THE MEANING OF GROWN-UPS AS SEEN BY THE ...

THE MEANING OF GROWN-UPS AS SEEN

BY THE NARRATOR IN THE ANTOINE DE SAINT

EXUPÉRY’S THE LITTLE PRINCE

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By

Nicolaus Kunto Sinung Yudhanto

Student Number: 131214073

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2017

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

i

THE MEANING OF GROWN-UPS AS SEEN

BY THE NARRATOR IN THE ANTOINE DE SAINT

EXUPÉRY’S THE LITTLE PRINCE

A SARJANA PENDIDIKAN THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree

in English Language Education

By


Student Number: 131214073

ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2017


iv

DEDICATION PAGE

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE

THE POWER OF BEING

CORNERED

IT IS NOT BEING THE BEST, BUT

BEING BETTER THAN YESTERDAY


vii

ABSTRACT

Yudhanto, Nicolaus Kunto Sinung. (2017). The Meaning of Grown-Ups as Seen

by The Narrator in The Antoine De Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince.

Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.

This study analyzes a novel written by Antoine De Saint Exupéry entitled

The Little Prince. The novel tells us about a pilot who is the narrator himself, who

meets a little prince in a desert when the narrator‟s plane crashed there. The

narrator and the little prince shares the meaning of life that is represented in

illustration that is described in the novel.

The aim of the study is to reveal the meanings of being grown-up as seen

by the narrator in the novel. In order to achieve the aim, the researcher formulated

two questions. The first one is “How the narrator is described in the novel?” and

the second one is “What is the meaning of being grown-up as seen by the

narrator?”

The writer uses two sources in this study. The primary source of this study

is the novel itself. The secondary sources are taken from related books,

dictionaries, and the Internet. This study uses theories such as the theories of

character, characterization, motivation, and new criticism. To strengthen the

analysis, the psychological approach is used.

Based on the analysis, there are two results that can be concluded. First,

the narrator is portrayed as dreamy, lonesome, and childlike. Second, the meaning

of grown-ups is divided into literal meaning and deeper meaning. The literal

meaning of grown-ups is that grown-up is a strange individual. The narrator does

not understand grown-ups‟ way of thinking because they share different ways of

thinking to the narrator. The deeper meaning of grown-ups is that grown-ups are

the representation of things in life that happened when the author wrote it.

The researcher has two suggestions in this study. First, it is suggested to

future researcher to conduct an analysis on how the author‟s personality affects

the characters in the novel. Second, for education, this novel can be used not only

for finding moral value, but also to produce a good piece of writing.

Keywords: grown-ups, meaning, literal meaning, deeper meaning


viii

ABSTRAK

Yudhanto, Nicolaus Kunto Sinung. (2017). The Meaning of Grown-Ups as Seen

by The Narrator in The Antoine De Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince.

Yogyakarta: Sanata Dharma University.

Studi ini menganalisis sebuah novel yang ditulis oleh Antoine De Saint

Exupéry berjudul The Little Prince. Novel tersebut bercerita tentang seorang pilot

yang merupakan narator sendiri, yang bertemu dengan seorang pangeran kecil di

sebuah gurun saat pesawat narator jatuh di sana. Narator dan sang pangeran kecil

berbagi makna kehidupan yang terwakili dalam ilustrasi yang dijelaskan dalam

novel tersebut.

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengungkap makna tumbuh dewasa

seperti yang terlihat oleh narator dalam novel ini. Untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut,

peneliti merumuskan dua pertanyaan. Yang pertama adalah "Bagaimana narator

digambarkan dalam novel?" Dan yang kedua adalah "Apa arti menjadi orang

dewasa seperti yang terlihat oleh narator?"

Penulis menggunakan dua sumber dalam penelitian ini. Sumber utama

penelitian ini adalah novel itu sendiri. Sumber sekunder diambil dari buku, kamus,

dan internet yang terkait. Penelitian ini menggunakan teori-teori seperti teori

karakter, karakterisasi, motivasi, dan kritik. Untuk memperkuat analisis,

pendekatan psikologis digunakan.

Berdasarkan hasil analisis, ada dua hasil yang bisa disimpulkan. Pertama,

narator digambarkan sebagai pemimpi, kesepian, dan seperti anak-anak. Kedua,

makna menjadi dewasa terbagi menjadi makna harfiah dan makna yang lebih

dalam. Arti harfiah menjadi dewasa adalah orang dewasa adalah individu yang

aneh. Narator tidak mengerti cara berpikir orang dewasa karena mereka memiliki

cara berpikir yang berbeda dengan narator. Makna menjadi dewasa yang lebih

dalam adalah bahwa orang dewasa adalah representasi hal-hal dalam kehidupan

yang terjadi saat penulis menulis novelnya.

Peneliti memiliki dua saran dalam penelitian ini. Pertama, disarankan

kepada peneliti di masa depan untuk melakukan analisis tentang bagaimana

kepribadian penulis mempengaruhi karakter dalam novel. Kedua, untuk

pendidikan, novel ini bisa digunakan tidak hanya untuk menemukan nilai moral,

tapi juga menghasilkan tulisan yang bagus.

Kata kunci: grown-ups, meaning, literal meaning, deeper meaning


ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to praise Jesus Christ for His blessings so that I

can finish my thesis in time. I would like to address my very special gratitude to

my sponsor, Bapak Drs. Antonius Herujiyanto, M.A., Ph.D., who has guided me

in the process of making this thesis. I also want to express my gratitude to all my

lecturers in Sanata Dharma University that have given me knowledge during my

process in PBI.

My next special gratitude is addressed to my beloved parents, Ibu

Chrestina Karyawati and Bapak Panular Riris Nugroho, for their priceless support

and affection during my thesis process. I am lucky to have them as my parents.

I would also address my gratitude to all my best friends in this university

for their encouragement and support in these past four years. They have been one

of my motivations during my study. Our relationships will become stories for our

future.

I would also want to appreciate to those whose names cannot be

mentioned one by one who supported me finish this thesis. May God always be

with them.



x

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

TITLE PAGE ............................................................................................... i

APPROVAL PAGES .................................................................................... ii

DEDICATION PAGE ................................................................................... iv

STATEMENT OF WORK‟S ORIGINALITY ............................................ v

PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI .............................................. vi

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................. vii

ABSTRAK ..................................................................................................... viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................... ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................. x

LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................... xii

LIST OF APPENDICES ............................................................................... xiii

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 1

A. Background of the Study ............................................................ 1

B. Objective of the Study ................................................................ 3

C. Problem Formulations ................................................................ 3

D. Definition of Terms .................................................................... 3

CHAPTER II. THEORY OF RELATED LITERATURE ............................ 6

A. Review of Related Theories........................................................ 6

1. Theory of Character ................................................................ 6

2. Theory of Characterization ..................................................... 8

3. Theory of Motivation .............................................................. 9


xi

4. New Criticism ........................................................................ 11

B. Theoretical Framework ............................................................. 12

C. Context of the Novel ................................................................... 13

CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY ............................................................. 14

A. Object of the Study ..................................................................... 14

B. Approach of the Study ............................................................... 15

C. Method of the Study.................................................................... 16

CHAPTER IV. ANALYSIS ........................................................................ 18

A. The Narrator ............................................................................... 18

1. The Narrator‟s Character ........................................................ 18

2. The Narrator‟s Characteristic .................................................. 20

a. Dreamy ................................................................................ 20

b. Lonesome............................................................................ 22

c. Childlike.............................................................................. 23

B. The Meanings of Grown-ups ...................................................... 24

1. The Literal Meaning of Grown-ups ........................................ 25

2. The Deeper Meaning of Grown-ups ....................................... 27

a. Parent‟s Control .................................................................. 28

b. Narrow Mindedness ............................................................ 29

CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS ............................ 32

A. Conclusions................................................................................. 32

B. Suggestions ................................................................................ 34

REFERENCES .............................................................................................. 37

APPENDICES ............................................................................................. 39


xii

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure Page

Figure 1. Maslow Hierarchy of Needs ......................................................... 10

Figure 2. Narrator‟s Drawing #1 .................................................................. 21

Figure 3. Narrator‟s Drawing #2 .................................................................. 21


xiii

LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix Page

Appendix 1. Summary of The Little Prince .................................................. 39

Appendix 2. Biography of Antione De Saint-Exupéry ................................ 41


1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides general explanations of the study. There are four

subheadings which are background of the study that contains the reasons why the

topic is chosen, objective of the study which is the aim of the study, problem

formulations which contain two problems of the study, and definition of terms

which discuss important definitions to avoid misinterpretation.

A. Background of the Study

According to Wellek (1971), “Literature is the expression of human

feeling, imaginative process, and creativity” (p. 2). The process is that human

feeling uses human senses and mind to feel the experiences, after that the

experiences are shared. The imaginative process and creativity are the tools to

transform the experiences into an artwork, in this case, is novel.

One of the literary works that are imitations of reality is novel. According

to J.D. Westbroek and Drs. A. K. Van Overbeeke (1965), the author of the novel

of ideas mainly uses the novel as an instrument to criticize the moral, social or

political conditions of his day, and if possible, to suggest means of improving

them. Antoine de Saint Exupery‟s The Little Prince is one of the novels that is

supposed to improve the moral, social or political conditions.

The Little Prince is about a pilot who met a Little Prince in a dessert when

his plane crashed. The pilot was a lonely man until he met the Little Prince. He


2

used to be an imaginative person when he was a child until he had to give up on

his dream to become an artist because of the grown-ups. Once, he drew a boa

swallowed an elephant, but no grown-up understands that idea. The grown-ups

told him to leave that kind of perspective and start to pursue a real career. That is

why he hates grown-ups so much. For him, grown-ups are very strange.

The narrator of the novel thinks that grown-ups are absurd. They do

something that they think is important but the fact is they do not even know what

they are doing. In the novel it is shown that the Little Prince visits some planets.

He found some people who advised the Little Prince to obey orders, count every

star, etc. That is an unimportant task to do (see Appendix 1.)

Nowadays grown-ups often force children to become someone that the

society wants. For example, if the grown-ups want the children to become an

engineer, the children have to give up on their dream as an artist. In order to grow

up, the children have to fit based on function in adult society. Grown-ups often

forgot the essential things in life. They only concern about figures. Grown-ups

nowadays only care about figures. Many of them do not actually pursue their

dreams but only end up living in somebody‟s dream. Sometimes grown-ups have

to understand that in life we do not only seek numbers, but they also have to think

like children that are curious about everything as reflected by the Little Prince in

The Little Prince. He was curious about life and acted to quest what the important

thing in life is.


3

B. Objective of the Study

The objective of the study is to find the meaning of grown-ups according to

the narrator, the main character of Antoine De Saint-Exupery‟s The Little

Prince.

C. Problem Formulations

Based on the background of the study, there are two problems that will be

discussed in this study. Those problems are formulated into these questions

below:

1. How is the narrator described in the novel?

2. What is the meaning of being grown-up as seen by the narrator?

D. Definition of Terms

There are three words that need explanation in this study in order to avoid

misunderstanding. The words are grown-ups, meaning, and narrator.

1. Grown-Ups

Grown-ups can be described from two perspectives. The first one is from

psychological terms. Robert Firestone (2013) said in his article that there are six

aspects of being an adult. They are rationality, formulating and implementing

goals, equality in relationships, active versus passive, non-defensiveness and

openness, and personal power. The second is from physical appearance. Grown-


4

ups are the people that have changed from being a baby or young to be an older

child or adult in terms of physical change.

In this study, the words grown-up refer to someone who is no longer a kid

and starts to pursue something that they do not even know. Someone or group of

people that do not know the truth of life.

2. Meaning

In this study, the researcher analyzes the meaning of a dream. The

definition of meaning is divided into two parts. The first definition is the literal

meaning. The literal meaning is the explicit meaning which can be seen in the

novel. According to Blair and Gerber (1948), in an explicit statement of meaning

the author simply tells you in the explanation or has an attractive character

expressing his point of view to tell you what the meaning is which he has in mind

Here in this study, the literal meaning can be found in character‟s explanation

from the novel. The deeper meaning or the true meaning is the meaning which can

be seen implicitly from the novel. According to Fredrick (1964), the deeper

meaning of the story is a meaning which has value for every reader. In this study,

the deeper meaning is the meaning that is revealed after analyzing the character‟s

motivation.

3. Narrator

Here, the narrator is a pilot. He is the author himself because the novel uses

the first person POV. He is one of the main characters of The Little Prince novel.


5

The narrator is a lonely person who met the Little Prince when his plane crashed

in desert. The narrator illustrates his meeting with the Little Prince into some

drawings. In The Little Prince novel by Antoine De Saint-Exupery (1943) the

narrator is stated as a grown-up, but even he is a grown-up his perspective of the

world is more like a child‟s than an adult‟s.


6

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

This chapter discusses the theories that are used to analyze the novel. This

chapter is divided into three parts. The first part is the Review of Related Theories

that contains an approach and theories that are used in this study. The second part

is the Theoretical Framework which explains how the theories are applied in

analyzing the novel. The third part is the Context of the Novel which contains the

time when The Little Prince was made.

A. Review of Related Theories

This part discusses the theories which are used to analyze the novel. They

are the theory of character, the theory of characterization, theory of motivation

and new criticism.

1. Theory of Character

In order to understand the story more deeply, we have first to understand

the character that appears in the story. A character is the one who takes the central

part that can control the storyline. Characters in novel, drama, or monolog can

help us to have a better understanding of what messages that author wants to

deliver.

There are many theories that define what character is. Holman and Harmon

(1992) define character as a complicated term that includes the idea of the moral


7

constitution of the human personality. Moreover, Abrams (1981) notes that a

character is “an individual who exists in dramatic or narrative work and s/he has

moral dispositional qualities that can be seen from his/her dialogue and action” (p.

21).

According to Forster (1927), character is divided into two types. Those are

a flat character and a round character. A flat character is built by a single idea,

they cannot be changed. In the other side, round characters are complex and

develop time by time in the story and sometimes can surprise the readers. A round

character is filled with many ideas. It is presented with such a unique

characteristic. Round characters usually take main parts in the story. Round

character is like a real person in real life that has many personalities. Thus, the

character is difficult to be described.

Milligan (1983) explains there is always a character that becomes the

center of the storyline. The character‟s action is significant and very much affect

the storyline. Because of that, we can have more understanding about the story

through the character. Milligan called this as Major character as stated in his

book:

Major character is the most important character in a literary work. He

plays a very important role because everything he does becomes the

content of the story. A major character becomes the center of the story

because he endures problems, conflict, happiness, sorrow, etc. Through

his action, the readers know the author‟s message of the story. (p.155)

Milligan also added that the story would not be complete without another

supporting character, even they are less affecting the storyline. However, their


8

roles are to support the main character in many different ways. Milligan (1983)

says that Minor characters have less role than the Major character. Their presence

is just to support the main character to develop the story. They just appear in some

particular time and setting. They do not endure the problem of the story.

2. Theory of Characterization

Characterization in literature helps the researcher to reveal the

characteristic of characters in the novel. The character itself can be illustrated

directly or indirectly by the author through the actions, thoughts, and speech of

the character. According to Holman and Harmon (1992), characterization is the

creation of imaginary persons, so they seem lifelike. There are three important

methods of characterization. First, the explicit presentation by the author of the

character through direct exposition, either in an introductory block or more often

piecemeal throughout the work, illustrated by action. Second, the presentation of

the character in action, with little or no explicit comment by the author, in the

expectation that the reader can deduce the attributes of the actor from the actions.

Third, the representation from within the character. It is without any comment by

the author, the impact of actions, and emotion on the character‟s inner self.

According to Murphy (1972), there are a few ways in which an author

attempts to make his characters understandable to the readers. They are a personal

description, a character as seen by another, a speech, a past life, a conversation of

others, reactions, a direct comment, and a thought. A personal description means

the author can describe the characters directly about the appearance and clothes. A


9

character as seen by another means the author describes the character through the

eyes and opinion of another. A speech means the author can give us important

information about the character in the novel. A past life means the author lets the

readers learn something about a person„s past life by giving a clue to events that

have helped to shape a person„s character. A conversation with others means the

author gives the readers clues to a person„s character through the conversations of

other people and the things that say about him. Reactions mean the author gives

the readers a sign to let the readers know how the character reacts to particular

conditions. A direct comment means the author can describe or comment on a

person„s character directly. Thoughts mean the author can give us direct

knowledge of what a person is thinking about.

3. Theory of Motivation

The meaning of someone‟s actions can be analyzed by looking at their

motives. By analyzing someone‟s motivation, the readers can have a better

understanding of character‟s purposes in the story. In order to analyze the

meaning of grown-ups as seen by the narrator, the researcher uses Maslow‟s

theory of “Hierarchy of needs” to analyze the meaning of grown-ups. By

analyzing the narrator‟s needs, the researcher can know narrator‟s motivation

from the missing need that has not been fulfilled. So, by knowing the narrator‟s

motivation, the deeper meaning of grown-ups can be revealed.


10

According to Maslow (1954), there are five needs for a human to be

fulfilled. Starting from the bottom, there is psychological needs, dealing with such

as air, water, nourishment, and sleep. According to Maslow‟s theory, if some

particular needs are not satisfied then other motivations will come up from the

quest to satisfy them. Higher needs such as social and esteem needs are not felt

until one of the needs is not accomplished. The next level is safety needs. Once

psychological needs are accomplished, the next one is the feeling of being safe

from physical and emotional harm. It can be accomplished by living in the safe

environment, having a healthy life, having financial alternatives, etc. Next one is

social needs which is dealing with needs that are those related to interaction with

other people and may include: the need for friends, need for belonging and need

to give and receive love. The fourth is esteem needs. After a person gets those

Figure 1. Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs


11

feeling, the need to feel important come up. Esteem needs can be classified as

internal or external. Internal esteem needs are those which have a relation to self-

esteem such as self-respect and achievement. External esteem needs are those as

social status and recognition. The last need in Maslow‟s Hierarchy of Needs is

self-actualization. Self-actualization is the top of Maslow‟s hierarchy of needs. It

is a need of reaching full potential as a person. It is the need of maximizing own

internal potential. This need is not like those lower needs. The self-actualization is

never fully satisfied. Human is a living individual, as he is growing the standard

of reaching full potential is also increasing. In the end, those needs are not always

are exact in every person. They can have different kind of needs in life.

4. New Criticism

According to New Criticism, the book should be judged as it is. Without

considering the author‟s background. It is the researcher‟s job to see work based

only on the text itself. A standard method of high school and college instruction in

literary studies is close reading or as known as New Criticism (Tyson, 1999).

According to Tyson (1999), New Criticism is not a new theory; nowadays this

theory is not used as frequent as before “no longer practiced by literary critics” (p.

117). This theory arose to replace the biographical historical criticism.

New Criticism helps the researcher to get the literal meaning. It is because

there are so many people who studied The Little Prince novel. The researcher

compiles their studies and formulates some common things into supporting ideas


12

to know the literal meaning. Without judging the author‟s background or

purposes, the researcher judge the study as what it is written there.

B. Theoretical Framework

In this study, there are two problems that are analyzed. The first is “How is

the narrator described in the novel?” and the second is “What is the meaning of

being grown-up as seen by the narrator?” In order to answer those questions, the

researcher uses psychological approach. It is because the base of the analysis will

be closely related to human psyche, human mind, and behavior. Moreover, the

researcher also uses some theories to answer those questions.

For the first problem, the researcher uses the character and characterization

theories to answer the question. These theories help the researcher to have a better

understanding of the character which is being analyzed. These theories are going

to help the researcher in analyzing the main character of the novel who is the

narrator in The Little Prince novel. Theory of characterization by Murphy (1972)

will be used to get the character‟s personality by analyzing some aspects such as

personal descriptions, speeches, conversation of others, reactions, direct

comments, and thoughts.

For the second problem that will be discussed in this study is about the

meaning of grown-ups. The researcher uses a psychological approach to

determine what is the meaning of grown-ups as seen by the narrator. The

researcher also uses the theory of motivation to reveal the meaning by seeing from

the character‟s motivation in the novel.


13

C. Context of the Novel

According to Schiff (1994) in her book, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was

born in Lyons, France, in 1900. His prime profession is a pilot. He had flown any

kind of flying planes for about twenty years. His ideas about his essays and novel

came from his experience in flying to many places around the world. The Little

Prince was written during World War II. He had to stop on his profession as a

pilot and moved to New York because of Germany‟s invasion in France. He had

to leave his hometown because of the war that happened in Europe. The novel

was inspired by his homesick to return to his hometown which is France, hoping

to live in peace. His thought of what happened to him that time made him so

desperately eager to write this novel. The story is mainly about his stress about

what happened in his time, especially about the World War II.


14

CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

This chapter is divided into three parts. The first part is the Object of the

Study which presents the information related to the novel that is used in this

study. The second part is the Approach of the Study which presents the approach

that is used in analyzing the novel. The last, Method of the Study which explains

about the method that is used in this study.

A. Object of the Study

The Little Prince is a book written by Antoine de Saint Exupéry was

published in 1943. The original version of this book was written in France. The

story is actually for children, but it is also suitable for adults. The novel can be for

everyone because of the storyline can be interpreted in any level of age.

The Little Prince is about a pilot, the narrator himself, whose plane crashed

in the desert. He met the Little Prince when he tried to repair his broken airplane.

Then, he realized that the Little Prince comes from another planet outside the

Earth. They spent eight days in dessert.

In his meeting with the Little Prince, he got some stories that planet Earth

was the seventh planet that he visited. Before arriving planet Earth, he had visited

some planets and met some very odd people such as a king, a conceited man, a

drunkard, a businessman, a lamplighter, and a geographer.


15

Trapped in a dessert, they shared the same opinion about grown-ups. They

both think that grown-ups are very strange. Grown-ups pursue something which is

not important. Grown-ups cannot see things beyond the surface. The only thing

that they care is just numbers and figures. Grown-ups are lack of imagination.

B. Approach of the Study

In this study, concerning to the problems that were analyzed, the

researcher uses the psychological approach. The approach is used because the

problems in the study are dealing with human‟s thought over something and need

to be analyzed by the right approach.

The psychological approach is used to analyze the meaning of grown-ups

as seen by the narrator in Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s The Little Prince by

knowing from the psychological aspects.

The psychological approach is used to analyze the deeper meaning of

grown-ups in the novel. According to Rohrberger and Woods (1971), there are

five approaches which can be used in library study. They are formalist approach,

biographical approach, the socio-cultural-historical approach, the mythopoeic

approach, and psychological approach. Rohrberger and Woods (1971) say that

psychological approach focuses on the life as the portrait of “human psychology

which contains thought, behavior, human personality, motivation and the other

aspects related to the human psychology” (p. 9). As many people believe that

human mind is the root of every thought and action human being does. Moreover,

this approach provides “a set of symbols which are common to all human beings


16

and can be interpreted in light of human being‟s experience” (p. 14). The deeper

meaning of grown-ups can be revealed by analyzing the character‟s thought,

behavior, personality, and motivation. Those aspects are gotten after analyzing the

character with the theories that have been mentioned in Chapter Two.

C. Method of the Study

The method that is used in this study is a library research. There are some

steps to get the answers from the problem formulation in the study. Before starting

to analyze, the researcher tried to gather the data. There are two important sources

that are used to analyze the problems. The first data is Antoine de Saint Exupéry‟s

The Little Prince novel. The second source is the secondary sources which are

some books about psychology and literature and also some informations from the

internet.

This study is meant to analyze the meaning of grown-ups as seen by the

narrator in The Little Prince novel. This is some steps to get the answers to the

problems. First, the researcher read the primary data in order to understand the

story and be able to decide the problem limitation. This step helps the researcher

to know precisely which parts that are going to be analyzed. Next, reviewing the

secondary sources. The secondary sources are gathered to answer all problems

that are related to the story. They are used to answer the questions in the thesis

logically. After the researcher understands the primary data and also has gathered

the secondary sources, this is the time where the researcher apply all the sources

to analyze the problems. These steps are very important in order to answer the


17

problems scientifically. The last step is drawing a conclusion. In this step, the

researcher sums up all the answers that have been gotten from analyzing all the

data.


18

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

This chapter discusses those two questions that have been formulated in

the previous chapters. This chapter is divided into two sub-chapters. The first sub-

chapter discusses how the narrator is described in the novel. The second sub-

chapter discusses the meaning of grown-ups as seen by the narrator.

A. The Narrator

1. The Narrator’s Character

To know more deeply about the character, analyzing the character is the

important thing to do. It helps the reader to have a better understanding of the

story. Understanding the character means understanding the whole story; from the

intrinsic elements to the extrinsic elements. To understand the meaning of the

story or the extrinsic element, first, the reader must understand the character. In

this part, the researcher focuses on the discussion of the characters in the novel.

Abrams (1981) said that character is the person presented in a narrative or

dramatic work in which the readers interpreted the characteristics expressed in

what they say and do. Abrams then divided it into two definitions. They are major

and minor character. Major character is the character who has the important role

in the story from beginning to the end. He should be able to attract the readers‟


19

attention about who and how the character is through his characterization.

According to Abrams‟ theory, the narrator is categorized as a major character in

this novel. The narrator attracts the readers‟ attention through their

characterization in the story. Furthermore, he takes the important role in the story.

He appears from the beginning to the end of the story. He can attract the readers

by telling stories with an interesting explanation. He also can bring us into his

childhood memory.

The narrator is a round character. According to E. M. Forster (1974) that a

round character responds to change: he or she "is capable of surprising in a

convincing way" (p.47). The narrator‟s way of thinking often surprises the readers

by showing his thought like a child even he is an adult. He also told the readers

about his childhood that he had to give up on his dream to become a drawer and

changed himself so he could fit in into the society that most grown-ups expected.

Forster (1974) also stated that round characters are fully developed that make the

readers enable to see character‟s “full psychological complexity” (p.50). Through

narrator‟s story about his childhood, the readers can understand narrator‟s

personality. The readers understand that the narrator actually a person that has a

head full of imagination. He is also someone who really wants to be different

from the rest of other grown-ups around him.


20

2. The Narrator’s Characteristic

Characterization is important for the researcher to understand the character

more deeply. Characterization is a process which the character is described as a

real being in reality. In other words, characterization can be a tool for the readers

to believe as a person to be compared in real life condition (Rohrberger & Woods,

1971).

In order to understand more on narrator‟s characterization, the discussion

of the narrator‟s characterization will be analyzed using the method by Murphy.

The researcher can know the characteristic of the character by looking at the

personal description, character as seen by another, speech, past life, conversation

of others, reactions, direct comment, and a thought.

a. Dreamy

Based on the illustrations and dialogs in the novel, the narrator is a dreamy

person. His dreamy personality is in the form of positive meaning. It is beyond

from being an imaginative person because he can seek beyond the surface that no

one ever thought. It is just the same as dreaming the reality. It is shown when he

was a child, he drew a boa constrictor swallowed an elephant. The grown-ups

could not interpret the narrator‟s drawing of a boa that had swallowed an elephant.

They thought it was a drawing of a hat. The narrator has to draw it again for their

boring understanding, showing the inside of the boa constrictor with an elephant.

Here, the evidence in The Little Prince novel (1943).


21

Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book, called

True Stories from Nature, about the primeval forest. It was a picture of a

boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the

drawing. In the book it said: "Boa constrictors swallow their prey whole,

without chewing it. After that they are not able to move, and they sleep

through the six months that they need for digestion."

I pondered deeply, then, over the adventures of the jungle. And after some

work with a colored pencil I succeeded in making my first drawing. My

Drawing Number One. It looked like this:

I showed my masterpiece to the grown-ups, and asked them whether the

drawing frightened them. But they answered:

"Frighten? Why should anyone be frightened by a hat?"

My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor

digesting an elephant. But since the grown-ups were not able to understand

it, I made another drawing: I drew the inside of the boa constrictor, so that

the grown-ups could see it clearly. They always need to have things

explained. My Drawing Number Two looked like this: (pp. 9-10)

It is showed that his way of thinking is somehow unique and very different

from the others. However, that is exactly how the children think.

Figure 2. Narrator’s Drawing #1 (p. 10)

Figure 3. Narrator’s Drawing #2 (p. 10)


22

The dreamy personality is also supported by narrator‟s imagination. His

imagination is showed when he could tell the readers about the details that the

Little Prince told him. He can illustrate vividly even he has not been to the place

or situation that the Little Prince told him. He can imagine something that never

happened to himself. It is showed by the author in The Little Prince novel. “At

that moment I caught a gleam of light in the impenetrable mystery of his presence;

and I demanded, abruptly: "Do you come from another planet?" (p. 18)” and “I

had thus learned a second fact of great importance: this was that the planet the

Little Prince came from was scarcely any larger than a house!” (p. 20).

b. Lonesome

The narrator is a lonesome man. He became that kind of person because he

cannot really find someone who has the same thought as him. He was an

imaginative person who loved to draw. He abandoned art for the grown-up

profession of pilot, and he lives a lonely life until he encounters the Little Prince

(Antoine, 1943).

So, because of that, he could not really make a friend. He could not share

his imagination with others because they are growing up to someone that most

grown-ups want. Although he finally found his job to become a pilot, it was never

his passion.

Thus I lived my life alone, without anyone that I could really talk to, until

I had an accident with my plane in the Desert of Sahara, six years ago.

Something was broken in my engine. And as I had with me neither a


23

mechanic nor any passengers, I set myself to attempt the difficult repairs

all alone. It was a question of life or death for me: I had scarcely enough

drinking water to last a week. (p. 12)

His lonesome is showed in the first few chapters in the novel. He cannot

suit to his environment. He surrounded with grown-ups that do not understand

him and ask him to talk about numbers and figures. It made him very lonely, he

has no friend and relations.

c. Childlike

The narrator is a grown-up, but his perspective of the world is more like a

child‟s than an adult‟s. The narrator is somehow different from the rest of grown-

ups around him. He still has that childlike perspective when most of the grown-

ups are growing up with an adult‟s perspective. Here is the evidence from The

Little Prince (1943).

Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried

the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have

always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true

understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say:

"That is a hat."

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. (p. 11)

However, his childlike perspective is somehow what grown-ups need. The

adults‟ perspective usually sees things just from the surface. In the other hand,


24

childlike perspective reveals the hidden meaning in everything that can be seen in

this world.

B. The Meanings of Grown-ups

In surface meaning, a grown-up is a term that is used to describe someone

who is already mature in term of physical and psychological aspects. In The Little

Prince novel (1943), the narrator experienced the process of being a grown-up

person. Being a grown-up is not pleasant according to the narrator in The Little

Prince. According to the narrator, grown-ups just care about numbers and figures.

They never really pursue the real purpose of life, they just barely touch the

surface.

The Little Prince (Le Petit Prince in the original copy), a novel, by Antoine

de Saint-Exupéry was published in 1943. It teaches us the meaning of friendships,

love, and the most important thing, the purpose of life. Even today, this great story

of love, loneliness, and the truth of life is a magic for readers and entertains both

children and adults. The Little Prince novel is known as a very great novel that

teaches the readers about the truth of life. It is because the novel serves a great

plot. The story is full of funny illustrations. The diction that is used in this novel is

also simple which makes the message delivery goes well to the readers.

In this study, the researcher focuses on how the truth of life is presented in

this novel. Especially, from the narrator‟s eyes. The narrator and the Little Prince

both are the main characters in this novel. Both of them also share the same truth


25

of life in their own way of illustrating. They are also feeling confused about the

way how grow-ups think. They think that grown-ups are just chasing the

unimportant thing in this world.

In this part, the researcher provides the literal meaning and the deeper

meaning. The literal meaning of grown-ups is the meaning that can be found in

the novel explicitly. In another word, the literal meaning is the meaning of grown-

ups that is written in the novel. Then, the deeper meaning of grown-ups is the

implicit meaning of the novel. The deeper meaning of grown-ups is not written in

the novel. The deeper meaning can be found by reading the novel and relating it to

real life condition and the character‟s motivation.

1. The Literal Meaning of Grown-ups

The readers can know the meaning of grown-ups literally from the novel

itself. The literal meaning of grown-ups can be seen from the narrator‟s direct

explanation. The narrator often explains the grown-ups by describing who they

are and what they do. Based on the narrator‟s descriptions about grown-ups, it can

be concluded that grown-ups are very strange. "The grown-ups are very strange,

the Little Prince said to himself, continuing on his journey” (Antoine, 1943, p.

47). Grown-ups‟ strangeness is shown in many explanations described by the

narrator himself. For example, in the first chapter when the narrator shows the

picture of boa swallowed an elephant, the grown-ups think that is a hat. It is very

strange for the narrator to hear that his drawing is interpreted as a hat. The


26

strangeness also can be seen from the illustrations that the Little Prince explained

about the six planets that he visited before he visited planet Earth. Four out of six

planets represent types of grown-ups that exist in real world. At the end of his

visit to the four planets, the Little Prince always finds out that grown-ups are

strange.

It can be found in these following planets that the Little Prince visited. The

first planet is inhabited by a king. The king‟s task is to command everything.

The first of them was inhabited by a king. Clad in royal purple and ermine,

he was seated upon a throne which was at the same time both simple and

majestic. "The grown-ups are very strange," the little prince said to

himself, as he continued on his journey. (pp. 42- 47)

The second planet is inhabited by a conceited individual. This man really

loves when someone praises him. He always raises his hat when he got

compliment.

The second planet was inhabited by a conceited man. "Ah! Ah! I am about

to receive a visit from an admirer!" he exclaimed from afar, when he first

saw the little prince coming. "The grown-ups are certainly very odd," he

said to himself, as he continued on his journey. (pp. 48-49)

The Little Prince meets a drunkard in the next planet. The Little Prince get

confused when he got there. The drunkard did nothing but get drunk. The reason

why the drunkard did that was to forget that he is ashamed of being drunk. What a

strange.

The next planet was inhabited by a tippler. This was a very short visit, but

it plunged the little prince into deep dejection. "The grown-ups are

certainly very, very odd," he said to himself, as he continued on his

journey. (pp. 50-51)


27

The next planet that the Little Prince visited is the businessman planet. He

met a businessman who always counts every star that he has.

The fourth planet belonged to a businessman. This man was so much

occupied that he did not even raise his head at the little prince's arrival

"The grown-ups are certainly altogether extraordinary," he said simply,

talking to himself as he continued on his journey. (pp. 52-56)

From the illustrations above, it can be concluded that the narrator hates

grown-ups so much because of their absurdity. That also become the reasons why

he has such personalities that have been mentioned before.

2. The Deeper Meaning of Grown-ups

The researcher can reveal the deeper meaning of grown-ups by applying the

psychological approach. It is stated in Chapter Two by Rohrberger and Woods

(1971) that psychological approach focuses on the life as the portrait of human

psychology which contains “thought, behavior, human personality, motivation

and the other aspects related to the human psychology” (p. 9). Those aspects are

represented as steps and done by analyzing the direct explanation of the narrator,

knowing his motivation and then relates it to the real life. It has been mentioned

before in Chapter Two that the theory of motivation by Maslow (1954) is used to

reveal the deeper meaning of grown-ups. Little Prince‟s illustrations about his

experiences also help the researcher get the deeper meaning.

The deeper meaning that is revealed in this study is the representations of

things in life that happened when the author wrote this novel. Antoine De Saint-

Exupery began writing this novel during the World War II (see Appendix 2).


28

Much or less, the character in this novel inspired by his life experience. For

example, he is the narrator of the novel itself. Also, the Little Prince shares the

philosophy and aspiration that Antoine has. So, it can be concluded that he talks to

himself through the characters; the narrator and the Little Prince. He expresses his

thought about his anxiety in life. One of his anxieties is represented in The Little

Prince (1943) into the „grown-ups‟ form. There are a lot of illustrations about

grown-ups in his novel. By analyzing one of his anxieties which are about grown-

ups, the researcher can reveal the deeper meaning of grown-ups. The findings that

are related to the deeper meaning is formulated into two main things that represent

the author‟s real life anxiety.

a. Parents’ Control

The first main thing that underlies the deeper meaning of grown-ups has

the relation to the control that parents have over their children. Even though in the

novel there is no explanation about the narrator‟s, the Little Prince‟s, or any other

character‟s parents, grown-ups that are presented in the story can be related to

parents control in the real world. Many parents force their children to take

particular skill or job that their children might not want. They force their children

to do, act, and think like they want. Many parents do not realize that in parenting

it is not about deciding what the children need but help the children to decide

what they need. It happens in the real world when someone is forced to become a

doctor and give up his dream to become a teacher. Here, the narrator also


29

experienced the moment when he had to give up on his dream to become a great

painter.

That is why, at the age of six, I gave up what might have been a

magnificent career as a painter. I had been disheartened by the failure of

my Drawing Number One and my Drawing Number Two. Grown-ups

never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to

be always and forever explaining things to them. (p. 11)

It is clear now that grown-ups in the novel play the same role as parents in

the real wolrd. They play a role as someone who has power above the narrator.

b. Narrow-Mindedness

The second thing that represents the deeper meaning of grown-ups is

narrow-mindedness. Grown-ups in The Little Prince is a representation of people

who are not able to think openly. Antoine (1943) said the narrator posits that

grown-ups cannot make their own interpretations of the world. They are too

dumb. Therefore, children are needed to enlighten adults about how to approach

and make sense of the world (p. 11).

Here, the narrator portrays how sense-making is implicitly different

between adults and children.

In the course of this life I have had a great many encounters with a great

many people who have been concerned with matters of consequence. I

have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately,

close at hand. And that has not much improved my opinion of them. (p.

11)


30

The narrator posits the grown-ups as another kind of individual. The

narrator clearly tells us that he does not like this kind of individual, and even after

the length of time spent to live like them and accept as it is, the narrator still

cannot get along with the grown-ups‟ way of thinking. The narrator never really

care about the grown-ups around him. Even though he is one of them, he is

different. He looks at them from a distance. He cannot associate with them. He

cannot have the same perspective of seeing the world. He and the grown-ups are

very different.

Even from the very first chapter, the narrator‟s drawing of boa and

elephant showed implicitly to the readers that grown-ups never think beyond the

surface. They are lack of imagination. They just care about something that is real,

sense full matter.

When the narrator thinks that he found someone who has his mind opened,

he gives this person a test to see if they really have the true understanding that

would allow him to communicate on some deeper level with the person. The

person fails the experiment so the narrator knows that the expectations he had of

this person have not been realized. He knows now that to communicate with this

person he has to lower himself to the person‟s level, it is unsatisfying and

disappointing. Of course that the person he talked to does not realize his intention

of doing that test.

Whenever I met one of them who seemed to me at all clear-sighted, I tried

the experiment of showing him my Drawing Number One, which I have

always kept. I would try to find out, so, if this was a person of true

understanding. But, whoever it was, he, or she, would always say: "That is

a hat."


31

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. (p. 11)

Therefore, in the characteristic part Chapter Four is explained that the

narrator is a lonesome man. It is because grown-ups around him never match his

open-minded way of thinking.


32

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

This chapter consists of three sections. Those are conclusions and

suggestions. The conclusions contain the summary from the result of the analysis

in this study. At the second place, there will be suggestions for future the

researchers and the teachers.

A. Conclusions

In the previous chapter, the two problems which are how the narrator is

described in the novel and the meaning of grown-ups as seen by the narrator had

been answered. The researcher concluded the previous discussion into a summary

consist of some paragraphs. It is clear that in this novel the narrator‟s

characteristic is pretty much affected by his experiences and society. He was an

imaginative person until he had to give up his dream to become an artist and

ended up being a pilot. That reason is a pair of cause and effect with his

loneliness. It seems that nobody in his society understands him. He cannot share

his thought to people around him because no one has the same way of thinking

like him. The narrator is a grown-up but he has the childlike perspective. Being

someone with that kind of perspective, often arouse people‟s negative thought that

he is a childish person. However, the researcher does not agree with that view.

The researcher thinks that having a childlike perspective is somehow can bring


33

someone into a deeper meaning of life. It is shown that with that perspective, you

can judge that the narrator‟s drawing is not a hat but a boa swallows an elephant.

It is important to think like children sometimes because children always learn and

discover something new in their learning.

In the novel, the readers can find so many life lessons. One of the lessons is

that we have to look beyond the surface. That is what the researcher discussed in

the Chapter Four. The researcher used the connection between the narrator and the

grown-ups. The narrator thinks that a grown-up is an absurd individual. They

pursue something in their life without knowing what the meaning behind it. They

pursue money, car, house, fame, and wealth. They only care about numbers and

figures. The narrator clearly tells us that he does not like this individual.

The life lessons that are found in the novel is formulated to the second

problems. The researcher revealed the meaning of grown-ups as seen by the

narrator. The meaning is both literally and deeply. The readers can know the

meaning of grown-ups literally from the novel itself. The literal meaning of

grown-ups can be seen from the narrator‟s direct explanation. The narrator often

explained the grown-up by describing who they are and what they do.

The deeper meaning was revealed by relating the explanations that are

presented in the novel with the real world with the character‟s motivation. The

first thing that represents the deeper meaning of grown-ups is parents‟ control. It

has something about the control that parents have over their children. It is a

relation to the real life that many parents that force their own ego above their

children. They force their children to do, act, and think like them. They do not


34

realize that their task as a parent does not decide their children‟s future but help

them to decide their own future. The second thing is narrow-mindedness. The

grown-ups in The Little Prince is a representation of people who are not able to

think openly. The narrator posits that grown-ups cannot make their own

interpretations of the world. They are too dumb. Therefore, children are needed to

enlighten adults about how to approach and make sense of the world. Here, the

narrator portrays how sense-making is implicitly different between adults and

children. That fact shows that the narrator and the grown-ups have a very different

type way of thinking that both of them cannot get along well.

B. Suggestions

The Little Prince serves a great meaning of life. It is a very good novel for

those who read to seek a meaningful lesson. There are so many life lessons that are

presented in this novel. Here, the researcher provides some suggestion for future

researchers and education.

1. Future Researchers

The Little Prince novel is one of the best literary work that had ever made.

The researcher suggests the future researcher to study because there are a lot of

hidden messages that relatable to the real world. Although there are so many

people discussed this novel, it is still worthy. The researcher suggests the future


35

researcher to discuss how the author‟s personality affects the characters in the

novel.

2. For Education

This study is about literature, especially novel. Literature is one of the

majors in English Language Education Study Program (ELESP). It is very

important to implement literature into English learning. Literature can help

students to express their skill in English. For example, one of the branches of

literature is poetry. Students can express their imagination through poems in

English. Also for the teachers, they can help the students to be more creative in

learning through literature.

Literature takes an important role in learning English language. There are

many forms of literature, it can be the story in novels, poems, and also plays.

Through literary works, the teacher can teach the student about moral value in the

novel. The Little Prince is an interesting novel to be read. It is also a good reading

for students because the diction and the story‟s plot is relatively easy to be

understood. The Little Prince also teaches the readers to see things or problems

that happened in many different perspectives. It teaches the readers to see beyond

the surface.

Furthermore, this novel also a very good example for them who are

dreaming to become a writer. The Little Prince can become a guide for a newbie

writer to make a good writing. They can take the way how the author of the novel


36

develops a character into something that is powerful into the storyline as an

example to start writing. It is very important for students to find things as their

tools to practice their knowledge in English because knowledge is nothing if you

cannot put it into practice.

Lastly, the researcher also suggests to all teachers in Indonesia to be

creative using the novel as a material for teaching. It is not always about finding

the moral value and relates it to real life. The novel also can be used for

something that is more practical like making a good piece of writing. It has been

mentioned before in the previous chapter that this novel is a good example for

them who are interested to become a writer. Here, teachers‟ role is to encourage

and support them so one day they can become a great writer.


37

REFERENCES

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Reinhart, Winston.

Blair, W., & Gerber, J. (1948). Better reading 2: Literature. New York:

Foresman and Company.

Forster, E.M. (1927). Aspects of the novel. New York: Rosseta Books LLC.

Fredrick, J. (1964). Adventures in fiction. New York: Hart court, Brace, and

World, Inc.

Firestone, R.(2013, June 24). Six Aspects of Being an Adult. Retrieved from

www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-experience/201306/six-

aspects-being-adult

Harvey, W.J. (1965). Character and the novel. New York: Monarch Press.

Holman, H., & Harmon, W. (1992). A handbook to literature. New York:

Macmillan Publishing Company.

Hudson, W. (1910). An introduction to the study of literature. London:

George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd.

Maslow, A. (1954). Motivation and personality. Philadelphia: Harper and

Row, Publisher, Inc.

Milligan, I. (1983). The novel in English: An introduction. London:

Macmillan Press Ltd.

Murphy, M.J. (1972). Understanding Unseen: An introduction to English

poetry and the English novel for overseas students. London: George

Allen and Unwin, Ltd.

Rohrberger, M. & Woods S.H. (1971). Reading and writing about literature.

New York: Random House Inc.

Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de. (1995). The Little Prince. London: Wordsworth

Classics. Ware, Herts.

Schiff, S. (1994). Saint-Exupéry A io raphy. New York: A.A. Knopf.

SparkNotes: The Little Prince: Context. (n.d.). Retrieved from

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http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-experience/201306/six-aspects-being-adult

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-experience/201306/six-aspects-being-adult

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/littleprince/context.html

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The Little Prince - Term Paper. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/The-Little-

Prince/355326

Tyson, L. (1999). Critical Theory Today: A User-friendly Guide. New York:

Routledge.

Welleck, R. and Warren, A. (1977). Theory of literature. New York: Brace

and World Inc.

Westbroek, J. D., & A. K Van O. (1965). Highroads of English and American

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https://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/The-Little-Prince/355326

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APPENDICES


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APPENDIX 1

SUMMARY OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

A golden-haired boy—a little prince—unexpectedly appears in the vast

Sahara, where a pilot has landed his plane because of engine problems. The pilot

is anxiously trying to fix the engine, for he has no food or water to survive for

long. The boy politely asks the pilot to draw him a picture of a sheep. The pilot

instead draws a picture from his own childhood: a boa constrictor with an

elephant in its stomach. The boy, exasperated, concludes that adults cannot

understand anything without numerous explanations. Only after the pilot draws a

box with air holes in it is the boy happy. Both the pilot and the little prince

understand that a sheep is inside the box.

Gradually, the man and the boy “tame” each other. The home from which

the little prince has come is an asteroid, hardly larger than a house; it holds one

rose, one baobab tree, and three volcanoes. The boy hopes to widen his

knowledge by visiting much larger places, such as the planet Earth, and meeting

the people, animals, and plants that live in those places. He is inwardly

preoccupied, however, with the safety of his dearly loved rose.

The little prince tells the pilot about his visits to other tiny asteroids, where

he met one single inhabitant on each: a king claiming to rule the universe,

although he has no subjects; a conceited man who sees everyone as his admirer; a

drunkard living in a stupor, drinking to forget his shame of being an alcoholic; a

businessman greedily counting the stars as his own treasure; and a geographer

who does not know the geography of his place and never leaves his office. The

smallest planet he has visited, which turns very rapidly (with 1,440 sunsets per

day), has no homes or people, yet the planet‟s lamplighter has no moment of rest

as he constantly lights and puts out the only lamp, following old orders that make

no sense. The little prince, who sees grown-ups as odd, respects the lamplighter

for his dedicated, selfless work.

In the Sahara, the prince meets the fox, who reveals to him the major

secrets of life. These secrets cannot be seen by the eyes, unless the heart is

involved. When the prince wants to play, the fox explains that “connecting” takes

time and patience; through such connecting, one rose among thousands becomes

special. The fox explains also that one is forever responsible where love is

involved, that words cause misunderstandings; that rites and rituals are significant

but often forgotten, and that crucial matters are often ignored and not appreciated.

These lessons help the little prince understand his own mistakes, and he decides to

return home to protect his rose.


41

The boy meets the snake, who talks in riddles, and he understands the

creature‟s power to send him back where he came from quickly. The little prince

and the pilot are now both dying from thirst. In search of water, they walk through

the starry night. On the verge of collapse, the pilot carries his little friend, not

knowing whether they are even headed in the right direction. At dawn, when it is

almost too late to save their lives, they find a deep, old well. The stars shimmer on

the surface of the water. They drink, and the water tastes unusually sweet to them.

Both the man and the boy sense the value of that moment. The pilot is sad; the

prince feels fear mixed with joy, because of his decision to go home. The water

feels like an earned gift. The prince comments that the beauty of the desert is in

the knowledge that it hides such a well.

The prince tells his friend that he will be leaving the next day. Neither

mentions the snake. When the little prince laughs to cheer his friend up, the

laughter sounds like the jingle of a million little bells. He offers the pilot a

farewell gift: From now on, when the pilot looks up on starry nights, he and only

he will hear the little prince‟s laughter. It will be comforting for both of them to

know that they have each other.

The next day, on the one-year anniversary of the little prince‟s arrival on

Earth, the pilot comes to the same spot where he met the boy. There he glimpses

the yellow flash of the snake as it bites the ankle of his little friend, and the boy

falls quietly and gently onto the sand. Later, the little prince‟s body is nowhere to

be found. The pilot finally fixes his engine and leaves for home, hoping that his

friend is safely back at his home, too. In the years afterward, on starry nights the

pilot hears the little prince‟s laugh and feels warm in his heart: Love is a powerful,

invisible thread connecting people no matter how far apart in space and time they

may be.

Retrieved, 13 June, from https://www.enotes.com/topics/little-prince


https://www.enotes.com/topics/little-prince

42

APPENDIX 2

BIOGRAPHY OF ANTIONE DE SAINT- EXUPÉRY

French pilot and writer who influenced the

world of aviation literature with his novels

"Night Flight," 1931, "Wind, Sand and Stars,"

1939 and "The Little Prince," in 1943. With his

courage and sensitivity, Saint-Exupéry was at

the dawn of aviation history, exploring the

skies and opening up commercial air routes in

Europe, North Africa and South America.

During WW II, he flew reconnaissance

missions during the Nazi invasion of France. Antoine disappeared mysteriously

on his seventh mission on 7/31/1944 over the Mediterranean Alps in his P-38

Lightning. He was presumed dead by authorities either by crashing, being shot

down or committing suicide. No trace of his body or plane had been found.

Saint-Exupéry grew up in an impoverished noble family. His father, Jean

de Saint-Exupéry, worked for an insurance company. His mother, Marie, indulged

her son and her other four children. He was brought up in two chateaux owned by

his great aunt and his maternal grandparents. His father died when he was four

years old. He displayed unruly behavior and was extremely willful to the nannies

who tried to raise the boy and his siblings.

At 12, Saint-Exupéry tried to build an airborne bike. He was an avid

reader who read Jules Verne and Hans Christian Anderson. Failing as a naval

candidate at the Ecole Bossuet in Paris, he borrowed money from his mother and

enrolled at the Beaux-Arts school to try his hand at architecture. He used his noble

background to be invited to the best houses and enjoyed the lavish dinners and

milieu of fellow aristocrats.

In 1921, he went to the Strasbourg military base and was awarded his

pilot's license the following year. He went to work for a commercial airline

company as an international air mail pilot and by 1926 was flying mail from

Casablanca to Dakar. He wrote in his personal journal in cafes in Paris and when

he traveled.

In 1929, Saint-Exupéry wrote his first novel, "Southern Mail." The book

was well received and he had an audience of readers interested in the world of


43

aviation. The brotherhood of French pilots did not approve of Saint-Exupery's

metaphors and florid descriptions of their profession and he was soon excluded

from their ranks. He went to Argentina to organize the mail route and stayed for

two years. While there, he wrote "Night Flight," published in October 1931. Six

months after the book's publication, he was frozen out of the flying profession.

While in Argentina, Saint-Exupéry met his lovely Salvadoran wife,

Consuelo Gomez Carillo. She was widely extravagant and jealous of his literary

success. Tiny and capricious, she conducted affairs with other men with little

attempt at concealment, causing him pain and suffering during their tumultuous

marriage.

Saint-Exupéry crashed in a navigational accident with his mechanic during

a Paris-Saigon flight in 1935. He managed to survive in the Egyptian desert and

was rescued after three days. In 1938, he crashed with his mechanic on takeoff

from Guatemala City; he survived but with serious injuries. The mistake was

pilot-error; he forgot to check the airplane's loading security. In 1940, Saint-

Exupéry was nearly shot down by the Nazis. He turned the experience into his

book, "Flight to Arras." During WW II, he tried to gain a slot on a reconnaissance

squadron. He spent many years grounded in New York where he worked on his

book, "The Little Prince." He returned to North Africa to help liberate France. On

his seventh reconnaissance mission Saint-Exupéry disappeared. His plane

wreckage was discovered in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Marseilles, in 1998;

the cause undetermined.

Retrieved, 13 June, from http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Saint-

Exup%C3%A9ry,_Antoine_de


http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry,_Antoine_de

http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry,_Antoine_de

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