The Little Prince Theme Analysis Essay Example

Henry Miller once said, “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Exploration can open doors to new possibilities and new perspectives. One can only explore when they look beyond the surface. Exploring beyond the surface is key to great development, especially in teenagers. Most, if not all teens are still figuring out who they are, and the only way they can really do that is by going through and enjoying life. In The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, enjoying life and looking beyond the surface are consistent and important themes that show up throughout the novella. These themes are excellent lessons for teens to understand and carry with them throughout life.

First, time spent enjoying activities and your relationships is extremely valuable. Enjoying life is enjoying the time one has left on this planet. One should spend that time doing things that they enjoy, with people they enjoy. The prince and the narrator spend the night walking together to find a well, “It was as sweet as some special festival treat. This water was indeed a different thing from ordinary nourishment. Its sweetness was born of the walk under the stars, the song of the pulley, the effort of my arms” (54). The narrator explains that the taste of this water is different than ordinary water, because of the time and effort put into getting it. Sometimes the journey can make the destination feel even more rewarding. Teens should enjoy the time they spend on their “journeys” because that’s where most of life takes place. Time can also be spent on relationships. The prince is upset that there’s more roses than just his rose, but then he realizes that it’s the time he spent with his rose that makes her unique, “But in herself alone she is more important than all the hundreds of you other roses: because it is she that I have watered; because it is she that I have put under the glass globe; because it is she that I have sheltered behind the screen; because it is for her that I have killed the caterpillars (except the two or three that we saved to become butterflies); because it is she that I have listened to, when she grumbled, or boasted, or ever sometimes when she said nothing. Because she is my rose” (48). The prince tells the other roses that his rose is special because of the time he spent with her and the effort he put into helping her. Teens must understand how to build and maintain relationships. These are skills that everyone needs to know so that they don’t end up alone. The prince and the narrator getting water from the well and the prince’s rose are both good examples of how time is used to enjoy life. By learning how to enjoy time and life, teens can live happier and more fulfilling lives.

Next, not looking beyond the surface allows room for a narrow-minded perspective and a lack of imagination. A narrow-minded perspective can be harmful because it blocks out other perspectives. Having a good imagination is very important in a person’s formative years. The narrator begins by explaining how when he was younger, he used to draw boa constrictors, but no one could ever figure out that they were boa constrictors, so he stopped drawing and talking about them, “Then I would never talk to that person about boa constrictors, or primeval forests, or stars. I would bring myself down to his level. I would talk to him about bridge, and golf, and politics, and neckties. And the grown-up would be greatly pleased to have met such a sensible man” (5). The narrator says that he stopped talking about boa constrictors and started talking about more “adult” topics that would make the adults like him more. The adults in the narrator’s life did not look beyond the surface, and this resulted in the young narrator’s imagination being crushed. It's important for teens to remember to look beyond the surface so that they can expand their own imagination and end the cycle of adults crushing children’s imaginations. It’s not only children that get their imaginations crushed though. The narrator then talks about the astronomer that discovered the planet which he believes the prince came from, “On making his discovery, the astronomer had presented it to the International Astronomical Congress, in a great demonstration. But he was in Turkish costume, and so nobody would believe what he said” (11). The astronomer was the only one that had seen asteroid B-612, but no one believed him because of his cultural outfit. The people in the International Astronomical Congress have a very narrow-minded perspective because they would not accept the discovery of someone who was dressed different from them. Teens must learn to look beyond how someone is dressed, and instead look at the person’s characteristics and achievements. The narrator’s boa constrictor drawings and the Turkish man’s outfit are good examples of why looking beyond the surface is so important. By decreasing narrow-minded perspectives and encouraging imagination, teens can help build a more accepting and creative society.

Teens should learn to look beyond the surface and enjoy the time they have, as shown in The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Sometimes the time and effort we spend on the journey can make the destination more rewarding. Similarly, relationships are only special because of the time and effort put into them. Adding on, looking beyond the surface encourages open-minded perspectives as well as imagination. These are concepts that benefit teens and will help prepare them for the sometimes boring and narrow-minded adult world. By helping teens become more prepared for entering the adult world, we can create a healthier, more balanced society.