My Thoughts

I first read LE PETIT PRINCE in 1997 as part of the curriculum for my college French class. Even though I had previously taken four years of French in high school, I’ll admit I didn’t understand much when I read this story. Many of the French words were ones I had never encountered. And, unfortunately, I had missed the point and charm of the story. For nearly 20 years, I’ve said I disliked THE LITTLE PRINCE, thinking it was weird and idiotic. I decided I needed to give it a fair chance and read it in my native tongue.

I liked THE LITTLE PRINCE much better in English, only because I understood its nuances more. However, because I’m a very literal person, the symbolism was a little lost on me. And, I still don’t appreciate it nearly as much as I probably should.

My favorite character the little prince encountered was the fox. It’s because I love animals and I can relate to their friendship. I understand the meaning and responsibility behind taming as I’ve tamed many animals and almost every animal I’ve ever come in contact with has tamed me, leaving me sad when we part.

I wish I had read this as a child, or at least had it read to me as a child. I think I would’ve appreciated it more then. I wouldn’t be a grownup who only sees a hat instead of a snake who swallowed an elephant. Although, I’ll admit I did know it was a snake from the context but I didn’t know he had eaten an elephant. I thought it was the animal in the previous picture. Does this mean I’m still a grownup but maybe with childlike tendencies? Or, would the narrator and little prince still think of me just as a grownup?

Anyway, I’m really glad I gave THE LITTLE PRINCE another go. It was definitely a more pleasant experience and I can now at least appreciate it and read it more than 1 star.