小王子book review

Wendy Wen

S3-G2

English literature

Feb 19

Book review of Le Petit Prince

Le Petit Prince, writer named Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Although book is not the first book of the writer, this book is not only full of sediments of the writer’s life and emotion, but also talking about the essence of human life. Le Petit Prince is a fairy tale; Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s writing style is different from other writers. Those books that written by him are portrayal records of his thought and action. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s family was a traditional Catholic noble family. His parents were noble, his father worked in bank, and his mother was a housewife who has talented in music and arts. The reason of why he wrote Le Petit Prince is no matter his family background, it is related with his identity. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry was a pilot. That is why the protagonist in Le Petit Prince is a pilot. Le Petit Prince, the number of pages is 89, published by Harcourt, the price is about ten dollars.

Le Petit Prince is a story talks about six years ago a pilot landing in the Sahara Desert caused by aircraft fault then he met the little prince. The pilot retailed adventures of the little prince in six different planets, the little prince met the king, vain man, drunkard, a businessman, lamplighter, geographer, snake, desert flower with three petals, a rose garden, switchman, trader, fox and the pilot himself. This book is a fairy tale, so that its interested audience is children.

In my opinion, Le Petit Prince is a good book. The writer used eyes of child to expose desires and pragmatic in adult world. My theme of this book review is that sometimes parents think their way is benefit to us, but they do not consider their way is not suitable for us or it is not we want. Moreover, we think we are become knowledgeable when we growing up; the adult knows everything.

Unfortunately, it is wrong, when we grow up; we probably forget our original intention. And something immaterial, we only can understand by using heart.

At beginning of the book, the writer said he read a book, which showed a boa constrictor swallowing a wild beast. Then he drew a picture of that and asked to adults if his drawing scared them. Adults answered, why be scared of a hat. Because shape of the boa likes a hat. And the first time of the pilot met the little prince, prince ordered pilot to draw a sheep, but prince rejected all the time. In the last time, pilot drew a box and said your sheep is inside. The little prince was satisfied. I read at here, I realize that adults cannot feeling like a kid or be full of imagination anymore. Additionally, the little prince visited a businessman, who are busy that no time to raise his hand when the little prince arrived. He is busy doing make money. The little prince asked him, how many will you make, the businessman said countless. What can you do to the money said by the little prince; the businessman opened his mouth but nothing to say in reply. As far as I concerned, the desire is getting bigger and bigger as fast as people growing up. Last but not the least, the prince greeted a lamplighter; this man p ut out and lit the lamp again and again. Prince asked why, the lamplighter said orders are orders; there is nothing to understand. Now, I clear, this man just follow the rule blindly even do not have his own purpose. I just pick three details in Le Petit Prince, only these I know what the writer want to say and support the writer’s viewpoint.

This book likes a mirror that reflects the rational, utilitarian, confusion of adult, and emotional, innocence and love of children. As my in-depth understanding of Le Petit Prince, I argue that people should eventually preserve the state as a child, agree with the emotional values in their childhood, advocating love. After I finish reading Le Petit Prince, I want to return to my childhood and keep this feeling, but the writer does not tell me how should I do. That is the only weakness and puzzle the writer leave us.

Le Petit Prince is an original fairy tale, the characters are not point to someone specifically, and they are describing a select group of people in the real society.