The Lamplighter Character Analysis in The Little Prince

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 lighting or putting out the lamp. The little prince thinks more highly of him than of the other grownups because he is the only one who thinks of something beside himself.

The Lamplighter Quotes in The Little Prince

The The Little Prince quotes below are all either spoken by The Lamplighter or refer to The Lamplighter. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

).

"It may well be that this man is absurd. But he is not so absurd as the king, the conceited man, the businessman, and the tippler. For at least his work has some meaning. When he lights his street lamp, it is as if he brought one more star to life, or one flower. When he puts out his lamp, he sends the flower, or the star, to sleep. That is a beautiful occupation. And since it is beautiful, it is truly useful."

Related Characters: (speaker), , , ,

Page Number and Citation: 57-58

Explanation and Analysis:

"That man," said the little prince to himself, as he continued farther on his journey, "that man would be scorned by all the others: by the king, by the conceited man, by the tippler, by the businessman. Nevertheless he is the only one of them all who does not seem to me ridiculous. Perhaps that is because he is thinking of something else besides himself."

Related Characters: (speaker), , , , ,

Page Number and Citation: 61

Explanation and Analysis:

The Lamplighter Character Timeline in The Little Prince

The timeline below shows where the character The Lamplighter appears in The Little Prince. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...is the smallest of these planets, with only enough room for a street lamp and a lamplighter . The little prince muses on the fact that it is rather absurd for a... (full context)

Exploration vs. Narrowmindedness Theme Icon

The little prince asks the lamplighter why he lights and puts out the lamp with such frequency, and the lamplighter responds... (full context)

The little prince continues on his journey, thinking that the lamplighter is the least ridiculous of the grownups he has met because the lamplighter at least... (full context)

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The Lamplighter Character Analysis

The Lamplighter Quotes in The Little Prince

The Lamplighter Character Timeline in The Little Prince

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