The Little Prince

by

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

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The Little Prince Characters

The Pilot/Narrator

The narrator of the story, the pilot crashes in the middle of the Sahara desert when his engine fails. The pilot is a grownup, but one who has always been an explorer and is sympathetic… read analysis of The Pilot/Narrator

The Little Prince

The title character of the story, the little prince ventures to other planets in the universe after discovering that the rose he loves has lied to him. Innocent and curious, the little prince begins to… read analysis of The Little Prince

The Fox

The little prince's meeting with the fox is the climax of the story—it's the moment when the little prince realizes why his rose is so important to him. The fox is skittish around the prince… read analysis of The Fox

The Snake

The snake speaks in riddles, and he meets the little prince at the beginning and the end of his journey on Earth. The snake possesses a deadly poison that he promises will send the prince… read analysis of The Snake

The Rose/Flower

The rose is the object of the little prince's affection. She is beautiful and vain, given to telling dramatic lies, which prompts the little prince to leave his planet and set off on his journey… read analysis of The Rose/Flower
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The Lamplighter

The lamplighter is a faithful but unhappy grownup, who is miserable because his job allows him no rest. His planet makes a full turn every minute, and in order to keep up, he is constantly… read analysis of The Lamplighter

The Geographer

The geographer is the last man the little prince meets before he ventures to Earth. The geographer is a scholarly grownup who spends his life waiting for explorers to venture to his planet so that… read analysis of The Geographer

The Merchant

The little prince also meets a merchant on Earth. The merchant claims to sell a pill that can quench a person's thirst, saving fifty-three minutes each day. The little prince defiantly responds that he would… read analysis of The Merchant
Minor Characters
The King
The king is the first grownup the little prince meets on his journey. He is bossy but fair, vowing to make only reasonable demands of his subjects. He believes, however, that everything in the universe—even the stars—is one of his subjects.
The Conceited Man
The conceited man is the second grownup the little prince meets, and his personality fits his character name. He only wants the little prince to admire and applaud him, which the little prince finds very bizarre.
The Tippler
The third man the little prince meets, the tippler drowns his disappointment in himself by drinking. He uses circular logic, telling the little prince that he drinks to forget that he is ashamed of drinking.
The Businessman
The businessman is another grownup the little prince meets on his travels. He is distracted and busy, attempting to count all the stars in the sky so that he can own them.
The Railway Switchman
On Earth, the little prince meets a railway switchman who operates trains on which the grownups sleep or yawn, while the children flatten their noses to the windows, enjoying the journey.