife Consuelo - an impulsive Latina, whom her friends nicknamed “the little Salvadoran volcano.” By the way, in the original the author always writes not “Rose”, but “la Aeig” - flower. But in French it is a feminine word. Therefore, in the Russian translation, Nora Gal replaced the flower with a Rose (especially since in the picture it is really a Rose). But in the Ukrainian version there was no need to replace anything - “la fleur” easily became “kvggka”.

Characteristics of the Fox “The Little Prince”

Since ancient times in fairy tales, the Fox (not a fox!) has been a symbol of wisdom and knowledge of life. The Little Prince's conversations with this wise animal become a kind of culmination in the story, for in them the hero finally finds what he was looking for. The clarity and purity of consciousness that had been lost returns to him. The fox reveals to the baby the life of the human heart, teaches the rituals of love and friendship, which people have long forgotten and therefore lost friends and lost the ability to love. No wonder the flower says ABOUT PEOPLE: “They are carried by the wind.” And the switchman is in a conversation with the main character, answering the question: where are people rushing? notes: “Even the driver himself doesn’t know this.” This allegory can be interpreted as follows. People have forgotten how to look at the stars at night, admire the beauty of sunsets, and enjoy the fragrance of the Rose. They submitted to the vanity of earthly life, forgetting about the “simple truths”: the joy of communication, friendship, love and human happiness: “If you love a flower - the only one that is no longer on any of the many millions of stars - that’s enough: you look at the sky and you feel happy." And it is very sad for the author to say that people do not see this and turn their lives into a meaningless existence. The fox says that for him the prince is only one of thousands of other little boys, just as he is for the prince only an ordinary fox, of which there are hundreds of thousands. “But if you tame me, we will need each other. You will be the only one for me in the whole world. And I will be alone for you in the whole world... if you tame me, my life will seem to be illuminated by the sun. I will begin to distinguish your steps among thousands of others...” The fox reveals to the Little Prince the secret of taming: to tame means to create bonds of love, the unity of souls.

Regarding Fox, there were many disputes about prototypes and translation options. This is what translator Nora Gal writes in the article “Under the Star of Saint-Ex”: “When “The Little Prince” was published with us for the first time, there was a heated debate in the editorial office: the Fox in the fairy tale or the Fox - again feminine or male? Some people believed that the fox in the fairy tale was Rose’s rival. Here the dispute is no longer about one word, not about a phrase, but about the understanding of the entire image. Even more, to a certain extent, about understanding the entire fairy tale: its intonation, coloring, deep inner meaning - everything changed from this “little thing”. But I am convinced: a biographical note about the role of women in the life of Saint-Exupéry does not help to understand the fairy tale and is not relevant. Not to mention the fact that in French it is 1e hepags! male. The main thing is that in the fairy tale the Fox is, first of all, a friend. Rose - love, Fox - friendship, and true friend The fox teaches the Little Prince fidelity, teaches him to always feel responsible for his beloved and for all his loved ones.” We can add one more observation. Unusual big ears The fox in Exupery's drawing is most likely inspired by the small desert fennec fox, one of the many creatures tamed by the writer while serving in Morocco.

Speaking about such a deep and truly complex work as “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, you need to know about the very personality of its author. This would be the same difficult person with a completely unique outlook on life.

Surprisingly, without having children himself, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry managed to preserve the child within himself, and not at all as deeply as many adults. Therefore, he saw the world through the eyes of a growing person, he understood and accepted the child’s worldview. This is the success of his work “The Little Prince”.

So we come close to this amazing, living and such a magical creation of a French writer, whose main occupation was a military pilot.

Reading The Little Prince, it’s hard to believe that it was written by a man of such a harsh profession: it is such a deep, tender and extraordinary work. But his heroes are especially interesting and unusual. About them and we'll talk.

Human heroes: one layer of storytelling

The Little Prince is a fairy tale, and it becomes so partly because the main characters in it are not only human. Here the reader will meet a wise tamed fox, an insidious snake, and even a capricious rose. But still there are more human characters.

The first and, of course, the main thing is, of course, the Little Prince himself. And here the first riddle awaits us: since this is the son of rulers, it means that there must be both a king and a queen in the fairy tale. After all, without them there can be no prince. However, nowhere in the story is there any mention of the Little Prince's parents.

We see his portrait: indeed, there is a crown and a cloak, but then what does he rule over? Or what do his mom and dad rule? There is no answer to this question, and no answer is expected. We perceive the world through the prism of worldview small child, and at that age the status of parents is not important to anyone. All children take each other for granted. And even the Little Prince for them is just a child, and no one is interested in his origins. This is a statement of fact.

However, this baby is already responsible and wise even more than any adult. He takes care of his planet, every day, without forgetting this for a moment, he takes care of the capricious rose, saving it from all possible adversity. He loves his friends and is sincerely attached to them. But, like any child, the Little Prince is curious and imprudent. Having quarreled with a rose and become bored, he, without thinking twice, leaves his home planet and goes on a long journey to see how others live? This is so childish! Well, who didn’t want to run away from home at least once?

Adult child
True, this child is also an adult at the same time. He has no parents, and he builds his own life. There is nowhere to wait for help, and it is not expected. Therefore, the Little Prince is wise beyond his years, although he allows himself simple childish pranks.

So, having been torn away from his tiny home planet, this child sets off on a journey to other worlds. Until he ends up on our mortal Earth, he will meet other planets on his way, and there will be no less amazing characters on them. Each of them is the personification of some passions. Everyone is busy with one thing and cannot tear themselves away from their work, even though, in fact, no one needs it. This already represents the structure of our adult world: many people do what no one needs, wasting their lives on nothing.

So is the king, who alone rules on a planet where there are no other people. His whole passion is power, completely empty and unnecessary. So is the lamplighter, who every day turns on and off the only lamp on the planet where there are no other people. On the one hand, it’s like a responsibility, but on the other, it’s a waste of one’s own life. So is the drunkard who drinks all day long, and the accountant who cannot see beyond his numbers.

Disappointed in his neighbors, the little Prince flies further and finally ends up on our planet, where he meets the author-narrator. And surprisingly, for some reason these two people, big and small, find mutual language and understand each other. Maybe this happens because the image of the Little Prince is the author’s longing for a bygone childhood, this is the same Small child, living not very deep in the soul of Anutan de Saint-Exupéry.

However, the image is not autobiographical. There are echoes of little Tonio in it, but the mere fact that the author tells on his own behalf does not allow us to identify the little prince with himself. This different people. And a child is just a projection, a kind of collective image, echoes of childhood memories, but not Antoine de Saint-Exupéry himself.

There are other heroes in the book, but they are not people. However, they play a very important role in revealing both the whole meaning of the work and its details.

Animal Heroes: Very Significant Characters to the Story

The Little Prince is a child, and first of all he remains one. Therefore, for him, as for any child, great value have animals. Everyone knows how little children love their kittens and puppies, and the main character of this amazing fairy tale needs four-legged friend. And he manages to tame the Fox.

The fox is a very important character, he helps to reveal the very essence of the philosophy of the entire fairy tale, helps to look into the very depths of the story. And it guides the plot.

So, gradually the Fox is tamed, and, in the end, becomes dependent on the boy. And it is to him that the immortal words belong: “We are responsible for those we have tamed.” This is the first lesson of love, devotion, trust. And the Little Prince gratefully accepts it and assimilates it with his whole being. And it is then that the longing for the rose appears: after all, she is there alone, among the baobabs that are tearing apart the planet, scared and so defenseless. And tamed. And he, the little Prince, is responsible for those he tamed. So it's time to go home.

And here the Snake appears. This image is easy to read and is recognizable from the biblical canons. The tempting serpent that was there continues to perform the same function in almost all literary works. And then, as soon as the boy’s desire to return home appears, this same tempter appears, offering his help. In the Bible it was an apple, and in the work of a French writer it was a bite.

The snake says he can send the child home, which he has magic remedy and of course it is poison. In the biblical story, after communicating with a snake, people ended up on Earth, but in Exupery’s fairy tale, everything happens the other way around - the boy disappears. Where, there is not a word about this in the work, but the snake promises to return him to his home planet. And since there is no body, the reader can only hope that this is what happens. Or does the Little Prince go to where Adam came from - to heaven?

The tamed fox and the insidious snake are important, plot-shaping heroes of this work. Their importance in the development of the narrative cannot be overestimated.

Capricious rose: beauty that has thorns

If the Fox is the personification of devotion and trust, the Snake is deceit and temptation, then the Rose is love and inconsistency. The prototype of this hero was the author’s wife Consuelo, a very capricious, hot-tempered and, naturally, capricious person. However loving. And the Little Prince says about her that his Rose is capricious, sometimes unbearable, but all this is protection, just like thorns. But in fact, she has a very soft and kind heart.

Longing for the flower, the boy agrees to the snake's offer. For the sake of love, people are capable of much. And even die, only to be reborn again somewhere beyond the stars, somewhere on a completely different planet, tiny, but in an embrace with a beautiful rose.

Snakes have always had a special gift of instantly transporting people to a completely different world. And, who knows, maybe everything was as that snake promised the Little Prince, and he really ended up on his planet with his flower.

The fairy tale does not provide an answer. But since this is a fairy tale, we can all hope for a happy ending!

The main characters of Exupery's The Little Prince

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