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Dramatic Irony
Chapter 21
Explanation and Analysis:
The Little Prince, a novella written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in 1942 and published in 1943, falls into the fable genre, primarily because it uses anthropomorphized characters—inanimate objects and animals alike—to convey a moral to the reader in a compact manner. Such characters include the flower and the fox, who are not simply imbued with human attributes, but instead behave like humans. They are characters in their own right, with thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Written during the literary period of existentialism, the novella is highly philosophical in its contemplation of life, adulthood, and consequence. For this reason, several different morals can be drawn from the story; however, the primary moral is to take responsibility and care for one's relationships with others, for these relationships are what teach greater appreciation and respect for the world. The fox sums up the moral in the following quote:
One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.
The talking fox, an example of the novella's use of anthropomorphism, teaches the little prince and therefore the narrator about the importance of nurturing relationships. The narrator forgets his troubles in the company of the little prince, and the little prince realizes that he should not have given up on his flower.
Related Themes:
