Many times, when we stumble upon greatness unknown to us, the greatness usually (and very effectively) blows our minds. I came across this greatness called ‘THE LITTLE PRINCE’ by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry the day before yesterday. I had received this book as an assignment. And,though I already (kinda, sorta) had heard of this book before, I didn’t have the slightest clue to how awesome it would be. Considering I have an insatiable desire for reading, and this book only being a little over a hundred pages long (126 I think), I finished reading this book in a span of three hours.
This story is about a pilot, who never really understood grown-ups (although being a grown-up himself).The pilot’s ambition (when he was a child) was to be a painter, but, the adults always misjudged his drawing of a boa constrictor swallowing an elephant as a hat. When he tried to explain the actual drawing, he was always discouraged from drawing, as it was considered an ‘impractical’ hobby. Thus, the narrator never drew again. So, he instead devoted himself to geometry,history,arithmetic and grammar.One day, his plane crashed in the Sahara desert. The narrator felt as if ‘he was more isolated than a shipwrecked sailor on a raft in the middle of the ocean.’ So, he was oddly surprised the next day when he was greeted by a little boy who referred to himself as ‘The Little Prince.’
This little boy had a peculiar habit of not answering others’ questions, but always,persistently asking his own. The story revolves around the relationship of this little prince and the narrator. The book is filled with the little prince’s experiences with grown ups and his encounters with The very important Rose and The Fox. The most accurate quotes (ever, I believe, in the history of mankind) are said by the fox. Take these quotes for example;
“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.” This quote is just sooooooooo accurate (forgive me for using so many o’s, but THIS quote almost was made for these many o’s) . Each of us feel a variety of emotions. And, sometimes the emotions are strong, that they almost form a cocoon of THAT particular emotion around us. These amazing feelings though, are not tangible, but they certainly do strike a chord.
And also,”You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” This quotes speaks volumes although it’s only a short sentence. To ‘Tame’ basically means to establish ties or, to form relationships. When one forms an important relationship, there’s no going back for him. When we love somebody, we give them the power to hurt us the most too. It can be anyone really – parents, siblings, friends, lovers. We ‘tame’ them and they ‘tame’ us.
Although this is deemed as a children’s book, it certainly does’t feel like one. I can’t believe that I have never come across this book before since this book has been translated in more than 250 languages and has sold over 140 million copies worldwide (yup, I totally wikipedia’d all this info).
Lastly, I would say that, if you want a book that will stay with you for years to come, this book is Certainly a MUST read.
Until next time. 🙂
Ramexabella 