On Grownups, A Commentary on The Little Prince Part 1/2

(WARNING: SPOILER ALERT)

The little prince said, “...I was too young to know how to love her,” referring to his complicated affection to his rose. His rose was demanding. Her requests gradually overwhelmed the loving little prince. Eventually, he became indifferent. It was only on Earth that he realized that behind the rose’s words was true affection.

On the verge of such realization, the little prince sets off to visit neighboring planets to gain more knowledge. The little prince is already aware of how young he was to understand his love for the rose, and then he met a number of adults, ridiculous in their own way. These grownups represent certain traits that most people possess to a certain degree.

The King

The king’s authority is quite funny and rather annoying. The author states that the world is much simple to a Kking, because to him “all men are subjects”. The king said, “I do not permit insubordination”. Though this may sound rigid and stern, in truth it is permissive and loose. He brags that he can order when the sun will set, which he does on sunset, a task that the sun is bound to do.

This translates to a false sense of control. There are those who feel that they are in-charge of their own lives when they’re really not, and tend to cloud fact with their own excuses. No one may have the power to tell the sun to set, but one can close his eyes to hide its rays.

The Conceited Man

All of us need attention, it is human to seek attention, but there are those who just can’t get enough, like the conceited man. Upon reaching the conceited man’s planet, the little prince was treated as an admirer, but the prince poses a question, “...what is there in that to interest you so much?”

To avoid losing sight of its significance, it is best to ask why we need attention before we seek it, so we would know when to stop. Usually, when have something at hand, we overlook its value. Like the way we see our reflection in the mirror, it's ironic. The mirror reflects exactly how we look. Despite this fact, we see the things we don’t have, not the things we already have.

The Tippler

The Tippler

Meeting the tippler was the funniest part for me. The tippler or the drunkard drinks to forget that he is ashamed of drinking. The metaphor is there, a simple irony. But you don’t need to interpret anything about it at all; you can take it for its factual sense. Saint-Exupery may have realized this, no I think it’s just me, but a correlation was made with the businessman to further emphasize the tippler’s irony. Nevertheless, relating the tippler and the businessman is a brilliant literary punchl.

The Businessman

The businessman claims to be very busy, he says he owns the stars because no one has decided to own them. The little prince points out that the stars aren’t owned by anyone, lest by him, because owning means being responsible for what you own.

The Businessman

The businessman further shares that he counts the stars to get more stars. And the little prince makes an exemplary connection between the tippler’ behavior and the businessman’s reasoning. This made me realize a strong semblance; both are drunk, one with liquor and one with stars.

The Lamplighter

A day on the lamplighter’s planet lasts for only a minute. And it is his job to light the lamp, giving him no time to rest. The lamplighter is the only grownup that the little prince empathized with. Among all the grownups that he met, the lamplighter is the only who isn’t selfish in his deeds, despite being, probably, the saddest. We can infer from the lamplighter how certain people live from one day to the next, having no control of how the day is spent, powerless to effect a change, obliged to stick with a routine.

The Geographer

I decided to write a separate post for the geographer.



Commentary Series Links:
> The Little Prince Book Review
> On Matters of Consequence
> On Talking Like a Grownup
> On Loving Figures
> On Grownups Part 2/2
> On Visiting Earth
> Quotes from The Little Prince