On Matters of Consequence, A Commentary on The Little Prince

(WARNING: SPOILER ALERT)

The Little Prince impresses, on its readers, a deep mark worth expounding. And although I fear words would fail as satisfactory means of capturing the sensation you get in the story’s aftermath, attempting to attain at least a certain degree of its epiphanous quality is sorely appealing, and rewarding. 

But as I’ve said in my book review, this book’s openness to interpretation is more radical than most titles. It does not only vary from one person to the next, but also from one person’s stage in life to his next.

On Matters of Consequence

The pilot and the little prince were having a conversation about the prince’s singular rose while the pilot repairs his aeroplane. But the prince’s inquisitive nature eventually bugged the pilot. He then blurts out to let him finish the repairs without interference as they were ‘matters of consequences’.

Like some kind of trigger, the little prince was offended and points out that his definition of ‘matters of consequence’ is rather misconstrued. He also furthered that the pilot started talking just like a grownup, which is presented as an insult.

Their argument began when the little prince was talking about his most beloved single rose in his little planet. Aware of his scarce resources, the pilot aims to fix his plane as soon as possible and discards the little prince’s passionate sharing about his rose as something immaterial.

The little prince counters, “And is it not a matter of consequence to try and understand why the flowers go to so much trouble to grow thorns which are never of any use to them?”

At first I disagreed with the little prince, considering the pilot’s situation, the repairs should be top priority. But then, so is a rose who has thorns in an attempt to save itself from being eaten by a sheep or being plucked from the soil where it gets nourishment.

Sometimes in our struggle to survive, to live, we forget why we live at all—why we grow thorns, why are they necessary or are they even necessary in the first place.


Commentary Series Links:
> The Little Prince Book Review
> On Talking Like a Grownup
> On Loving Figures
> On Grownups Part 1/2
> On Grownups Part 2/2
> On Visiting Earth
> Quotes from The Little Prince