My senior year in high school, in French 4, we were given the assignment to read a book in French and then to write a report about the book in French. We had a list of books to choose from—I chose Le Petit Prince (aka The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint-Exupery—just because.
I read it, and then re-read it. I bought the English version and read it again! This book has spoken to me through the years. And by years, I mean it has been 32 years since I read it the first time. It is one of the very few books I read at least once a year. a
Some may think this is simply a children’s book, but those people may not understand that “All grown-ups were children first. (But few remember it)". I was immediately drawn in. I was totally sold when I read a bit further on...."To forget a friend is sad. Not everyone has had a friend. And if I forget him, I may become like the grown-ups who are no longer interested in anything but figures..."
Antoine de Saint-Exupery was a commercial pilot who joined the French Air Force at the start of World War II. He and his plane disappeared while running a reconnaissance flight for the Free French Forces in July 1944. de Saint-Exupery was also a writer and a poet.
The Little Prince is a story about a man who crashed his airplane in the desert. In the story, de Saint-Exupery writes in first person—as the man who crashed. He crashes in the Sahara desert with a limited amount of water and the need to fix his plane himself or die. On the first morning after the crash, he is awakened by a voice, “If you please, draw me a sheep.” It is the voice of the Little Prince—a young man/child who tells the story of how he has come to earth from a small planet (asteroid).
It is a story of the love between a Prince and a Flower, the silliness of grown-ups, and the understanding of what it means to be loved/tamed.
We learn the Prince took care of his planet on his own, pulling up weeds and taking care of his little world when a new plant grows there-a Flower. He takes special care of the Flower, but she is a vain Flower who seems not to appreciate the care. She is demanding and fickle. Eventually the Prince decides to leave her and his planet to see the world.
In his travels, the Prince meets many people—first on other asteroids and then he meets animals and people on earth. He learns about grown-ups who want to rule over things, even if there is no one around. He meets a conceited grown-up “never hears anything but praise”. There is the drinker who is ashamed that he drinks, so he continues to drink because of his shame and the businessman who claims he owns the stars—and he spends his life counting them and then putting the number of what he counted in a bank.
When he finally lands on earth, he meets a Snake who tells him: “But I am more powerful than a king…..Whomever I touch, I send back to the earth from whence he came.”
Then he meets a Fox. The Fox teaches him that it takes time to be tamed, but once a relationship occurs then: “To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world…” The Prince and Fox begin to meet and become ‘tamed’. When it is time for the Prince to move on, they are both sad. The Fox leaves him with these words: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye….You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. You are responsible….”
Eventually, the Prince meets the airman. He wants de Saint-Exupery to draw him a sheep, so when he goes back to his small planet the sheep will eat the weeds on the planet. The two become close through the telling of the Prince’s story; but the Prince has to leave to tend to his Flower. On the day the plane is finally fixed, the Prince keeps his appointment with the Snake.
In my current life, I am a speech therapist that works with children, ages 3-5. These children have a variety of diagnoses and/or delays. I am a wife and a mom and a daughter. And I remember that I am responsible. I am responsible for caring for the young ones in my care—not just by being a clinician, but by being someone who needs to listen and someone who needs to see beyond the outside.
I have been told I am too idealistic. I need to pay attention to the cost. I don’t understand that there are procedures that need to be done and rules to be followed before things can be done. I have been accused of caring too much about the children in my care.
I blame the Prince and de Saint-Exupery. I read the book and was changed from a person worried about little things to a person who tries her best to see what is important—beyond the outside. Am I always successful? Heavens no! But I am always working to being able to use my heart to see rightly.