The Little Prince

I GUESS IT IS THANKS to the work of translators that we are able to enjoy a great variety in books comfortably in our first language. (Unfortunately for me, that is English.) I have just finished Antoine de Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince, and I must say it is astonishing. This is my second time reading it, and I must admit I was not mature enough in my reading to fully appreciate the impact of such an unassuming book that captured the minds of not only children but also adults, who hailed it as a modern classic.
Written by a French pilot who sought asylum in America when France was taken by the Germans during WWII, it recounts the narrator's encounter of a strange little boy who apparently arrived on Earth nearly a year before from a distant asteroid. Through the narrator's patient observation and growing interest in the young, self-styled prince, we look into the lives and views on life and man of various quirky characters through the prince's eyes during his journey from his little planet to Earth.
This is a wonderful story written in the second person's point of view, much like Mitch Albom's Tuesdays With Morrie and Have A Little Faith, and other thought-provoking and influential tittles. Unlike those tales however, The Little Prince is written as an allegorical children's tale, something like George Orwell's Animal Farm, so that it can be enjoyed by everyone, of all ages.
The little ones would be fascinated by the prince's travels and encounters of the "grown-ups" and plants and animals, and would easily pick up some of the more obvious lessons, such as nipping problems in the bud and constant vigilance and diligence. The "grown-ups" who read this book, however, may find more profound truths hidden in the observations of the little prince. Each of the adults that he meets on the six asteroids he stops at before arriving on Earth teaches us something more about different kinds of people, some of which may reflect our own personalities and how ridiculous they seem to the innocent but observant eyes of a child.
The most essential lesson that everyone ultimately learns and is reminded of as the story draws to a close is that "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." It reminds us to look beyond the material to find that the most important thing to us is really the immaterial.
My hope for this book is that its lessons reach the minds of a generation that is increasingly engrossed in material wealth. As for me, I'm going to give this to my sister to read.


by Chin Keat Meng

Article Courtesy of www.afelinesdiaryoffood.blogspot.com