The Little Prince Essay Questions

What is the purpose of the Turkish astronomer in the story as a whole?

The story of the Turkish astronomer critiques the way grownups perceive the world. The first time the astronomer talked about Asteroid B-612, nobody took him seriously due to his appearance; this comments on the superficiality of the society we live in. However, when the Turkish astronomer presents the same exact information in "normal" or Western clothing, all of the "Big People" believe him and take his information into account. This little anecdote is placed at the beginning of the book and presents one of the most prominent themes in the book: children versus adults. The story clearly portrays the vanity of grownups, which is later analyzed in their love for numbers such as prices, percentages, and checks. Children, on the other hand, view things without judgment and look at the true beauty in the world.

Discuss the little prince and his relationship with the flower.

At first, when the flower magically appears on the prince's planet, the prince falls head over heels for it. The flower proclaims its uniqueness and portrays itself as the only rose in the whole world. The prince meets the flower’s every little petty desire. When the flower wants to be watered, the prince does just that; when it claims it needs a glass cover to protect itself from tigers, the prince builds one and shields it. However, as time passes, the prince gets rather annoyed with the flower and when he is about to leave, the flower begins to act in a more humble demeanor, yet remains too proud to ask the prince to stay. The flower even tells the prince to take off its glass cover and admits it is a plant.

When the prince begins his journey in the universe, he remembers his flower and misses it. The prince, in fact, feels regretful of leaving such a fragile creature alone on his asteroid. He feels this way until he runs into a garden full of roses and realizes that his flower lied to him and that there are thousands of flowers like it in the world. In that moment, the prince despises the flower. Nevertheless, the fox teaches the prince that regardless of there being thousands of flowers like his own, the one on his planet will always be unique to him because they love each other and he put work into taking care of her. Towards the end of the story, the prince begins to love his flower once again and hopes to return to her.

How is the motif of time represented in the story?

Whenever the prince meets a grownup, he realizes that they are all concerned with one thing: saving time. This is clear on the planet of the geographer, who claims he has no time to explore the world because he is in charge of recording it in his book (ironically, the book the geographer is so busy filling up is empty). Later, when the prince meets a vendor of pills that substitute for drinking water, the salesman tells the prince that adults don't want to even waste their time on something as indispensable as drinking water. The same idea is represented when the prince sees people on trains. In that moment, he is informed that the adults don't even bother looking out of their windows because of the fear they have of wasting their time. Through these encounters, Saint-Exupéry demonstrates that being patient, rethinking what is actually serious, and living an authentic life are more important than saving time.

What can readers learn from the prince?

The prince is young but he has much to offer readers. He is curious about everything and asks questions rather than take things at face value or not seek to learn more about the world around him. He is not affected by the vices of adults such as greed, hubris, lack of creativity, and willful ignorance. He is interested in cultivating meaningful relationships and eventually learns that the things that really matter are invisible rather than on the surface. He finds beauty in nature, works assiduously for others, and seeks to get to the heart of things. Readers can glean all of these characteristics of the prince quite easily and infer that Saint-Exupéry believes they ought to embrace the prince's values.

Is this a story for children, adults, or both?

On the one hand, this novel seems like it is for children. It is short, full of pictures, filled with fantastical elements, and centers on a small boy. Its prose is simple and its message putatively clear. On the other hand, the novel is not that straightforward. It deals with depression and isolation and death, and there is little resolution. Its tone and mood are melancholy and pensive. The prose is simple but full of metaphors and symbols. Thus, the novel is appropriate for both adults and children; this is no doubt why it is so popular worldwide.