What kind of character was the little prince? The main characters of Exupery's The Little Prince

Speaking about such a deep and truly complex work as “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, you need to know about the very personality of its author. This would be the same difficult person with a completely unique outlook on life.

Surprisingly, without having children himself, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry managed to preserve the child within himself, and not at all as deeply as many adults. Therefore, he saw the world through the eyes of a growing person, he understood and accepted the child’s worldview. This is the success of his work “The Little Prince”.

So we come close to this amazing, living and such a magical creation of a French writer, whose main occupation was a military pilot.

Reading The Little Prince, it’s hard to believe that it was written by a man of such a harsh profession: it is such a deep, tender and extraordinary work. But his heroes are especially interesting and unusual. We will talk about them.

Human heroes: one layer of storytelling

The Little Prince is a fairy tale, and it becomes so partly because the main characters in it are not only human. Here the reader will meet a wise tamed fox, an insidious snake, and even a capricious rose. But still there are more human characters.

The first and, of course, the main thing is, of course, the Little Prince himself. And here the first riddle awaits us: since this is the son of rulers, it means that there must be both a king and a queen in the fairy tale. After all, without them there can be no prince. However, nowhere in the story is there any mention of the Little Prince's parents.

We see his portrait: indeed, there is a crown and a cloak, but then what does he rule over? Or what do his mom and dad rule? There is no answer to this question, and no answer is expected. We perceive the world through the prism of the worldview of a small child, and at this age the status of parents is not important to anyone. All children take each other for granted. And even the Little Prince for them is just a child, and no one is interested in his origins. This is a statement of fact.

However, this baby is already responsible and wise even more than any adult. He takes care of his planet, every day, without forgetting this for a moment, he takes care of the capricious rose, saving it from all possible adversities. He loves his friends and is sincerely attached to them. But, like any child, the Little Prince is curious and imprudent. Having quarreled with a rose and become bored, he, without thinking twice, leaves his home planet and goes on a long journey to see how others live? This is so childish! Well, who didn’t want to run away from home at least once?

Adult child
True, this child is also an adult at the same time. He has no parents, and he builds his own life. There is nowhere to wait for help, and it is not expected. Therefore, the Little Prince is wise beyond his years, although he allows himself simple childish pranks.

So, having been torn away from his tiny home planet, this child sets off on a journey to other worlds. Until he ends up on our mortal Earth, he will meet other planets on his way, and there will be no less amazing characters on them. Each of them is the personification of some passions. Everyone is busy with one thing and cannot tear themselves away from their work, even though, in fact, no one needs it. This already represents the structure of our adult world: many people do what no one needs, wasting their lives on nothing.

So is the king, who alone rules on a planet where there are no other people. His entire passion is power, completely empty and unnecessary. So is the lamplighter, who every day turns on and off the only lamp on the planet where there are no other people. On the one hand, it’s like a responsibility, but on the other, it’s a waste of one’s own life. So is the drunkard who drinks all day long, and the accountant who cannot see beyond his numbers.

Disappointed in his neighbors, the little Prince flies further and finally ends up on our planet, where he meets the author-narrator. And surprisingly, for some reason these two people, big and small, find a common language and understand each other. Maybe this happens because the image of the Little Prince is the author’s longing for a bygone childhood, this is the same little child who does not live very deeply in the soul of Anutan de Saint-Exupery.

However, the image is not autobiographical. There are echoes of little Tonio in it, but the mere fact that the author tells on his own behalf does not allow us to identify the little prince with himself. These are different people. And a child is just a projection, a kind of collective image, echoes of childhood memories, but not Antoine de Saint-Exupéry himself.

There are other heroes in the book, but they are not people. However, they play a very important role in revealing both the whole meaning of the work and its details.

Animal Heroes: Very Significant Characters to the Story

The Little Prince is a child, and first of all he remains one. Therefore, for him, as for any child, animals are of great importance. Everyone knows how little children love their kittens and puppies, and the main character of this amazing fairy tale needs a four-legged friend. And he manages to tame the Fox.

The fox is a very important character, he helps to reveal the very essence of the philosophy of the entire fairy tale, helps to look into the very depths of the story. And it guides the plot.

So, gradually the Fox is tamed, and, in the end, becomes dependent on the boy. And it is to him that the immortal words belong: “We are responsible for those we have tamed.” This is the first lesson of love, devotion, trust. And the Little Prince gratefully accepts it and assimilates it with his whole being. And it is then that the longing for the rose appears: after all, she is there alone, among the baobabs that are tearing apart the planet, scared and so defenseless. And tamed. And he, the little Prince, is responsible for those he tamed. So it's time to go home.

And here the Snake appears. This image is easy to read and is recognizable from the biblical canons. The tempting serpent that was there continues to perform the same function in almost all literary works. And then, as soon as the boy’s desire to return home appears, this same tempter appears, offering his help. In the Bible it was an apple, and in the work of a French writer it was a bite.

The snake says that he can send the child home, that she has a magic remedy and, of course, it is poison. In the biblical story, after communicating with a snake, people ended up on Earth, but in Exupery’s fairy tale, everything happens the other way around - the boy disappears. Where, there is not a word about this in the work, but the snake promises to return him to his home planet. And since there is no body, the reader can only hope that this is what happens. Or does the Little Prince go to where Adam came from - to heaven?

The tamed fox and the insidious snake are important, plot-shaping heroes of this work. Their importance in the development of the narrative cannot be overestimated.

Capricious rose: beauty that has thorns

If the Fox is the personification of devotion and trust, the Snake is deceit and temptation, then the Rose is love and inconsistency. The prototype of this hero was the author’s wife Consuelo, a very capricious, hot-tempered and, naturally, capricious person. However loving. And the Little Prince says about her that his Rose is capricious, sometimes unbearable, but all this is protection, just like thorns. But in fact, she has a very soft and kind heart.

Longing for the flower, the boy agrees to the snake's offer. For the sake of love, people are capable of much. And even die, only to be reborn again somewhere beyond the stars, somewhere on a completely different planet, tiny, but in an embrace with a beautiful rose.

Snakes have always had a special gift of instantly transporting people to a completely different world. And, who knows, maybe everything was as that snake promised the Little Prince, and he really ended up on his planet with his flower.

The fairy tale does not provide an answer. But since this is a fairy tale, we can all hope for a happy ending!

The main characters of Exupery's The Little Prince

3.7 (74.74%) 19 votes

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, "The Little Prince"

Genre: literary fairy tale

The main characters of the story "The Little Prince" and their characteristics

  1. Author, pilot, romantic, a person who retained childlike spontaneity and the ability to be amazed at miracles.
  2. A little prince. The Boy Who Traveled the Planets
  3. Rose. The only one in the world, because the Little Prince tamed her
  4. Fox. Another friend of the Little Prince, who was sad alone and really wanted to be tamed.
  5. Snake. Powerful, capable of sending the Little Prince home.
Plan for retelling the story "The Little Prince"
  1. Boa constrictor and hat
  2. Boy in the desert
  3. Lamb in a box
  4. Asteroid B-612
  5. Baobabs
  6. 43 sunsets
  7. Mushroom Man
  8. The little prince hits the road
  9. King
  10. Ambitious
  11. Drunkard
  12. Accountant
  13. Lamplighter
  14. Geographer
  15. Earth
  16. Flower
  17. Garden of flowers
  18. Taming the Fox
  19. Switchman
  20. Pill Dealer
  21. Searching for a well
  22. Conversation with a snake
  23. Parting
  24. Muzzle and strap
The shortest summary of the story "The Little Prince" for a reader's diary in 6 sentences
  1. The author suffers an accident in Africa and meets the Little Prince
  2. The little prince talks about his planet and the rose
  3. The little prince talks about the planets he visited
  4. The Little Prince talks about the Earth, about the Snake and the Fox, about the rose garden
  5. The author is looking for a well and understands the music of water
  6. The author says goodbye to the Little Prince and he returns to his planet.
The main idea of ​​the story "The Little Prince"
We are responsible for those we have tamed.

What does the story "The Little Prince" teach?
Put your planet in order, or rather, make sure that the planet is clean. Look around not just with your eyes, but with your heart, notice the beauty in nature, hear music and feel the joy of life. Teaches you to be a friend and be faithful to your friends. Teaches to love. Teaches responsibility. Teaches miracles.

Review of the story "The Little Prince"
This is a very beautiful and slightly sad story about the Little Prince, who left the only flower in the world that he loved because of a stupid quarrel. And then I spent a long time looking for my way back. I really liked the Little Prince's attitude towards life. And I felt sorry for the author, the fox, the rose and the Little Prince himself, because they found what they were looking for, but at the same time they began to be sad.

Proverbs for the story "The Little Prince"
Well, where we do not.
When you walk, don’t think that you have left your shadow somewhere.
A handful of damp earth will overcome our separation.

Summary, brief retelling of the story "The Little Prince" chapter by chapter
Chapter 1.
The author is amazed by the description of how a boa constrictor swallowed the victim whole and depicts how a boa constrictor swallowed an elephant. The design looks like a hat and adults are not afraid of it at all. And they even advise the boy not to draw anymore.
Then the author chooses the profession of a pilot. But he often shows people his drawing of a boa constrictor to see if he can talk to them.
Chapter 2.
The author suffers an accident in sugar and repairs the plane's engine.
In the morning he hears a request to draw a lamb and sees that a wonderful boy is standing next to him.
The author draws a lamb, but it turns out that it is too frail. The author adds horns to the lamb, but then the lamb seems too old. The author draws a new lamb and it turns out to be old. Then the author simply draws a box with a lamb in it, and the boy is happy.
This is how the author meets the Little Prince.
Chapter 3.
The little prince does not tell anything about himself, but only asks the author. He was amused by the plane and decided that he couldn’t fly far on it. The author understands that the Little Prince arrived from another planet. The author promises to draw a peg and a rope so that the lamb does not go far, but the Little Prince refuses, saying that he has very little space there.
Chapter 4.
The author understands that the Little Prince flew from a very small planet, for example from an asteroid. The author believes that the asteroid is B-612, which was discovered sometime in the early 20th century by a Turkish astronomer. But adults are strange people and they did not believe the Turkish astronomer while he was dressed in Turkish. Only when the astronomer dressed in a European fashionable suit did people believe in his discovery.
Chapter 5.
The little prince wonders if the lamb eats the bushes and is delighted. After all, he needs the lamb to eat the baobab bushes.
The author objects that baobabs are huge trees, but the Little Prince notices that when they are young, they are very small.
It turns out that the Little Prince's planet was contaminated with baobab seeds and now he has to weed the baobabs every morning so that they do not grow.
After all, the Little Prince knew one lazy person who did not weed out three bushes; the baobabs grew and tore the planet apart.
Chapter 6.
One day the Little Prince suggested going to watch the sunset, but the author said that he would have to wait a little.
Then the Little Prince laughed and said that he forgot that he was not at home. After all, there you could walk a few steps and again look at the sunset. So he once saw the sunset 43 times, his planet was so small.
Chapter 7.
The little prince asks if lambs eat flowers, even those with thorns, and the author says that they do.
The little prince cannot understand why flowers grow thorns. And the author brushes him off, saying that he is busy with serious business - he is turning the bolt. The little prince tells the author that he thinks like an adult.
He says that on one planet he saw a man who was very serious and thought only about numbers. But in fact it was not a person, but a mushroom. And it is very important to understand why lambs eat roses, but roses still try to grow thorns. After all, if a lamb eats a flower that you love, it’s the same as if the universe went out.
Chapter 8.
The little prince told how one day a rose sprouted on his planet. It was an amazing plant that delighted the little prince.
But the rose was very capricious, she was afraid of drafts and demanded that the tigers come. The little prince did not understand that the rose had illuminated his life and was angry at her words. But you just have to admire the flowers and under no circumstances listen to what they say.
Chapter 9
The little prince decided to fly away with the migratory birds and, as a farewell, he cleared all three volcanoes and weeded out the baobab sprouts.
Rose asked the Little Prince for forgiveness and said that she loved him. She asked the Little Prince to make him happy.
Chapter 10.
On the first asteroid that the Little Prince visited there lived a Monarch. He sat on a throne and his mantle covered the entire planet. The little prince had nowhere to sit and he yawned.
The king declared that the whole world belonged to him and everyone obeyed his orders. At the same time, he was a reasonable king and understood that if the people were ordered to throw themselves into the sea, a revolution would happen, and if the general was ordered to turn into a seagull and the general did not do this, then the king himself would be to blame.
But the Little Prince got bored and refused to become a judge on the planet. He went further and the king hastily appointed him ambassador.
Chapter 11.
On the next planet, the Little Prince meets the Ambitious Man, who demands that the Little Prince admire him and clap his hands. The Little Prince claps, and the Ambitious takes off his hat and bows, and so on many times.
The little prince gets tired of this and leaves.
Chapter 12.
On the next planet there lived a Drunkard and it was filled with empty bottles. The drunkard drank because he was ashamed. And he was ashamed because he drank.
The little prince quickly left this planet.
Chapter 13.
On the next planet there lived a business man and he was counting all the time. He had already counted five hundred million and the Little Prince asked why.
The business man did not like to be disturbed. This only happened three times in his life. When the cockchafer arrived, when he had an attack of rheumatism and when the Little Prince appeared.
But the Little Prince wanted an answer and the business man replied that he counted the stars because he owned them. But the Little Prince asked what he was doing with the stars and the man replied that he could write on a piece of paper the number of stars he owns and put it in the bank.
The little prince was surprised, because everything he owned had a benefit from such ownership, but what benefit did the stars have from the fact that this man believed that he owned them?

Chapter 14.
On the next planet there lived a lamplighter, who lit the lantern every minute and extinguished it every minute, because that was his agreement, and his planet rotated faster and faster.
The little prince advised him to follow the sun and then it would be day all the time, but the Lamplighter said that most of all he wanted to sleep.
The little man felt sorry for him, because this man was true to his word and thought not only about himself.
Chapter 15.
On the next planet there lived a geographer who did not know whether there was an ocean or mountains on his planet. After all, he was a geographer, not a traveler. He would like to find the traveler and began to ask the Little Prince about his planet. But the Little Prince was upset when he learned that the geographer calls flowers ephemeral and does not note them in books, because they can disappear very quickly.
For the first time, the Little Prince regretted leaving his rose.
The geographer advises the Little Prince to visit Earth.
Chapter 16.
The seventh planet on the Little Prince's journey was Earth. This is a very large planet and it was necessary to keep a whole army of lamplighters on it, who took turns lighting and extinguishing the lanterns. Only the lamplighters of the North and South Pole had it easy - they lit their lamps only once a year.
Chapter 17.
The little prince found himself in Africa and saw the Snake. He greeted her and told her about his planet and the flower he left. The snake said that she was very powerful and could return everything to the earth.
She invited the Little Prince, when he regrets leaving the planet, to come to her and she will help him.
Chapter 18.
The little prince crossed the desert and met only one inconspicuous flower. He asked him where to find people, but the flower did not know. He replied that people are carried by the wind because they have no roots and it is very inconvenient.
Chapter 19.
The little prince climbed the mountain and saw only stones and mountains around him. Just in case, he said hello, but an echo answered him. The little prince decided that the Earth was a strange planet.
Chapter 20.
The little prince came to the garden in which roses grew. He said hello and asked who they were. The roses replied that they were roses. The little prince felt sad, because he believed that his flower was the only one in the whole world. He lay down on the grass and cried.
Chapter 21.
And then the Fox appeared. He told the Little Prince that he was not tamed, but wanted to be tamed. The little prince did not know what tamed meant. But the Fox explained that this is a bond when someone becomes your only friend, your loved one.
The fox asked the Little Prince to tame him and the Little Prince tame him.
But the time has come to say goodbye and the Little Prince said that the Fox will be hurt and he will be unhappy. But the Fox said no.
The little prince went to the roses and said that they were not tamed. That they are empty and not worth dying for, and his rose is the only one, because he watered and took care of it.
The fox told the little prince that only the heart is vigilant, and that we are responsible for those we have tamed.
Chapter 22.
The little prince met the Switchman, who was sorting people. He missed the trains and the Little Prince asked where people were going and what they were looking for. But the Switchman said that it’s good where we are not and people are not looking for anything. Only children look out the windows.
The little prince said that only children know what they are looking for, and if their dear doll is taken away from them, they cry.
Chapter 23.
The little prince met a seller of thirst pills. The merchant claimed that such pills save a lot of time. But the Little Prince decided that if he had so much free time, he would simply go to the spring.
Chapter 24.
The author finished his last sip of water and was afraid to die of thirst. Because of this, he almost did not listen to the Little Prince. But the Little Prince suggested looking for a well and they went through the desert.
The little prince said that the desert is beautiful because springs are hidden in it.
Then he fell asleep and the author carried him for a long time, amazed at how fragile he was.
At dawn he found a well.
Chapter 25.
The author takes out a bucket of water and they drink. The Little Prince says that people themselves do not know what they are looking for and therefore cannot find happiness. But you need to look with your heart, and not with your eyes, and then happiness will be nearby, in every drop of water.
The little prince said that he had been on Earth for a year already and he needed to go to the place where he fell.
The author became restless. He remembered the fox and those who were tamed.
Chapter 26.
The next day, the author hears the Little Prince talking to the snake and promising to come in the evening. How he asks if the snake has strong venom.
The author got scared and began to persuade the Little Prince. But he replied that on that day his planet would be just above the place where he was and he would be able to return to it. But his body is too heavy and he won’t be able to lift it.
The little prince asks the author not to go with him, because it will seem to him that he is dying and that he is in pain. But the author goes, says goodbye to the Little Prince, and the Little Prince gives him joy, the joy of looking at the stars and seeing something special, knowing that at this time he is laughing back at him on his planet.
Then the snake bites the Little Prince and he falls.
Chapter 27.
Six years have passed. That time the author did not find the body of the Little Prince and therefore knows that he returned to his planet.
But he’s worried because he didn’t draw a strap for the lamb’s muzzle. And now the author is worried that one day the lamb will eat the rose.

Drawings and illustrations for the story "The Little Prince"

There is one amazing rule in astrology that amazes with the accuracy of its coincidences. And in Great Poetry there is a logic that is extremely consistent with this rule: “for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:21).

Where “will your heart be”?

Translated into “astrological language,” this logic will sound something like “where the ruler of your ascendant is, there your heart will be.” Where will the main character's heart be?

What will be the characteristics of the Little Prince? What will be of ultimate value to him?

“Missing a friend”...

The ruler of the Ascendant, the Moon, in addition to the already mentioned presence in Taurus, is located in the XI house, while, in the course of its movement, it transmits light to Venus, its ruler, the XI house. And even specialists in “fair astrology” know that the 11th house is the sphere friends !..

Is it any wonder that the Little Prince " really missed friend "? And this is not a simple, “not for words” statement of the author; On this topic, the text contains enough of the protagonist’s own statements.

The little prince about friends

“You’re not from here,” said the Fox. - What are you looking for here?

“I’m looking for people,” said the Little Prince. - How is it to tame?

- People have guns and they go hunting. It is very uncomfortable! And they also raise chickens. That's the only thing they're good for. Are you looking for chickens?

- No, - said the little prince. - I am looking for friends. How is it to tame? (Chapter XXI).

"Tame me!"

AND: “The fox fell silent and looked at the Little Prince for a long time. Then he said:

- Please... tame me!

- I would be glad, - answered the little prince, - but I have so little time. I still need to find friends and learn different things.

“You can only learn those things that you tame,” said the Fox. - People no longer have enough time to learn anything. They buy things ready-made in stores.

But there are no such shops where friends would trade, and therefore people no longer have friends. If you want to have a friend , tame me!(Chapter XXI) .

Here too: «- It's good if you once had a friend, even if you have to die. Here I'm very glad I was friends with Fox..."(Chapter XXIV).

"You will always be my friend"

In conclusion: “And when you are comforted - in the end you always are - you will be glad that you once knew me. You will always be my friend. You'll want to laugh with me. Sometimes you open the window like this, and you will be pleased...

AND your friends They will be surprised that you laugh while looking at the sky. And you tell them: “Yes, yes, I always laugh when I look at the stars!” And they'll think you're crazy. This is the cruel joke I will play on you..." (Chapter XXVI).

Expansion and Expansion

Let us return to the consideration of the Ascendant as it applies to Jupiter “sitting” above it.

In general, the Sixth planet, signifying general abundance, breadth and height, located above the Ascendant, characterizes the native, as a rule, of good physique, tall stature and exceptional charisma, especially if such a daytime Jupiter is exalted.


Applicable to the horoscope under consideration, Jupiter “adds” age to the Little Prince.

Thus, the zodiac Cancer itself signifies “ultimate babies,” infants, complete fools.

From 6 to 10

However, such a character would hardly be of interest to the author and readers due to emotional and mental immaturity.

Jupiter “fills” this “gap”, which is why the Little Prince, of course, is a child, but “gone” far beyond infancy. And although the author does not indicate the exact age of his hero, the reader has a complete illusion that the Little Prince is from six to ten years old, no more.

Philosophy, morality, ethics

In addition, Jupiter as the symbolic ruler of the IX house - Sagittarius under the so-called. “correct horoscope” with the Ascendant in Aries, as a rule, “rewards” natives subject to its influence (when it “rules” the Ascendant, in particular):

a craving for philosophy, extreme morality, exceptional morality (and, unfortunately, moralizing), distant and long journeys, as a rule, bearing the halo of pilgrimages.

In the horoscope under consideration, Jupiter is not limited to the symbolic control of the IX house:

The cusp of the IX house, located in Pisces, makes it - Jupiter - the true ruler of the said house for the management of Pisces.

Poetic perception of the world...

As for the confirmation of the Little Prince’s inclination towards philosophy and, in general, a poetic perception of the world, the masterpiece with relevant examples, which, by the way, the reader has long taken away for quotes, is simply “replete”, and it is impossible to indicate them all, in principle - it would be easier to rewrite the entire book ...


Here are just a few that found a special response from the author of these lines.

“If you keep going straight and straight, you won’t get far...” (Chapter III);

“There is such a firm rule. Get up in the morning, wash your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order.” (Chapter V);

“If you love a flower - the only one that is no longer on any of the many millions of stars - that’s enough: you look at the sky - and you’re happy. And you say to yourself: “My flower lives there somewhere...” (Chapter VII);

“And people lack imagination. They only repeat what you tell them..." (Chapter XIX);

Prose as poetry

“People get on fast trains, but they themselves don’t understand what they are looking for,” said the Little Prince. “That’s why they don’t know peace and rush in one direction, then in the other...

And everything is in vain" (Chapter XXV);

“People grow five thousand roses in one garden... and don’t find what they are looking for.” (Chapter XXV);

“Do you know why the desert is good? Springs are hidden somewhere in it..." (Chapter XXIV);

“I don’t like passing down death sentences. And anyway, I have to go" (Chapter X);

“Only children know what they are looking for.

They devote all their days to a rag doll, and it becomes very, very dear to them, and if it is taken away from them, the children cry ... " (Chapter XXII);

"The right words in the right order"

"Every person has his own stars" (Chapter XXVI);

“The heart also needs water” (Chapter XXIV);

“You should never listen to what flowers say. You just have to look at them and breathe their scent.” (Chapter VIII);

“It’s like a flower. If you love a flower that grows somewhere on a distant star, it’s good to look at the sky at night. All the stars are blooming" (Chapter XXVI).

THE LITTLE PRINCE The Little Prince is the main character of the fairy tale, who flew from his small planet to Earth. Before that, he made a long journey through a variety of planets that were inhabited by “strange adults.” The Little Prince has his own world, so a collision with the world of adults gives him a lot of questions and bewilderments. The pilot who suffered the accident is busy troubleshooting the plane. At dawn, the dozing pilot hears the thin voice of a child: “Please... draw me a lamb!” This is how the narrator introduces the reader to the Little Prince, who so miraculously appeared among the sands of the Sahara. The journey of the Little Prince, which he undertook after quarreling with his rose, meetings with a king, an ambitious man, a drunkard, a business man, a geographer - the only inhabitants of small planets - allowed the author to conclude: “Yes, these adults are strange people! Trifles seem important to them, but they do not see the main thing. Instead of decorating their home, cultivating their garden, their planet, they wage wars, tyrannize other people, and dry out their brains with stupid numbers, and amuse themselves with pathetic tinsel, and with their vanity and greed insult the beauty of sunsets and sunrises, fields and sands. No, that’s not how you should live!” The little prince did not meet anyone on the planets who could be his friend. Only the image of a lamplighter differs favorably from other images in that he is faithful to his duty. And this loyalty, although meaningless, is reliable. The little prince meets the Fox on Earth and, at his request, gradually tames him. They become friends, but break up. The words of the Fox sound like a wise commandment: “...you are forever responsible for everyone you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose." The most precious things in this life for the Little Prince are the Fox and the rose he left behind, because they are the only ones in the world. The appearance of the Little Prince in the desert, his appearance to a pilot who suffered an accident, is a symbolic reminder to an adult of his “inner homeland,” and his “death,” disappearance and grief caused by this is the tragedy of an adult, in whose soul a child dies. It is the child who embodies all that is good, pure, and beautiful. Therefore, the writer says with bitterness that adults, parting with childhood, often forget about eternal, imperishable values; they are preoccupied with important, in their opinion, things and lead a boring, dull existence. But people must live differently, they need clean water from deep wells, they need the bells of stars in the night sky. And because Saint-Exupery is not sure whether he will be able to inspire people with his own - their own! - the truth is, the fairy tale is so sad, so sad.

In Saint-Exupéry's fairy tale “The Little Prince,” the hero is a golden-haired boy who studies the world of people, looking for meaning in their activities, actions and outlook on life. The story of the author-pilot is not a child’s work at all: the thoughts-truths put into the mouth of the little hero can only be correctly understood by an adult. This does not detract from the value of the fairy tale for young readers; at every age, Exupery’s books are perceived differently. In the work “The Little Prince,” the main character symbolizes childish purity and spontaneity, naivety, kindness and sincerity.

Characteristics of the characters “The Little Prince”

Main characters

A little prince

A small golden-haired boy, the owner of a small planet on which there is 1 rose and three volcanoes. A smart, thinking kid like an adult. He's lonely. Travels around planets and is surprised by the “strangeities” of adults. To return to his planet, he asks the snake to bite him, this is a forced step. A symbol of fidelity, wisdom, purity, eternal childhood.

Author

A pilot forced to land in the desert to fix plane problems. He meets the little prince and becomes attached to him. Together they find water and escape thirst.

Fox

An animal that wants to be tamed. He made friends with the boy, taught him how to tame and revealed the main secret.

Rose

Proud, touchy, capricious. Her seed brought the little prince to the planet by accident, she “preened” for a long time before opening up. Rose has a difficult character, she loves herself and expects care and compliments. He asks for help to protect himself from the wind, he is afraid of insects and animals (which are not on the planet). He flirts and behaves a lot. When he realizes that the little prince is leaving the planet, he confesses his love to him, wishes him happiness, and does not blame him for anything. She asks to leave, not wanting him to see her tears.

Minor characters

Mr. with a purple face

Lives on a separate small planet. All his life he adds up numbers, repeating that he is a serious person. He didn’t love anyone, didn’t rejoice at flowers, didn’t notice the stars.

King

He lives alone on a small planet, his mantle covers it completely. Proud, but kind. He has no subjects, only an old rat. The king thinks logically, but believes that all heavenly bodies obey him. He invites the little prince to stay with him, become a minister and judge himself (after all, this is the most difficult thing).

The monarch proposes to try the rat, sentence him to death, and then pardon him. After all, there is only one rat, you need to take care of it.

Ambitious

He lives alone on a small planet, he meets the prince with joy, he is glad that someone will worship him. He explains what ambition is and asks to applaud many times in a row.

Drunkard

The little guest visited his planet after an ambitious man. There was nothing on it but empty and full bottles. The drunkard said that he drinks because he is ashamed of his drinking... The boy left this planet faster than everyone else.

Business man

He's always counting the stars, he's very busy. He has lived on the planet for 54 years, he has no time to get sick, and no time to rest. Over all these years, he was distracted from work 2 times: a cockchafer accidentally flew to him, and an attack of rheumatism. The importance of the work of a serious person lies in the fact that he counts the stars, writes down their number and owns them, locking them in a safe with a key. The little prince sees in him a resemblance to a drunkard.

Lamplighter

Lights and extinguishes the lantern every minute according to agreement.

Geographer

An old geographer who knows nothing about his planet, since he does not travel on it. Writes down the data of the Little Prince's planet and advises him to visit Earth.

Snake

The first person the boy met on Earth. She doesn't bite him, but suggests that he turn to her when he gets tired of everything. The baby turns to her “services” to return to his planet.

For the reader's diary, it will be useful to familiarize yourself with the description of the main and minor characters of the fairy tale. This list includes heroes living on all the planets visited by the Little Prince, as well as those whom he met and tamed on Earth.

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