“The Little Prince” has been translated into more than 180 languages ​​and dialects, films have been made based on it, and music has been written. The story has become part of modern culture and has been scattered into quotes.

For those who have not reread these childishly touching but very wise lines for a long time, we have prepared a selection of 12 quotes.

“After all, all adults were children at first, but few of them remember this.”

“Here is the best portrait of him...”

“Words only make it difficult to understand each other.”

“...Only the heart is vigilant. You can’t see the most important things with your eyes.”

“Lamps must be taken care of: a gust of wind can extinguish them...”

Fox: “...Only the heart is vigilant. You can’t see the most important thing with your eyes.”

“Everyone must be asked what he can give. Power, first of all, must be reasonable.”

“It is much more difficult to judge yourself than others. If you can judge yourself correctly, then you are truly wise.”

“It’s very sad when friends are forgotten. Not everyone had a friend"

“Vainous people are deaf to everything except praise.”

“It’s very sad when friends are forgotten. Not everyone had a friend.”

The Little Prince: “The eyes are blind. You have to search with your heart"

“When you let yourself be tamed, then it happens that you cry.”

“There is such a firm rule. Get up in the morning, wash your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order.”

“I must tolerate two or three caterpillars if I want to meet butterflies.”

“You are forever responsible for everyone you have tamed”

“After all, all adults were children at first, but few of them remember this.”

This book can be read in 30 minutes, but this fact did not prevent the book from becoming a world classic. The author of the story is the French writer, poet and professional pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This allegorical story is the author's most famous work. It was first published in 1943 (April 6) in New York. An interesting fact is that the drawings in the book were made by the author himself and became no less famous than the book itself.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupéry(French: Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupéry; June 29, 1900, Lyon, France - July 31, 1944) - famous French writer, poet and professional pilot.

Brief summary of the story

At the age of six, the boy read about how a boa constrictor swallows its prey and drew a picture of a snake swallowing an elephant. It was a drawing of a boa constrictor on the outside, but the adults claimed it was a hat. Adults always need to explain everything, so the boy made another drawing - a boa constrictor from the inside. Then the adults advised the boy to quit this nonsense - according to them, he should have studied more geography, history, arithmetic and spelling. So the boy abandoned his brilliant career as an artist. He had to choose a different profession: he grew up and became a pilot, but still showed his first drawing to those adults who seemed to him smarter and more understanding than the others - and everyone answered that it was a hat. It was impossible to talk heart to heart with them - about boa constrictors, the jungle and the stars. And the pilot lived alone until he met the Little Prince.

This happened in the Sahara. Something broke in the plane's engine: the pilot had to fix it or die, because there was only enough water left for a week. At dawn, the pilot was awakened by a thin voice - a tiny baby with golden hair, who somehow ended up in the desert, asked him to draw a lamb for him. The amazed pilot did not dare refuse, especially since his new friend was the only one who was able to see the boa constrictor swallowing the elephant in the first drawing. It gradually became clear that the Little Prince had come from a planet called “asteroid B-612” - of course, the number is only necessary for boring adults who adore numbers.

The whole planet was the size of a house, and the Little Prince had to look after her: every day he cleaned three volcanoes - two active and one extinct, and also weeded out baobab sprouts. The pilot did not immediately understand what danger the baobabs posed, but then he guessed and, in order to warn all the children, he drew a planet where there lived a lazy person who did not weed out three bushes on time. But the Little Prince always put his planet in order. But his life was sad and lonely, so he loved to watch the sunset - especially when he was sad. He did this several times a day, simply moving the chair after the sun. Everything changed when a wonderful flower appeared on his planet: it was a beauty with thorns - proud, touchy and simple-minded. The little prince fell in love with her, but she seemed capricious, cruel and arrogant to him - he was too young then and did not understand how this flower illuminated his life. And so the Little Prince cleaned out his volcanoes for the last time, pulled out the sprouts of the baobabs, and then said goodbye to his flower, who only at the moment of farewell admitted that he loved him.

He went on a journey and visited six neighboring asteroids. The king lived on the first: he wanted to have subjects so much that he invited the Little Prince to become a minister, and the little one thought that adults were a very strange people. On the second planet there lived an ambitious man on third- drunkard, on the fourth- a business person, and fifth- lamplighter. All the adults seemed extremely strange to the Little Prince, and he only liked the Lamplighter: this man remained faithful to the agreement to light the lanterns in the evenings and turn off the lanterns in the mornings, although his planet had shrunk so much that day and night changed every minute. Don't have so little space here. The little prince would have stayed with the Lamplighter, because he really wanted to make friends with someone - besides, on this planet you could admire the sunset one thousand four hundred and forty times a day!

On the sixth planet lived a geographer. And since he was a geographer, he was supposed to ask travelers about the countries from which they came in order to record their stories in books. The little prince wanted to talk about his flower, but the geographer explained that only mountains and oceans are recorded in books, because they are eternal and unchanging, and flowers do not live long. Only then did the Little Prince realize that his beauty would soon disappear, and he left her alone, without protection and help! But the resentment had not yet passed, and the Little Prince moved on, but he only thought about his abandoned flower.

The Earth was with the seventh- a very difficult planet! Suffice it to say that there are one hundred and eleven kings, seven thousand geographers, nine hundred thousand businessmen, seven and a half million drunkards, three hundred and eleven million ambitious people - a total of about two billion adults. But the Little Prince made friends only with the snake, the Fox and the pilot. The snake promised to help him when he bitterly regretted his planet. And the Fox taught him to be friends. Anyone can tame someone and become their friend, but you always need to be responsible for those you tame. And the Fox also said that only the heart is vigilant - you cannot see the most important thing with your eyes. Then the Little Prince decided to return to his rose, because he was responsible for it. He went into the desert - to the very place where he fell. That’s how they met the pilot. The pilot drew him a lamb in a box and even a muzzle for the lamb, although he previously thought that he could only draw boa constrictors - outside and inside. The little prince was happy, but the pilot became sad - he realized that he, too, had been tamed. Then the Little Prince found a yellow snake, whose bite kills in half a minute: she helped him, as she promised. The snake can return anyone to where he came from - she returns people to the earth, and returned the Little Prince to the stars. The kid told the pilot that it would only look like death, so there was no need to be sad - let the pilot remember him while looking at the night sky. And when the Little Prince laughs, it will seem to the pilot that all the stars are laughing, like five hundred million bells.

The pilot repaired his plane, and his comrades rejoiced at his return. Six years have passed since then: little by little he calmed down and fell in love with looking at the stars. But he is always overcome with excitement: he forgot to draw a strap for the muzzle, and the lamb could eat the rose. Then it seems to him that all the bells are crying. After all, if the rose is no longer in the world, everything will become different, but not a single adult will ever understand how important this is.

WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THOSE WE HAVE DOMESTICATED....

And all roads lead to people.

After all, it is so mysterious and unknown, this country of tears.

It's very sad when friends are forgotten. Not everyone had a friend.

But, unfortunately, I don’t know how to see the lamb through the walls of the box. Maybe I'm a little like the adults. I guess I'm getting old.

Whether it's a house, a star or a desert, the most beautiful thing about them is what you can't see with your eyes.

Adults never understand anything themselves, and for children it is very tiring to endlessly explain and explain everything to them.

Adults<…>They imagine that they take up a lot of space.

Adults love numbers very much. When you tell them that you have a new friend, they will never ask about the most important thing. They will never say: “What’s his voice like? What games does he like to play? Does he catch butterflies? They ask: “How old is he? How many brothers does he have? How much does he weigh? How much does his father earn? And after that they imagine that they recognize the person.

It's stupid to lie when you can be caught so easily!

You can be true to your word and still be lazy.

He didn't answer any of my questions, but when you blush, it means yes, doesn't it?

Here is the proof that the Little Prince really existed: he was very, very nice, he laughed, and he wanted to have a lamb. And whoever wants a lamb certainly exists.

Children should be very lenient towards adults.

When you allow yourself to be tamed, then you cry.

When you really want to make a joke, sometimes you inevitably lie.

...kings look at the world in a very simplified way: for them, all people are subjects.

My friend never explained anything to me. Maybe he thought I was just like him.

The most important thing is what you cannot see with your eyes...

Lamps must be taken care of: a gust of wind can extinguish them...

I didn't know what else to tell him. I felt terribly awkward and clumsy. How to call so that he can hear, how to catch up with his soul, which is eluding me...

The little prince had never seen such huge buds and had a presentiment that he would see a miracle. And the unknown guest, still hidden within the walls of her green room, was still getting ready, still preening. She carefully selected the colors. She dressed up slowly, trying on the petals one by one. She did not want to come into the world disheveled, like some kind of poppy. She wanted to appear in all the splendor of her beauty. Yes, she was a terrible coquette! Mysterious preparations continued day after day. And finally, one morning, as soon as the sun rose, the petals opened.

The heart also needs water...

His half-open lips trembled in a smile, and I said to myself: the most touching thing about this sleeping Little Prince is his fidelity to the flower, the image of the rose that shines in him like the flame of a lamp, even when he sleeps... And I realized that he is even more fragile than it seems. Lamps must be taken care of: a gust of wind can extinguish them...

Yes, I said. - 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.

You live in your actions, not in your body. You are your actions, and there is no other you.

When I asked about something, he seemed not to hear. Only little by little, from random, casually dropped words, everything was revealed to me.

Will I really, really never hear him laugh again? This laughter for me is like a spring in the desert.

And then he also fell silent, because he began to cry...

Look at the sky. And ask yourself: “Is that rose alive or is it no longer alive? What if the lamb ate it?” And you will see: everything will become different... And not a single adult will ever understand how important this is!

This, in my opinion, is the most beautiful and saddest place in the world. The same corner of the desert was drawn on the previous page, but I drew it again so that you can see it better. Here the Little Prince first appeared on Earth and then disappeared. Take a closer look to be sure to recognize this place if you ever find yourself in Africa, in the desert. If you happen to be passing through here, I implore you, don’t rush, linger a little under this star! And if a little boy with golden hair comes up to you, if he laughs loudly and doesn’t answer your questions, you will, of course, guess who he is. Then - I beg you! - don’t forget to console me in my sadness, write to me as soon as possible that he has returned...

Words of the Little Prince

If you keep going straight and straight, you won’t get far...

It's good if you once had a friend, even if you had to die.

There is such a firm rule. Get up in the morning, wash your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order.

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’re happy. And you say to yourself: “My flower lives there somewhere...”

We woke up the well and it began to sing...

If you give free rein to the baobabs, trouble will not be avoided.

And people lack imagination. They only repeat what you tell them... At home I had a flower, my beauty and joy, and it was always the first to speak.

People get on fast trains, but they themselves don’t understand what they are looking for, said the Little Prince. “That’s why they don’t know peace and rush in one direction, then in the other...

People grow five thousand roses in one garden... and do not find what they are looking for.

“I didn’t understand anything then!” It was necessary to judge 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, I didn’t know how to love yet.

Do you know why the desert is good? Springs are hidden somewhere in it...

I don't like passing down death sentences. And anyway, I have to go.

Only children know what they are looking for. They devote all their days to a rag doll, and it becomes very, very dear to them, and if it is taken away from them, the children cry...

Each person has their own stars.

The eyes are blind. You have to search with your heart.

The heart also needs water.

Vain people are deaf to everything except praise.

The flowers are weak. And simple-minded.

You should never listen to what flowers say. You just have to look at them and breathe in their scent.

It's like a flower. If you love a flower that grows somewhere on a distant star, it’s good to look at the sky at night. All the stars are blooming.

All I had was just a rose. What kind of prince am I after this?

When he lights his lantern, it’s as if another star or flower is born. And when he turns off the lantern, it’s as if a star or a flower is falling asleep. Great activity. It's truly useful because it's beautiful.

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 feel happy. And you say to yourself: “My flower lives there somewhere...” But if the lamb eats it, it’s the same as if all the stars went out at once!

Whose stars? - the businessman asked grumpily.

Don't know. Draws. - So, mine, because I was the first to think of it. - Is that enough? - Well, of course. If you find a diamond that has no owner, then it is yours. If you find an island that has no owner, it is yours. If you are the first to come up with an idea, you take out a patent on it: it is yours. I own the stars because no one before me thought of owning them.

“You are not at all like my rose,” he told them. - You are nothing yet. No one has tamed you, and you have not tamed anyone. This is how my Fox used to be. He was no different from a hundred thousand other foxes. But I became friends with him, and now he is the only one in the whole world.

Roses were very embarrassed. “You are beautiful, but empty,” continued the Little Prince. - I won’t want to die for your sake. Of course, a random passerby, looking at my rose, will say that it is exactly the same as you. But she alone is dearer to me than all of you. After all, it was her, not you, that I watered every day. He covered her, not you, with a glass cover. He blocked it with a screen, protecting it from the wind. I killed caterpillars for her, leaving only two or three so that the butterflies hatched. I listened to how she complained and how she boasted, I listened to her even when she fell silent. She is mine.

Goodbye, he said.

The beauty did not answer.

“Goodbye,” repeated the Little Prince.

She coughed. But not from a cold.

“I was stupid,” she finally said. - I'm sorry. And try to be happy.

And not a word of reproach. The little prince was very surprised. He froze, embarrassed and confused, with a glass cap in his hands. Where does this quiet tenderness come from?

Yes, yes, I love you, he heard. - It's my fault that you didn't know this. Yes, it doesn’t matter. But you were the same: stupid, just like me. Try to be happy... Leave the cap, I don’t need it anymore.

But the wind...

I don’t have that much of a cold... The freshness of the night will do me good. After all, I am a flower.

But animals, insects...

I must tolerate two or three caterpillars if I want to meet butterflies. They must be lovely. A: then who will visit me? You'll be far away. But I'm not afraid of big animals. I also have claws.

And she, in the simplicity of her soul, showed her four thorns. Then she added:

Don't wait, it's unbearable! If you decide to leave, then leave.

She didn't want the Little Prince to see her cry. It was a very proud flower...

And when you are consoled (eventually you are always consoled), you will be glad that you once knew me. You will always be my friend. You'll want to laugh with me. Sometimes you will open the window like this, and you will be pleased... And your friends will be surprised that you laugh, looking at the sky. And you tell them: “Yes, yes, I always laugh when I look at the stars!” And they'll think you're crazy. This is the cruel joke I will play on you.

You know... my rose... I am responsible for her. And she is so weak! And so simple-minded. All she has is four measly thorns; she has nothing else to protect herself from the world...

We are responsible for those we have tamed...

- What are you doing? - asked the little prince.

“I’m drinking,” the drunkard answered gloomily.

- To forget.

- What to forget? - asked the little prince; he felt sorry for the drunkard.

“I want to forget that I’m ashamed,” the drunkard admitted and hung his head.

- Why are you ashamed? - asked the Little Prince, he really wanted to help the poor guy.

- I'm ashamed to drink! - explained the drunkard, and it was impossible to get another word out of him.

I know one planet, there lives one gentleman with a purple face. He had never smelled a flower in his entire life. I never looked at a star. He never loved anyone. And he never did anything. He is busy with only one thing: he adds numbers. And from morning to night he repeats one thing: “I am a serious person! I’m a serious person!” - just like you. And he's literally swelled with pride. But in reality he is not a person. He's a mushroom.

It’s enough just to move the chair a few steps. And you look at the sunset sky again and again, you just have to want.....

Snake words

It's also lonely among people.

“I understand perfectly,” said the Little Prince. - But why do you always speak in riddles?
“I solve all riddles,” said the snake. And both fell silent.

Words by Fox

...Only the heart is vigilant. You can't see the most important thing with your eyes.

There is no perfection in the world!

Words only interfere with understanding each other.

You are forever responsible for those you have tamed.

You can only learn those things that you tame,” said the Fox. “People no longer have enough time to learn anything. They buy things ready-made in stores. But there are no such shops where friends would trade, and therefore people no longer have friends.

“If you tame me, we will need each other. For me, you will become the only one in the whole world. And for you I will become the only one in the whole world” - Said the Fox to the Little Prince...

- My life is boring. I hunt chickens, and people hunt me. All chickens are the same, and all people are the same. And my life is a bit boring. But if you tame me, my life will be illuminated as if by the sun. I will begin to distinguish your steps among thousands of others. When I hear people's steps, I always run and hide. But your walk will call me like music, and I will come out of my hiding place. And then - look! Do you see the wheat ripening in the fields over there? I don't eat bread. I don't need ears of corn. The wheat fields don't tell me anything. And it's sad! But you have golden hair. And how wonderful it will be when you tame me! Golden wheat will remind me of you. And I will love the rustle of ears of corn in the wind...

“People have forgotten this truth,” said the Fox, “but don’t forget: you are forever responsible for everyone you tamed.” You are responsible for your rose.

“For me, you are still just a little boy, just like a hundred thousand other boys.” And I don't need you. And you don't need me either. For you, I am just a fox, exactly the same as a hundred thousand other foxes. 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

The king's words

Everyone must be asked what they can give. Power, first of all, must be reasonable.

It is much more difficult to judge yourself than others. If you can judge yourself correctly, then you are truly wise.

Well, then I command you to yawn.

P.S. I didn't collect the quotes. Found it on one site.

Here is my selection of 46 quotes. You can reflect on each one and find layers of meaning.

1. “It’s stupid to lie when you can be caught so easily.”
2. “It’s good where we are not.”
3. “When I was six years old, adults convinced me that I would not be an artist, and I learned to draw nothing except boa constrictors - outside and inside.”
4. “Flowers have been growing thorns for millions of years. And for millions of years, lambs still eat flowers.”
5. “After all, it is so mysterious and unknown, this country of tears.”
6. “- If you want to have a friend, tame me!
- What should be done for this? - asked the little prince.
“We must be patient,” answered the Fox. - First, sit over there, at a distance, on the grass. Like this. I will look sideways at you, and you remain silent.<…>But every day sit a little closer..."
7. “I’m trying to talk about him so as not to forget him.”
8. “All you have to do is move the chair a few steps.
And you look at the sunset sky again and again, if you just want to..."
9. “My friend never explained anything to me. Maybe he thought I was just like him.”
10. “And people lack imagination. They only repeat what you tell them..."
11. “- How is it to tame?
“This is a long-forgotten concept,” explained the Fox. - It means: to create bonds.
- Bonds?
“That’s it,” said the Fox.”
12. “You are forever responsible for everyone you have tamed.”
13. “When you allow yourself to be tamed, then it happens to cry.”
14. “Vainous people always think that everyone admires them.”
15. “When you tell adults: “I saw a beautiful house made of pink brick, there were geraniums in the windows, and pigeons on the roof,” they just cannot imagine this house. You have to tell them: “I saw a house for a hundred thousand francs,” and then they exclaim: “What a beauty!”
16. “We all come from childhood.”
17. “You are beautiful, but empty,” continued the Little Prince. - I won’t want to die for your sake. Of course, a random passerby, looking at my rose, will say that it is exactly the same as you. But she alone is dearer to me than all of you. After all, it was her, not you, that I watered every day. He covered her, not you, with a glass cover. He blocked it with a screen, protecting it from the wind.”
18. “Your rose is so dear to you because you gave your whole soul to it.”
19. “I saw them very close. And, to be honest, this didn’t make me think any better about them.”
20. “The Earth is not a simple planet! There are one hundred and eleven kings (including, of course, black ones), seven thousand geographers, nine hundred thousand businessmen, seven and a half million drunkards, three hundred and eleven million ambitious people - a total of about two billion adults.”
21. “Kings own nothing. They only reign.”
22. “Vain-glorious people are deaf to everything except praise.”
23. “Children should be very lenient towards adults.”
24. “All adults were children at first, but few of them remember this.”
25. “Adults never understand anything themselves, and for children it is very tiring to endlessly explain and explain everything to them.”
26. “Your planet is very beautiful,” he said. — Do you have oceans?
“I don’t know that,” said the geographer.
“Oh-oh-oh...” the Little Prince said in disappointment.
—Are there any mountains?
“I don’t know,” said the geographer.
- What about cities, rivers, deserts?
“And I don’t know that either.”
- But you are a geographer!
“That’s it,” said the old man. — I am a geographer, not a traveler. I miss travelers terribly. After all, it is not geographers who count cities, rivers, mountains, seas, oceans and deserts. The geographer is too important a person; he has no time to walk around. He doesn't leave his office."
27. “All roads lead to people.”
28. “—I know one planet, there lives such a gentleman with a purple face. He had never smelled a flower in his entire life. I never looked at a star. He never loved anyone. And he never did anything. He is busy with only one thing: he adds numbers. And from morning to night he repeats one thing: “I am a serious person! I’m a serious person!” - just like you. And he's literally swelled with pride. But in reality he is not a person. He's a mushroom."
29. “On your planet,” said the Little Prince, “people grow five thousand roses in one garden... and do not find what they are looking for...
“They don’t find it,” I agreed.
“But what they are looking for can be found in one single rose...”
30. “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.”
31. “People? Oh yes... I saw them many years ago. But where to look for them is unknown. They are carried by the wind. They don’t have roots - it’s very inconvenient.”
32. “...Kings look at the world in a very simplified way: for them all people are subjects.”
33. ““I’m not grass,” the flower quietly remarked.”
34. “Adults really love numbers. When you tell them that you have a new friend, they will never ask about the most important thing. They will never say: “What’s his voice like? What games does he like to play? Does he catch butterflies? They ask: “How old is he? How many brothers does he have? How much does he weigh? How much does his father earn? And after that they imagine that they recognize the person.”
35. “Every person has his own stars. For those who wander, they show the way. For others, they are just lights.”
36. “Do you know why the desert is good? - he said.
“There are springs hidden somewhere in it...”
37. “- I would like to know why the stars glow... Probably so that sooner or later everyone can find their own again.”
38. “People no longer have enough time to learn anything. They buy things ready-made in stores. But there are no such shops where friends would trade, and therefore people no longer have friends.”
39. “- People climb into fast trains, but they themselves do not understand what they are looking for, so they do not know peace, they rush in one direction, and then in the other... And all in vain... The eyes are blind. You have to search with your heart."
40. “You live in your actions, not in your body. You are your actions, and there is no other you.”
41. “You got up in the morning, washed your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order.”
42. “Only children know what they are looking for,” said the Little Prince. “They give their whole soul to a rag doll, and it becomes very, very dear to them, and if it is taken away from them, the children cry.”
43. “—Are there hunters on that planet?
- No.
- How interesting! Are there any chickens?
- No.
- There is no perfection in the world! - Fox sighed.
44. “Here is my secret, it is very simple: only the heart is vigilant. You can’t see the most important things with your eyes.”
45. “It is much more difficult to judge yourself than others. If you can judge yourself correctly, then you are truly wise.”
46. ​​“I must tolerate two or three caterpillars if I want to meet butterflies.”

If we discard dry calculations, then the description of “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry can be summed up in one word - miracle.

The fairy tale's literary roots lie in a wandering plot about a rejected prince, and its emotional roots lie in a child's view of the world.

(Watercolor illustrations made by Saint-Exupéry, without which a book simply cannot be published, since they and the book form a single whole fairy tale)

History of creation

The image of a pensive boy first appears in the form of a drawing in the notes of a French military pilot in 1940. Later, the author organically wove his own sketches into the body of the work, changing his view of illustration as such.

The original image crystallized into a fairy tale by 1943. At that time, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry lived in New York. Bitterness from the inability to share the fate of comrades fighting in Africa and longing for beloved France seeped into the text. There were no problems with the publication, and in the same year American readers became acquainted with The Little Prince, however, they received it coolly.

Along with the English translation, the original in French was also released. The book reached French publishers only three years later, in 1946, two years after the death of the aviator. The Russian-language version of the work appeared in 1958. And now “The Little Prince” has almost the largest number of translations - there are its publications in 160 languages ​​(including Zulu and Aramaic). Total sales exceeded 80 million copies.

Description of the work

The storyline is built around the travels of the Little Prince from the tiny planet B-162. And gradually his journey becomes not so much an actual movement from planet to planet, but rather a road to understanding life and the world.

Wanting to learn something new, the Prince leaves his asteroid with three volcanoes and one favorite rose. On the way he meets many symbolic characters:

• A ruler convinced of his power over all the stars;
• An ambitious person seeking admiration for himself;
• A drunkard drowning in drink, shame from addiction;
• A business man constantly busy counting the stars;
• the diligent Lamplighter, who lights and extinguishes his lantern every minute;
• A geographer who never left his planet.

These characters, along with the rose garden, the switchman and others, represent the world of modern society, burdened with conventions and responsibilities.

On the advice of the latter, the boy goes to Earth, where in the desert he meets the crashed pilot, the Fox, the Snake and other characters. This is where his journey through the planets ends and his knowledge of the world begins.

Main characters

The main character of a literary fairy tale has childish spontaneity and directness of judgment, supported (but not clouded) by the experience of an adult. Because of this, his actions paradoxically combine responsibility (careful care of the planet) and spontaneity (sudden departure on a trip). In the work, he is an image of a correct way of life, not littered with conventions, which fills it with meaning.

Pilot

The entire story is told from his perspective. He has similarities both with the writer himself and with the Little Prince. The pilot is an adult, but he instantly finds a common language with the little hero. In the lonely desert, he displays the normal human reaction - he is angry because of problems with engine repairs, he is afraid of dying of thirst. But it reminds him of childhood personality traits that should not be forgotten even in the harshest conditions.

Fox

This image has an impressive semantic load. Tired of the monotony of life, the Fox wants to find affection. By taming it, it shows the Prince the essence of affection. The boy understands and accepts this lesson and finally understands the nature of the relationship with his Rose. The fox is a symbol of understanding the nature of affection and trust.

Rose

A weak, but beautiful and temperamental flower, which has only four thorns to protect it from the dangers of this world. Undoubtedly, the prototype of the flower was the writer’s hot-tempered wife, Consuelo. The rose represents the inconsistency and power of love.

Snake

The second key for the character's storyline. She, like the biblical asp, offers the Prince a way to return to his beloved Rose with the help of a fatal bite. Longing for the flower, the prince agrees. The snake puts an end to his journey. But whether this point was a real return home or something else, the reader will have to decide. In the fairy tale, the Snake symbolizes deceit and temptation.

Analysis of the work

The genre of “The Little Prince” is a literary fairy tale. There are all the signs: fantastic characters and their wonderful actions, a social and pedagogical message. However, there is also a philosophical context that refers to the traditions of Voltaire. Together with the attitude towards the problems of death, love, and responsibility, which is uncharacteristic of fairy tales, this allows us to classify the work as a parable.

Events in the fairy tale, like most parables, have some cyclicity. At the starting point, the hero is presented as he is, then the development of events leads to a climax, after which “everything returns to normal,” but with a philosophical, ethical or moral load. This happens in The Little Prince, when the main character decides to return to his “tamed” Rose.

From an artistic point of view, the text is filled with simple and understandable images. Mystical imagery, together with simplicity of presentation, allows the author to naturally move from a specific image to a concept, an idea. The text is generously sprinkled with bright epithets and paradoxical semantic constructions.

It is impossible not to note the special nostalgic tone of the tale. Thanks to artistic techniques, adults see in a fairy tale a conversation with a good old friend, and children get an idea of ​​what kind of world surrounds them, described in simple and figurative language. In many ways, The Little Prince owes its popularity to these factors.