"The
Little Prince" (1943 - wrote one year before the dead of Exupery, when his plane was probably shoot by Germans during
the World War II) is an allegoric tale, not only for kids, but also for adults - maybe even more for them! I will risk a statement that it''s one from the most preferably read books (also school books...) - and I would say it''s not because of its'' volume (over a dozen minutes of reading), but because of universal message, beautiful thoughts and memorable aphorisms. Let''s face it - he''s like Coelho from before 50 years, maybe a little bit more literary... But let''s move to the summary... The
Little Prince is living on the asteroid B-612. Besides him there is a red Rose with four thorns living there. Our Prince each day is taking care about the flower, but - against all appearances - it''s not an easy job, as the Rose is a challenging flower. It''s asking the caregiver about ceaseless care - is ordering to be covered with a glass-bell for the night, protected against drafts, talked with and watered. It''s fussy and extremely proud, that must be stated clearly. The Prince finally have enough of its'' sulks and decide to leave the asteroid. During his interplanetary trip he met six people, while each of them is an allegory of some negative human characteristic. And so, he met a King, who gives orders to everybody (even if he did not have any subjects ever); a Drunkard, who is drinking all the time (as he is ashamed that he is drinking, and he is drinking to forget about drinking); a Banker, who is all the time counting the stars; a Lighthouse-keeper, who is turning his lantern on each minute (because the sunrise and sunset were each minute). On the last planet he met a Geographer, who is advising the Prince to visit the Earth. Here, our character, have a few interesting meetings. Among others he gets into a garden, where he sees thousands of roses and he realize that his Rose was lying to him, telling that it''s a single one on the world. The Prince feels disappointed, don''t understand the behavior of the Rose. He starts to cry, lay down on the grass. Then the Fox arrive, the symbol of wisdom. He explained to our character, that we''re responsible for everything what we tame. He also mention, that "you see well only with your heart, the most important is invisible for your eyes". The Prince slowly starts to understand his mistake. The will to come back to the deserted flower is arising slowly in him... In this terrestrial trip he also met a Merchant, a Switchman and a Pilot, who crashed his plane on the desert. They became friends with the Pilot. They talk a lot, the Prince told his story to the new friend. They try to find a well, because they are on the desert, without a stock of water. When they found it, the Prince decide to come back to his planet. Unfortunately, the only way to do it is his death. Only in this way he may unite with his love. The Prince met an adder, which offers to bite him. Despite insistences and requests of the Pilot to not to do it, the Prince decide to leave his earth friend. Longing for love and the need of taking care about the deserted Rose is stronger. The Little Prince is coming back, after this long trip he understood that the love is most important. He also understood that the proud of the Rose was also caused by the love and by the fear to not to lose the caregiver.
To tell the truth I find this summary as a worth nothing, trivial and deprived of real messages, which Exupery wanted to pass to the readers, regardless of their age. That''s why if you''re still reading this summary, lazy internaut, then switch, damn you!. this devilish computer, move your - heavy from pore over the screen - ass and go quickly to the library, to start the delight of an
unique adventure at The Little Prince side!