The glorification of childhood in the fairy-tale novel by A. de Saint-Exupery “The Little Prince”
I was created to become a gardener.
A. de Saint-Exupéry
Antoine de Saint-Exupery – a man of extraordinary bright, versatilely gifted professional pilot, keen on drawing, music, verses from an early age. The peculiarity of Exupery is in a rare combination of the pilot’s professional vision with a philosophical insight into the essence of life. In the writer he sees a gardener growing beautiful souls: “I was created to become a gardener.” In his opinion, the artist, as a gardener, reveals and grows human souls. The writer was worried about human relations: partnership, friendship, love. A piercing pain for a man and a childishly unshakable faith in goodness, justice. “Childhood is a huge land, where everyone comes from, where do I come from? I come from my childhood, like from some country.” This tells Antoine de Saint-Exupery about himself. In his work there is no book, where he would not remember his childhood. And there is something
This book contains a philosophical edification of what a person should be, what his purpose is. The main pathos of the fairy tale is the glorification of childhood, that period of life when feelings and thoughts are thoroughly clean, the vision of the world is unselfish. Saint Exupery urged the adults to keep their childhood in themselves, which means not to lose the ability to understand children. Adults in Exupery – a symbol of narrow-minded narrow-mindedness and narrow-minded interests. They talk about neckties, bridge games, income, do not see the true meaning of life. For adults, there is only the price of things. They are blind to the multicolored wealth of the world.
The little prince is struck by the limitations of adults. He came from the planet of childhood to know the world. The young prince lived on a planet that was just a little bigger than himself, and he missed a friend very much. Every morning he watered his rose, cleared three volcanoes on his planet. But still he felt very
And yet on Earth the Little Prince finds, at last, a real friend – a wise Fox, who managed to explain to him the essence of love and friendship. “You’re just a small boy for me, just like a hundred thousand other boys… I. I’m just a fox for you, just like a hundred thousand other foxes, but if you tame me, we’ll be needed each other”. Then, he believes, he will become the only one for the Little Prince, as well as the one for him: “Your steps I will distinguish among thousands of others.” To tame means to associate oneself with another being with tenderness, love, a sense of mutual responsibility. And the little prince makes friends with Fox, “tames” him, so as not to be lonely. The Fox overcomes the narrowness of his ideas about the world: hunters are bad, chickens are good, that breed chickens. He begins to notice the beauty of previously unnecessary things to him, to look at the world with love and sympathy.
The theme of “taming” is very closely related to the topic of “responsibility”. This is another favorite theme of Saint Exupery. After parting with the Little Prince, the Fox gives him his secret: “Here is my secret, it’s very simple: you have only one heart, you can not see the most important thing.” Do not forget: you are forever responsible for everyone you have tamed. rose “. These words express the thoughts and feelings of the author himself. Having met Fox, the Little Prince comprehends his wise truth: only that which you put your soul into, only that which “tame” becomes yours, and you are forever in charge of it.
Golden-haired Little prince is a fabulous, poetic symbol of what Saint Exupery so appreciates in people. A child with a wise heart knows the true value of things. He knows that one should not live for oneself, happiness is born only when you give yourself to others. You can tame a flower or a fox and understand what happiness is.
Saint-Exupery believed in good relations between people, in affection, friendship. “The only true luxury,” the writer said, “is the luxury of human communication.” About her written all his books, including the “Little Prince”. This is a very poetic and elegant tale about the meaning and purpose of life, about faith in the greatness of man and his vocation. Exupery in our minds remained what he wanted to be – a “gardener for people,” carefully and perspicaciously revealing the best qualities and opportunities in a person.
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