Educational portal. Lyrics of the song little prince - snake The main images-symbols are the little prince, the fox, the rose and the desert. Philosophical and symbolic generalization is also received by many other images: a well, a spring, a snake, a baobab, a lantern, caterpillars

The movements of this army obeyed the most precise rhythm, just like in ballet. The lamplighters of New Zealand and Australia were the first to perform. Lighting their lights, they went to bed. Behind them came the turn of the Chinese lamplighters. Having performed their dance, they also hid behind the scenes. Then came the turn of lamplighters in Russia and India. Then - in Africa and Europe. Then South America, then North America. And they never made a mistake, no one went on stage at the wrong time. Yes, it was brilliant.

Only the lamplighter who was supposed to light the only lantern at the north pole, and his brother at the south pole - only these two lived easily and carelessly: they had to do their job only twice a year.

When you really want to be funny, sometimes you involuntarily lie. Talking about the lamplighters, I have somewhat sinned against the truth. I am afraid that those who do not know our planet will have a false idea about it. Humans don't take up much space on Earth. If its two billion inhabitants were to converge and become a solid crowd, as at a meeting, they would all easily fit into a space twenty miles long and twenty wide. All mankind could be made shoulder to shoulder on the smallest island in the Pacific Ocean.

Adults, of course, will not believe you. They imagine they take up a lot of space. They seem majestic to themselves, like baobabs. And you advise them to make an accurate calculation. They'll love it, they love numbers. Don't waste your time on this arithmetic. It's useless. You already believe me.

So, having hit the ground, the Little Prince did not see a soul and was very surprised. He even thought that he had flown by mistake to some other planet. But then a ring of the color of a moonbeam stirred in the sand.

Good evening, - just in case, the Little Prince said.

Good evening, the snake replied.

What planet am I on?

To Earth, said the snake. - To Africa.

Here's how. Are there no people on Earth?

This is a desert. Nobody lives in the deserts. But the Earth is big.

The little prince sat down on a stone and raised his eyes to the sky.

I would like to know why the stars shine, - he said thoughtfully. - Probably, so that sooner or later everyone can find their own again. Look, here is my planet - just right above us ... But how far to it!

A beautiful planet, said the snake. What are you going to do here on Earth?

I quarreled with my flower, the Little Prince admitted.

Ah, that's what it is...

And both fell silent.

Where are the people? The little prince finally spoke again. It's lonely in the desert...

It’s lonely among people, too, - the snake noticed.

The little prince looked at her carefully.

You are a strange creature,” he said. - Not thicker than a finger ...

But I have more power than in the finger of a king, the snake objected.

The little prince smiled.

Well, are you really that powerful? You don't even have paws. You can't even travel...

And wrapped around the Little Prince's ankle like a golden bracelet.

Whoever I touch, I return to the earth from which he came, she said. - But you are clean and came from the star ...

The little prince did not answer.

I feel sorry for you,” the snake continued. - You are so weak on this Earth, hard as granite. On the day when you bitterly regret your abandoned planet, I will be able to help you. I can…

I understand perfectly,” said the little prince. "But why do you always speak in riddles?"

I solve all riddles, said the snake.

And both fell silent.

The little prince crossed the desert and met no one. For all the time he came across only one flower - a tiny, nondescript flower with three petals ...

Hello, said the little prince.

Tomorrow marks exactly 68 years since the day when, on July 31, 1944, the French writer, poet and professional pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupery went on a reconnaissance flight from the Borgo airfield on the island of Corsica and did not return. Everlasting memory.

Thoughts about the "Little Prince" are so tightly embedded in my everyday life that they threaten to develop into a manic fix idea and put me out of action for a long time)). It is necessary to complete the analysis of the book that has been started as soon as possible. In the second part of my note, I would like to try to deal with the main themes and characters of the book. Everything that is written below is my absolute IMHO and may well turn out to be complete nonsense. But today I am mistaken just like that)).

So, the Little Prince lived on his tiny planet, in emptiness and loneliness. Oh, how sad and monotonous his life was! But one day an unknown guest appeared on his planet from grain brought from nowhere...

...hidden in the walls of her green room, everything was getting ready, everything was preening. She carefully chose the colors. She dressed up leisurely, trying on the petals one by one. She did not want to come into the world disheveled, like some kind of poppy. She wanted to show herself in all the splendor of her beauty.

Together with the Flower, new emotions and unknown feelings quickly burst into the life of the Little Prince

... soon doubts arose in his soul. He took empty words to heart and began to feel very unhappy.

And the Little Prince decides to leave his planet and go on a journey. What does he hope to find? Exupery gives an amazingly clear and understandable answer - The little prince sends on a journey to learn to love!

“I didn’t understand anything at the time! It was necessary to judge not by words, but by deeds. She gave me her fragrance, lit up my life. I shouldn't have run. Behind these pathetic tricks and tricks, I should have guessed the tenderness. The flowers are so inconsistent! But I was too young, I didn't know how to love yet.

It is very important! Consciousness descends into the World manifestation in order to comprehend Love! After all, it is this story that we find in some ancient sacred texts. Moreover, in strict accordance with the same texts, the Consciousness does not immediately incarnate, but passes through seven planetary spheres, in each one it is clothed with new qualities. Surprisingly, Exupery's Little Prince visits six planets before getting to Earth. Earth is the seventh planet. Accident? Coincidence? Or some archetypal model?

If a skeptical reader says "What the hell?! Exupery wrote a simple fairy tale for children. He just wanted to entertain." I will answer with the phrase of Saint-Exupery himself:

...I don't want my book to be read just for fun.

All this is mysterious and incomprehensible. You, who also fell in love with the Little Prince, like me, do not care at all: the whole world becomes different for us because somewhere in an unknown corner of the Universe, a lamb, which we have never seen, perhaps ate a rose unfamiliar to us.

So, the Little Prince sets off on his long journey. That this is not just a mindless-pleasure adventure speaks for itself

Closest to the planet of the Little Prince were asteroids 325, 326, 327, 328, 329 and 330. So he decided to visit them first: you need to find something to do, and learn something.

Lived on the first asteroid king. And through dialogue with him, the Little Prince learns what power.

“Quite right,” said the king. - Everyone should be asked what he can give. Power must first of all be reasonable. If you command your people to throw themselves into the sea, they will start a revolution. I have the right to demand obedience because my commands are reasonable.

“Then judge yourself,” said the king. - This is the most difficult. It is much harder to judge oneself than others. If you can judge yourself correctly, then you are truly wise.

**************************************** ****************

Lived on the second planet ambitious. The little prince faces selfishness and ambition.

Are you really my enthusiastic admirer? he asked the Little Prince.
- How is it to read?
“To honor means to admit that on this planet I am the prettiest of all, the smartest of all, the richest and smartest of all.
“Why, there is no one else on your planet!
- Well, please me, admire me anyway!
“I admire,” said the little prince, shrugging his shoulders slightly, “but what joy does that give you?
And he ran away from the ambitious.

**************************************** ****************

"On the next planet lived drunkard. The little prince stayed with him for a very short time, but after that he became very unhappy. "He meets with weakness and lack of will.

— What are you doing? asked the little prince.
“I drink,” the drunkard answered gloomily.
- For what?
— To forget.
- What to forget? asked the little prince; he felt sorry for the drunkard.
"I want to forget that I'm ashamed," the drunk admitted, and hung his head.
- Why are you ashamed? asked the Little Prince, very eager to help the poor fellow.
- Feel free to drink! the drunkard explained, and no more could be obtained from him.
And the little prince went on, confused and perplexed.

**************************************** ****************

"The fourth planet belonged to business person." The Little Prince meets greed.

... I am a serious person. I have no time to dream.
"And why do you own the stars?"
- To be rich.
- Why be rich?
“To buy more new stars if anyone discovers them.
He talks almost like a drunkard, thought the little prince.

If you find a diamond that has no owner, then it is yours. If you find an island that has no owner, it is yours. If any idea comes to your mind first, you take out a patent on it: it is yours. I own the stars, because before me no one thought to take possession of them.

... I write on a piece of paper how many stars I have. Then I put this piece of paper in a drawer and lock it with a key.
— Is that all?
- That's enough.
"Funny! thought the little prince. And even poetic. But it's not that serious."
What is serious and what is not serious, the Little Prince understood in his own way, not at all like adults.

**************************************** ****************

"The fifth planet was very interesting. It turned out to be the smallest. It only fit a lantern and lamplighter". He has the Little Prince to learn concepts duty And duty.

Here is a man, the little prince said to himself, continuing on his way, here is a man whom everyone would despise - and the king, and the ambitious, and the drunkard, and the businessman. And meanwhile, of all of them, he alone, in my opinion, is not funny. Maybe because he thinks not only about himself.

**************************************** ****************

"The sixth planet was ten times larger than the previous one. An old man lived on it, who wrote thick books.
- I geographer replied the old man. "The little prince meets with an impassive academic science. Here he comprehends the meaning of the word "ephemeral".

What is "ephemeral"? asked the Little Prince, who, once asking a question, did not rest until he received an answer.
“It means: the one that should soon disappear.
“And my flower must soon disappear?”
— Of course.
“My beauty and joy are short-lived,” the Little Prince said to himself, “and she has nothing to protect herself from the world, she only has four thorns. And I left her, and she was left on my planet all alone!”
And the Little Prince set off, but his thoughts were about the abandoned flower.

**************************************** ****************

The seventh planet visited by the Little Prince was Earth. It is curious that having arrived on Earth, the Little Prince is also waiting for seven meetings: snake, inconspicuous flower with three petals,echo in the mountains, roses, fox, switchman And dealer. I will not dwell on each meeting in detail. It is much more interesting to trace the main themes that run like a red thread through the entire book: topic of cultivation, theme of love And the theme of death.

Perfection Theme.

The most important theme for Exupery is the theme of human perfection. Daily, hard work on yourself. All the deadly vices and temptations of Exupery expressed in the symbol baobab. Here Exupery momentarily departs from his detached poetic symbolism and, for the only time in the book, speaks in plain text:

...I hate to lecture people. But few people know what the baobabs threaten ... that's why this time I decide to change my usual restraint. "Children! I say. “Beware of the baobabs!” I want to warn my friends about the danger that has been waiting for them for a long time, and they do not even suspect about it, just as I did not suspect before.
...when I was painting baobabs, I was inspired by the realization that this is terribly important and urgent.
... Other work can wait a little, there will be no harm. But if you give free rein to the baobabs, troubles cannot be avoided.

In the Universe of Exupery, people who have forgotten how to see with their hearts and follow the path of Perfection are called " adults". When I read his description of the world of "adults", for some reason, the analogy with the "blinking people" from "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" persistently comes to my mind. For example:

"What is love? What is creation? Aspiration? What is a star?" - so the last person asks and blinks.
The earth has become small, and the last man jumps on it, making everything small...
"Happiness is found by us," say the last people, and blink.
... And everyone was happy and clicked their tongues. But Zarathustra became sad and said in his heart:
"They don't understand me: my speeches are not for these ears.
Evidently I have lived too long on the mountain, I have listened too often to streams and trees: now I speak to them as to goatherds.

Is not the image of the last people with blinking eyes the same as that of Exupery? ..

When I met an adult who seemed to me smarter and more intelligent than others, I showed him my drawing N o 1 - I kept it and always carried it with me. I wanted to know if this man really understood something. But they all answered me: "It's a hat." And I no longer spoke to them about the boas, or the jungle, or the stars. I applied to their concepts. I talked to them about bridge and golf, politics and ties. And adults were very pleased that they met such a sensible person.

Adults are very fond of numbers. When you tell them that you have a new friend, they will never ask about the most important thing. They will never say: "What kind of voice does he have? What games does he like to play? Does he catch butterflies?" They ask, "How old is he? How many brothers does he have? How much does he weigh? How much does his father earn?"

...I'm afraid to become like adults who are not interested in anything but numbers. That's also why I bought a box of paints and colored pencils. It's not so easy - at my age to start drawing again...

- You talk like adults! - he said.
I became ashamed. And he mercilessly added:
- You are confusing everything ... you don’t understand anything!

Adults, of course, will not believe you. They imagine they take up a lot of space. They seem majestic to themselves, like baobabs. And you advise them to make an accurate calculation. They'll love it, they love numbers.

People no longer have time to learn anything. They buy things ready-made in stores. But after all, there are no shops where friends would trade, and therefore people no longer have friends.

Take a look at the sky. And ask yourself: is that rose still alive or is it gone? Suddenly the lamb ate it? And you will see: everything will be different ...
And no adult will ever understand how important this is!

The juxtaposition of the Little Prince and the world of adults is the juxtaposition of Zarathustra and the last people with blinking eyes. The world of adults is the world of people who have become ossified, mired in one-celled obviousness. With their non-acceptance of creativity, denial of Higher Meanings. The world of adults is the world of a frozen form that cannot be changed. A world of endless consumerism and flight for illusory pleasures. And if Nietzsche - a great giant, a rebel, could not cope with the disgust of the surrounding world and broke down from an all-consuming hatred for the "last people". Exupery was saved by his love, including love for people. He is not a rebel, he is a kind sage. He believes that people can change, move beyond the empty world of numbers and dead conventions. To do this, sometimes it is enough just to buy a box of paints and colored pencils.

But Exupery does not stop at a simple denial of the world of "adults". In his book, he gives some practical advice, but in fact, priceless gifts of the Sage to all Seeking Souls. These phrases are memorized to the point of disgust, they are constantly inserted into monologues by various people with empty eyes, they are quoted with disdain and ridiculed by wise talkers. But from this, the advice of the Light Sage does not cease to be priceless and eternal:

-

- Do you know why the desert is good? - he said. - Somewhere in it springs are hidden ...
I was amazed. Suddenly I realized why the sand mysteriously radiates. Once, as a little boy, I lived in an old, old house - they said that a treasure was hidden in it. Of course, no one ever discovered it, and maybe no one ever looked for it. But because of him, the house was as if bewitched: in his heart he hid a secret ...
“Yes,” I said. - Whether it's a house, the stars or the desert - the most beautiful thing in them is what you can't see with your eyes.

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

Because the eyes are blind, only the heart is vigilant!
...and finally the most beautiful:

"They don't," I agreed.

And the little prince said:
But the eyes are blind. You have to search with your heart.

Love Theme

The quintessence of the search for the Little Prince is Love. It is driven by this desire that Consciousness descends into the rough layers of the universe and emerges from there enriched with Experience and Love. Experience is the main goal for any embodied Consciousness, and Love is the way to return Upstairs, Home.

The little prince goes on a journey without knowing what friendship, devotion, responsibility, love are. The first time he encounters Responsibility and Duty in the form of a Lamplighter. Sympathy is born in the heart of the Little

... "he is alone, in my opinion, not funny. Maybe because he thinks not only about himself."
The little prince sighed.
“I wish I could make friends with someone,” he thought again. “But his planet is already very tiny. There is no room for two ...”

The meeting of the Little Prince with the Geographer enriches his understanding of the world with a new word - "ephemeral". The first thought is about the inevitable future separation from the Flower, the awareness of the transience and mortality of the entire manifestation of the world. From here arises fear (but not yet love) for the abandoned Flower

"My beauty and joy are short-lived, the little prince said to himself, and she has nothing to protect herself from the world: she only has four thorns. And I left her, and she was left on my planet all alone!"
This was the first time he regretted leaving the flower.

The Little Prince Fox teaches true friendship, devotion and love.

You are still just a little boy for me, just like a hundred thousand other boys. And I don't need you. And you don't need me either. I am only a fox for you, exactly the same as a hundred thousand other foxes. But if you tame me, we will need each other. You will be the only one in the world for me. And I'll be the only one for you in the whole world...
"I'm beginning to understand," said the little prince. - There is one rose ... Probably, she tamed me ...

The fox teaches the Little Prince not to be afraid of loss and separation from his beloved being, because Love lives forever in the heart from now on.

"I'll cry for you," sighed the Fox.
“You yourself are to blame,” said the little prince. - I didn't want you to be hurt; you yourself wanted me to tame you ...
"Yes, of course," said the Fox.
- So you feel bad about it.
- No, - objected the Fox, - I'm fine. Remember what I said about the golden ears.

And here it is, the priceless gift of the Fox.

- Go and look at the roses again. You will understand that your rose is the only one in the world. And when you return to say goodbye to me, I will tell you a secret. This will be my gift to you.

"Goodbye," said the Fox. - Here is my secret, it is very simple: only the heart is vigilant. You can't see the most important thing with your eyes.

-People have forgotten this truth, - said the Fox, - but don't forget: you are forever responsible for everyone you tamed. You are responsible for your rose.
- I am responsible for my rose ... - repeated the Little Prince, in order to better remember.

And now we see how Love is born in the Little Prince - conscious and wise, born through searching and suffering. It seems to me that these words are the essence of the book about the Little Prince:

The little prince went to look at the roses.
“You are nothing like my rose,” he told them. - You are nothing...
The roses were very confused.
“You are beautiful, but empty,” continued the Little Prince. - I don't want to die for you. Of course, a random passerby, looking at my rose, will say that it is exactly the same as you. But she alone is dearer to me than all of you. After all, it is her, and not you, I watered every day. He covered her, and not you, with a glass cap. He blocked it with a screen, protecting it from the wind. For her, he killed the caterpillars, only left two or three for the butterflies to hatch. I listened to how she complained and how she boasted, I listened to her even when she was silent. She is mine.

He blushed deeply. Then he spoke again:
- If you love a flower - the only one that is no longer on any of the many millions of stars - that's enough: look at the sky - and you are happy. And you say to yourself: "Somewhere there lives my flower ..." But if the lamb eats it, it's the same as if all the stars went out at once! And it doesn't matter to you!
He could no longer speak. He suddenly burst into tears.

Having survived the birth of Love, the Little Prince was transformed. He was filled with Light.

His half-open lips twitched in a smile, and I said to myself: the most touching thing about this sleeping Little Prince is his fidelity to a flower, the image of a rose that radiates in him like a flame of a lamp, even when he sleeps ... And I realized that he is even more fragile than he seems. Lamps must be protected: a gust of wind can extinguish them ...

And when the Consciousness is transformed by Love, when the inner Light flares up... the moment of Departure comes. There is nothing more for him to do in the dead sands of the desert. And then comes on stage

Death Theme

Death in the book is symbolized by the Serpent. The first meeting of the Little Prince on Earth is a meeting with the Serpent in the yellow sands of the desert (which clearly symbolize the biblical "ashes"). The dialogue with the Snake shows us the attitude of Exupery himself towards Death.

Planet Earth for Exupery is the place where Death lives and the point of maximum "immersion" of the incarnated Soul. Neither on the planet of the Little Prince, nor on the other planets that he visited, there is no Death. Having descended (in the broadest ontological sense of the word) to the Earth - the Little Prince cannot fly away from here - his body is too heavy.

- You see... it's very far away. My body is too heavy. I can't carry him.

Here Exupery reveals to us his view of Death.

“You are a strange creature,” he said. - Not thicker than a finger ...
“But I have more power than in the finger of a king,” the snake objected.
The little prince smiled.
- Well, are you really that powerful? You don't even have paws. You can't even travel...
“I can carry you further than any ship,” the snake said.

"Everyone I touch, I return to the land from which they came," she said.

Death shows mercy - it does not kill, but helps to escape from suffering.

“I feel sorry for you,” the snake continued. - You are so weak on this Earth, hard as granite. On the day when you bitterly regret your abandoned planet, I will be able to help you. I can...

Death is omnipotent. She is the End of all searches and the Answer to all questions.

"But why do you always speak in riddles?"
“I solve all riddles,” said the snake.

It is interesting to note that gold (as well as metal in general) for Exupery is associated with death:
...wrapped around the Little Prince's ankle like a golden bracelet.
...the snake quietly flowed along the sand, like a dying stream, and with a barely audible metallic ring, slowly disappeared between the stones.
And the golden hair of the Little Prince is associated with Life and Nature:
But you have golden hair. And how wonderful it will be when you tame me! Golden wheat will remind me of you. And I will love the rustle of ears in the wind...

And now a turning point comes in history - the Pilot has repaired his plane and is ready to return to his life, and the Little Prince has known Love and is striving to return Home as soon as possible. There comes a heavy moment of parting and farewell:

...he just said:
And I'll be home today too.
Then he added sadly:
- It's much further... and much more difficult...

The only way to leave Earth is to die. But death for the Little Prince is not the End and Oblivion. This is a continuation of Life, this is a simple transformation, a transition to another space. The pilot, like any person, is afraid of death. He worries, worries and tries to protect the Little Prince from the snake. But the Little Prince refuses protection. He is also afraid of death, but he knows that this is the only way to return to his Rose.

You will think that I am in pain. It even looks like I'm dying. That's the way it happens.

Something was troubling him.
- In vain you go with me. It will hurt you to look at me. You will think that I'm dying, but it's not true...

The little prince is afraid of the pain and suffering associated with the death of the body, but not the Departure itself.

After a short silence, the Little Prince asked:
- Do you have a good poison? Won't you make me suffer for a long time?

And here it is - the quintessence of Saint-Exupery's attitude to death!

I was silent.
- You see... it's very far away. My body is too heavy. I can't carry him.
I was silent.
- But it's like shedding an old shell. There is nothing sad here...

Throw off the old shell... And fly away to the stars...

**************************************** ****************

Unfortunately, I did not find it possible to consider here many other symbols and images that occur in the book. This and Switchman, symbolizing the theme of the Search, and Dealer- a symbol of thoughtless scientific progress and Echo in the mountains as a symbol of the emptiness of human conversations.

But still I would like to pay a little attention to a very interesting image Wells and well Water. The well is a symbol of the Unconscious or the True Secret. It is no coincidence that in the book the Well is associated with sleep.

The well we came to was not like all the wells in the Sahara. Usually a well here is just a hole in the sand. And it was a real village well. But there was no village anywhere, and I thought it was a dream.

I'm sure the whole scene with the Well is very important! After the work done, after the transformation by Love, right before the Departure, all the depths of the human psyche open up for the Enlightened Consciousness.

The unconscious of a person is an abyss filled with the most terrible nightmares. hidden desires and long-forgotten memories. Even the great Prophet of the new man, Nietzsche-Zarathustra, seeing his Unconscious with his own eyes, was horrified in abomination and disgust. Read the poignant and terrible chapter "The Convalescent One" in the third book of Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Zarathustra said this:
Get up, bottomless thought, get out of my depths!
Break the bands of your hearing: listen! For I want to hear
you! Get up! Get up!
Are you wiggling and stretching and wheezing? Get up! Get up!
Do not wheeze - you must speak! Zarathustra is calling you, godless one!
I, Zarathustra, protector of life, protector of suffering, protector of the circle - I call you, the deepest of my thoughts!
Thank me! You're coming - I hear you! My abyss says, I brought my last depth into the light!
Thank me! Go! Give me your hand - ha! let it go! Ha, ha - disgust! disgust! disgust! -- woe to me!

And what do we find at Saint-Exupery? It's truly incredible! Saint-Exupéry draws cool, crystal-clear water from the very depths of his "I". Do not take it for work - read the entire quote very carefully:

Slowly I pulled out the full bucket and placed it securely on the stone edge of the well. The song of the creaking gate still resounded in my ears, the water in the pail still trembled, and sunbeams played in it.
“I want to take a sip of this water,” said the little prince. - Give me a drink...
And I realized what he was looking for!
I raised the bucket to his lips. He drank with his eyes closed. It was like the most beautiful feast. This water was not easy. She was born from a long journey under the stars, from the creaking of the gate, from the efforts of my hands. She was like a gift to my heart. When I was little, Christmas presents shone for me like that: the glow of candles on the tree, the singing of the organ at the hour of midnight mass, affectionate smiles.

And once again we repeat these amazing words! We will remember them for the rest of our lives. For without them - Darkness and the eternal labyrinth of wandering in the Void.

- On your planet, - said the Little Prince, - people grow five thousand roses in one garden ... and do not find what they are looking for ...
- But what they are looking for can be found in a single rose, in a sip of water ...
“Yes, of course,” I agreed.
And the little prince said:
But the eyes are blind. You have to search with your heart.
I drank some water. It was easy to breathe. At dawn, the sand turns golden as honey. And that made me happy too. Why would I be sad?

**************************************** ****************

It's been thirty years since I met The Little Prince. During this time I learned a lot of interesting, new and important things. But the image of the Little Prince lives on in my heart. And now I am already reading about it to my daughter, and soon, I hope, I will read it to my grandchildren. And I'm absolutely sure that somewhere very, very far away or vice versa, very, very close, Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger de Saint-Exupery at night also likes to listen to the stars. It's like five hundred million bells... He draws with paints and colored pencils touching illustrations for his new books about the Most Important.

Chapter 17 Exupery

When you really want to be funny, sometimes you involuntarily lie. Talking about the lamplighters, I have somewhat sinned against the truth. I am afraid that those who do not know our planet will have the wrong idea about it. Humans don't take up much space on Earth. If its two billion inhabitants were to converge and become a solid crowd, as at a meeting, they would all easily fit into a space twenty miles long and twenty wide. All mankind could be made shoulder to shoulder on the smallest island in the Pacific Ocean.

Adults, of course, will not believe you. They imagine they take up a lot of space. They seem majestic to themselves, like baobabs. And you advise them to make an accurate calculation. They'll love it, they love numbers. Don't waste your time on this arithmetic. It's useless. You already believe me.

So, once on Earth, the Little Prince did not see a soul and was very surprised. He even thought that he had flown by mistake to some other planet. But then a ring of the color of a moonbeam stirred in the sand.

Good evening, - just in case, the Little Prince said.

Good evening, the snake replied.

What planet am I on?

To Earth, said the snake. - To Africa.

Here's how. Are there no people on Earth?

This is a desert. Nobody lives in the deserts. But the Earth is big.

The little prince sat down on a stone and raised his eyes to the sky.

I would like to know why the stars shine, - he said thoughtfully. - Probably, so that sooner or later everyone can find their own again. Look, here is my planet - right above us... But how far it is!

A beautiful planet, said the snake. What are you going to do here on Earth?

I quarreled with my flower, the Little Prince admitted.

Ah, that's what it is...

And both fell silent.

Where are the people? The little prince finally spoke again. It's lonely in the desert...

It’s lonely among people, too, - the snake noticed.

The little prince looked at her carefully.

You are a strange creature,” he said. - Not thicker than a finger ...

But I have more power than in the finger of a king, the snake objected.

The little prince smiled.

Well, are you really that powerful? You don't even have paws. You can't even travel...

And wrapped around the Little Prince's ankle like a golden bracelet.

Everyone I touch, I return to the land they came from,” she said. - But you are clean and came from a star ...

The little prince did not answer.

I feel sorry for you,” the snake continued. - You are so weak on this Earth, hard as granite. On the day when you bitterly regret your abandoned planet, I will be able to help you. I can...

I understand perfectly,” said the little prince. "But why do you always speak in riddles?"

I solve all riddles, said the snake. And both fell silent.

When you really want to be funny, sometimes you involuntarily lie.
Talking about the lamplighters, I have somewhat sinned against the truth. I'm afraid that
those who do not know our planet will have a false idea about it.
Humans don't take up much space on Earth. If two billion
residents converged and became a continuous crowd, as at a rally, all of them without
labor would fit in a space twenty miles long and
twenty wide. All mankind could be drawn shoulder to shoulder on
the smallest island in the Pacific Ocean.
Adults, of course, will not believe you. They imagine they're taking
a lot of space. They seem majestic to themselves, like baobabs. A
you advise them to make an accurate calculation. They'll love it, they
love numbers. Don't waste your time on this arithmetic. It's useless.
You already believe me.
So, having hit the ground, the Little Prince did not see a soul and was very
surprised. He even thought that he had flown by mistake to some other
planet. But then a ring of the color of a moonbeam stirred in the sand.
“Good evening,” the little prince said just in case.
"Good evening," replied the snake.
What planet am I on?
"To Earth," said the snake. - To Africa.
- That's how. Are there no people on Earth?
- It's a desert. Nobody lives in the deserts. But the Earth is big.
The little prince sat down on a stone and raised his eyes to the sky.
“I wish I knew why the stars shine,” he said thoughtfully. -
Probably, then, so that sooner or later everyone could find their own again.
Look, here is my planet - just right above us ... But how before it
far!
“A beautiful planet,” said the snake. - And what are you going to do
here on Earth?
“I quarreled with my flower,” admitted the Little Prince.
- Ah, that's it...
And both fell silent.
- Where are the people? The little prince finally spoke again. - IN
the desert is lonely...
“It’s also lonely among people,” said the snake.
The little prince looked at her carefully.
“You are a strange creature,” he said. - Not thicker than a finger ...
“But I have more power than in the finger of a king,” objected
snake.
The little prince smiled.
- Well, are you really that powerful? You don't even have paws. You and
can't travel...
“I can carry you further than any ship,” the snake said.
And wrapped around the ankle of the Little Prince, like a golden
bracelet.
- Anyone I touch, I return to the land from which he came,
- she said. - But you are clean and came from a star ...
The little prince did not answer.
“I feel sorry for you,” the snake continued. - You are so weak on this Earth,
hard as granite. The day you bitterly regret your
abandoned planet, I can help you. I can...
“I understand perfectly,” said the little prince. - But why are you
do you speak in riddles?
“I solve all riddles,” said the snake.
And both fell silent.

When really want to make a joke, sometimes involuntarily privresh.
Talking about the Lamplighter, I am somewhat truthfully. I'm afraid that
those who do not know our planet, it will develop a false impression.
People take in the world is not so much space. If two billion it
residents came together and became a solid crowd as the rally, all of them without
Labor would fit in the space the size of twenty miles in length, and
Twenty wide. All of humanity is possible to make a shoulder to shoulder on
the small island in the Pacific Ocean.
Adults of course you would not believe. They imagine that they occupy
a lot of space. They seem to be imposing themselves as the baobabs. A
you advise them to make an exact calculation. They love it, because they
love numbers. You do not waste time on this arithmetic. This is no good.
You already believe me.
Thus, hitting the ground, the little prince did not see a soul and a very
surprised. He thought even that flew by mistake to some other
planet. But here in the sand stirred ring color moonbeam.
- Good evening - I said, just in case the little prince.
- Good evening, - said the snake.
- On what planet I got it?
- On Earth - said the snake. - In Africa.
- Here's how. Is the world no people?
- This is a desert. In the desert no one lives. But the Earth is big.
The little prince sat down on a rock and looked up towards the sky.
- I "d like to know why the stars shine, - he said thoughtfully. -
Perhaps, then, that sooner or later everyone could once again find him.
Look, here "s my planet - just right over us ... But to her
long away!
- Beautiful planet - said the snake. - And what are you going to do
here on Earth?
- I fell out with his flower - the little prince.
- And that "s it ...
And both were silent.
- And where are the people? - Finally spoke again the little prince. -AT
Desert still lonely ...
- Among people lonely, too, - said the snake.
The little prince looked at her.
- You "re a strange creature - he said. - No thicker than a finger ...
- But I have more power than the finger of a king, - objected
snake.
The little prince smiled:
- Well, unless you "re really so powerful? You even do not have paws. You and
can't travel...
- I can carry you farther than any ship - said the snake.
And he wrapped around the little prince's ankle, like a golden
a bracelet.
- Anyone who I touch, I return the land from which he came,
she said. - But you are pure and come from a star ...
The little prince made no reply.
- I feel sorry for you, - continued the snake. - You are so weak on this Earth,
hard as granite. On the day when you will regret bitterly about him
leave the planet, I will be able to help you. I can...
- I fully understand - said the little prince. - But why are you all
while talking in riddles?
- I decide all the puzzles, - said the snake.
And both were silent.

The story itself "Little Prince" originated from one of the plots of the "Planet of People". This is the story of the accidental landing of the writer himself and his mechanic Prevost in the desert. Exupery has key, favorite images-symbols. Here, for example, storylines lead to them: these are the search for water by thirsty pilots, their physical suffering and amazing salvation.

1) The symbolism of the images of the planet of the Little Prince
In the image-symbol planets, to which the Little Prince returns, there is a deep meaning. It is a symbol of the human soul, a symbol of the home of the human heart. Exupery wants to say that each person has his own planet, his own island and his own guiding star, which a person should not forget. The heroes of the fairy tale, having gone through a thorny path, found their star, and the author believes that the reader will also find his distant star.
A little prince- this is a symbol of a person - a wanderer in the universe, looking for the hidden meaning of things and his own life. He discovers the truth for himself, the author and readers - "only that which is filled with content and deep meaning is beautiful."
Rose- it is a symbol of love, beauty, femininity. The not-so-great prince did not immediately discern the true inner essence of beauty. Although, after a conversation with the Fox, the truth was revealed to him - beauty only after that already becomes beautiful when it is filled with meaning, content. The real essence is quite likely to be "seen" only with the heart.

2) Symbolism of images of spiritual thirst
Desert is a symbol of spiritual thirst. It is beautiful, because springs are hidden in it, which only the heart helps a person to find. The little prince asked the pilot: “... Do you know why the desert is good?” And he himself gave the answer: “Springs are hidden somewhere in it ...” Well in the desert, as another hypostasis of the image-symbol water, very significant for Saint-Exupery. Water- the fundamental principle of life, the source of all existence, the ability to restore, resurrect, the source of power that gives immortality. In ancient chronicles, beliefs and legends, dragons guarded the water, but at Saint-Exupery it is guarded by the desert. The author believes that in every person "hidden springs”, you just need to be able to find them and open them.
“She was born from a long journey under the stars, from the creaking of a gate, from the effort of her hands... She was like a gift to the heart...” – this is not just water. She was found by the characters in the book. We all believe that someday we will be able to find a pure spring, this eternal, unshakable truth that the writer keeps in his works. In each of us lives such a little prince, whose just creator hides water and waits for faith to lead us to it.
The author's sincere belief in the existence of hidden springs gives the finale of the fairy tale-parable a life-affirming sound. The story contains a powerful creative moment, a belief in improvement and change in the unfair order of things. The life aspirations of the heroes are in harmony with the moral universal principle. In their fusion, the meaning and general direction of the work.

3) Images-embodiments of wisdom
Snake- the first person the Little Prince meets on Earth, where he went, not finding what he was looking for on small planets. According to mythology, the Serpent guards the sources of wisdom or immortality, personifies magical powers, appears in the rites of conversion as a symbol of restoration. In a fairy tale, she combines miraculous power and woeful knowledge of human fate: "Everyone whom I touch, I return to the earth from which he came." She invites the hero to get acquainted with the life of the Earth and shows him the way to people, while assuring that “It's lonely among people too”. On Earth, the prince will have to test himself and make the most important decision in his life. The snake doubts that he will be able to maintain his purity after going through the trials, but be that as it may, she will help the baby return to his home planet by giving him his poison.
fox- since ancient times, in fairy tales, it is the Fox (not the fox!) Is the symbol of wisdom and knowledge of life. The conversations of the Little Prince with this wise animal become a kind of climax in the story, because in them the hero finally finds what he was looking for. The clarity and purity of consciousness that were lost are returning to him.
The fox opens the life of the human heart to the baby, teaches the basics love and friendship, about what people have long forgotten and therefore lost friends and lost the ability to love. The fox says that the prince for him is only one of a thousand other little boys, just as he is for the prince only an ordinary fox, of which there are hundreds of thousands. “But if you tame me, we will need each other.” The fox reveals to the Little Prince the secret of taming: to tame means to create bonds of love, unity of souls. And another secret is revealed Fox to the baby: “Only the heart is vigilant. You can’t see the most important thing with your eyes ... "

4) Images-personifications of Evil
Subject Evil is reflected in the fairy tale in two aspects: on the one hand, it is “micro evil”, that is, evil inside a single person. This is the deadness and inner emptiness of the inhabitants of the planets, which personify all human vices. And it is no coincidence that the inhabitants of the planet Earth are characterized through inhabitants of the planets seen by the Little Prince.
“Earth is not a simple planet! It has one hundred and eleven kings(including, of course, Negroes), seven thousand geographers, nine hundred thousand businessmen, seven and a half million drunkards three hundred eleven million ambitious– a total of about two billion adults.” By this, the author emphasizes how petty and dramatic the contemporary world is.

Visiting 6 planets in succession, the Not-so-big Prince on each of them encounters a certain life phenomenon embodied in the inhabitants of these planets: power, vanity, drunkenness, pseudo-scholarship.

On the planet king not a very big prince cannot understand why, as they say, power is needed, although he feels sympathy for the king, because he was very kind, and therefore gave only reasonable orders. Exupery does not deny power, he simply reminds the lasting of this world that the ruler must be wise and that power must be based on the law.

On the next two planets, the Not-So-Big Prince meets ambitious And drunkard. The protagonist sees through all the meaninglessness of their lives, the worship of "false" ideals. But more terrible in the moral aspect, as it turns out business man. His soul is so deadened that he does not see the beauty that surrounds him. He looks at the stars not through the eyes of an artist, but through the eyes of a businessman. The author does not accidentally look for stars. By this, he focuses on the complete lack of spirituality of a business person, his inability to contemplate the beautiful.

The only one doing their thing is lamplighter: “... here is a man whom everyone would despise - and the king, and the ambitious, and the drunkard, and the businessman. And at that moment, of all of them, he alone is not funny. Maybe because he thinks not so much about himself, ”the baby argues. Although the “loyalty to custom” of the poor lamplighter, who is doomed to light and extinguish his useless lantern without rest, is just as ridiculous and sad. The meaninglessness of existence, a life wasted in vain, stupid claims to power, wealth, special position or honors - these are all characteristics of people who imagine that they have "common sense".

But Exupery is by no means a pessimist. He believes that humanity, like the Little Prince, will comprehend the secret of being, and each person will find your guiding star that will illuminate it life path.

The Little Prince is a romantic fairy tale, a dream that has not disappeared, but is kept by people, cherished by them, like something precious from childhood. Childhood walks somewhere nearby and comes in moments of the most terrible despair and loneliness, when there is nowhere to go. It will approach, as if nothing had happened, as if it had not left us for these many years, it will squat next to it and ask, looking with curiosity at the crashed plane: “What is this thing?” Then everything will fall into place, and that clarity and transparency, fearless directness of judgments and assessments, which only children have, will return to an already adult person.

Reading Exupery, we kind of change the angle of view on banal, everyday phenomena. It leads to the comprehension of obvious truths: you can’t hide stars in a jar and it’s pointless to count them, you need to take care of those for whom you are responsible and listen to the voice of your own heart.

Everything is simple and complex at the same time.