Angst_Ridden

I am not talking about the story but the whole book itself.

Yes, the story, "The Little Prince and The Fox" is an excerpt from this book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The story relates how the Prince and the Fox met each other and their departure. But the book narrates the Prince’s adventure; who is he, where he came from and what he has learned in his travel. It also talks about the experience of a pilot who got acquainted with the Prince as he got stranded in an African desert.

Surely, some of you have read the story but not the book.

Its packaging may somewhat be what you can call like a children’s book. Yet in reality, the book itself is intended for mature audience. You may disagree, because the story of the Little Prince and the Fox can be found in grade school literary text books. Yes, indeed so… for that part teaches a moral lesson that children can somehow understand. But the whole book itself teaches a lot of lessons that some of us adults may have forgotten.

What is so good about this book is that of how it abuses words. Yes, abuse of words. When you read it, you may find that it could be compared to a fairytale or say nursery rhyme. But underneath the overtones you will see meanings, intended to be felt in the heart. Interpretation that is so simple that it shouts out to us. Not only does the abuse of word that fascinates me but also the portrayalof characters.They might sound fictitious but in truth they could be someone we know or maybe it could be ourselves.

The pilot, who have stopped to learn how to draw because of certain frustrations. Yet, when the Little Prince asked him to draw he did the best he could to make the Little Prince Happy. He who does know who the Little Prince is but touched by his innocence and forwardness, mourned when left. It is like a person who gave up on some of their ambitions because of hindrances. When the right person or reason came, we do our best to make the somewhat impossible possible. A person who has no idea that there is someone out there who could touch his heart and change his life.

The Little Prince, innocent and frank. His heart is untouched by the darkness of the world. Once a question is formed in his mind, he never lets go of the concept until he receives what he think is an honest or true answer. In his innocence there is bravery because he speaks his mind. Where some don’t venture to question, he did so. He represents a person who is sure about himself and wants to know the world he is living in. Inquisitive and wise in his innocent self. Things that we lost as we grow and learned more about ourselves and others.

The Rose which grows on his planet. The Rose which is rude and strong, protected by the Prince with his glass globe to keep safe from caterpillars and the harsh cold wind in the night. She is proud of her four thorns and claims that she can defend herself even from a tiger. The Rose wept when the Prince went on his journey and pretended to be strong, asking not to be put under the protection of the glass globe. She is beloved by the Prince because she is unique. When the Little Prince came down to Earth and saw all the roses, he wondered why did he gave so The Rose so much importance. But then he realized it is because he love her so much. The Rose are people we love, people we give importance too. They are those we thought are the same among many but our attention made them unique. The Rose is also a person who pretends to be strong but feels so weak inside. She may not realize how important the Little Prince was to her until the very end when he have to go. And she whole-heartedly lets him go. Funny, I knowa lot of people like that.

The Fox, who asked to be tamed by the Little Prince. He gave us the aphorism, "What is essential is invisble to the eye." The Fox represents someone we met along in our life. People we never knew would mean a lot to us. They are friends. Day by day, we developed a sense of closeness with them until we learned to love them. They make us feel glad whenever they are near or even far. Just thoughts of them make us feel lighter. And each one of them brings us a particular lesson, the way the Fox has given the Little Prince. What the Fox has said is true, sometimes what’s important is not what is on the outside but what is on the inside. It may also mean that what we are looking for are already obvious but we are not able to see it or we are refusing to see what is already there.

There are other characters you will meet in the book. The king who rules over all the stars but no one to govern with. It is like a person who is a self-proclaimed ruler who doesn’t even know how to lead. The conceited man who likes to be praised often. It is like a person who is prude and vain, a person who thinks highly of his self but got nothing to be proud of. The tippler who keeps drinking to forget all his troubles. Surely, there are people like that everywhere. The businessman who all the stars, keeps counting them and enjoys in seeing figures of his so-called properties. It reminds me of materialistic people who finds pleasure in their acquired properties. He who finds use in his riches but his riches got no use for him. The lamplighter who continuously lights the lamp on and off every minute. People who doesn’t take a break from their monotonous work. The geographer who records land features but doesn’t want to explore them. Lazy people who gets credits from other people’s account.

And then the Snake, he who represents Death. He who teches us that great things comes in small packages. And the truth in his words, "It is also lonely among men." Even if you are surrounded by multitudes, in your heart there is always be a sense of loneliness.

So you see, it is not really a book for the young but it is also for grown ups as well. It tells us of things we have forgotten as we live everyday. And it is also a sad book. But as sad it may seem, it speaks of hope.

Give this book a reading yourself, maybe somewhere between the pages you might find the answer that you have been looking for.