Ena+Vujic+-+Little+Prince+Essay

The little prince meets six important characters in this story, each having an impact on him. Two of these characters are the king, who lives on the asteroid 325, and the lamplighter, who lives on the asteroid 329. The king is perhaps an odd ruler; he does not rule in the way that the average modern or even historical king does. He believes that if someone does not follow him or obey his commands, it is his fault. When the little prince asks what the king rules over, he replies that he rules over everything and that everything obeys him. However, his commands are what he knows the subject is going to do. For example, when the prince asks for a sunset, he says that he will command the sun to do so, and he tells the little prince that it will happen. But the sun always sets, and the king knows this – it is the only reason why he agrees to command it. He knows it will happen. The other character, the lamplighter, is a peculiar one as well. On his extremely small planet, a day lasts a minute. His job is to turn the lamp on when it is dark and to turn the lamp off when it is day. Though there is no else on the planet, he continues to do this, without resting and without thinking of stopping. The little prince, with all of his childlike curiosity, does not understand; the lamplighter says, “There is nothing to understand, orders are orders.” This shows devotion, and also quite a bit of ignorance and narrow-mindedness because he does not want to interpret what it is that he is doing. He does not want to change the orders he has been given. But the lamplighter is the only one out of the six characters that the little prince meets in the asteroid neighborhood that does not think of only himself. What he did had meaning.

The little prince gathers some knowledge after his encounters, lessons that we all need to know. The king, with his odd commands and way of ruling, teaches the little prince that you cannot, in a way, fake authority. No one had appointed the king his position; he just seemed to go about wearing royal attire. Also, the little prince learns that no one has absolute control over everything. So the king’s way of making absolute sure that he was obeyed was not needed - there was always someone who would go against him. From the lamplighter, he learns about selflessness, devotion and ignorance. The lamplighter exerts utter selflessness by giving up the chance to rest and to sleep just to do his orders. He learns devotion; the lamplighter did not want to change his orders just to get sleep. Lastly, he shows ignorance because he does not question his orders; he does not have the want to understand them.

These characters are all truly symbols of modern people. The king represents those who either want or think they have total power or control. In society today, there are many who have a small portion of power and want more and there are those who have no power at all and thirst for it constantly. For example, the king has no one to rule; so how is he king? He wants power, and he wants to keep it intact. The lamplighter, however, represents those who do not question and do not have the need or certain curiosity that humans possess that enable them to constantly question. He symbolizes those he keep their head down and do their work, never stopping to think why or how or who – “just do what they say and keep quiet”. Therefore, the entire concept of the novel is intricate, each piece having its own meaning and its own representation.

Ena---Nicely done!!! You have gotten the point and seem to understand well the oddities of the adults and their meanings! Good examples and explanations.