The Lankan Little Prince

In honor of my 200th post, I thought I would finally clue you in as to the title of my blog (yes, I am sure you have been anxiously waiting on the edge of your seat for this one). But first a trip back to my high school years (yes, I am a brave soul). In high school, I was told that I am like two characters in literature. Normally I would brush such things off especially since one of the people making the comparison was my AP English teacher who used to like to imbibe during the day and at one point asked me to handle the grading of some of her classes (but I do digress). As you can probably surmise, one of the characters was The Little Prince, hence the Lankan Little Prince since I am from Lanka. For those of you who have not read this classic nugget of literature, it was penned by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Here is a brief analysis from a critic on the character of The Little Prince:

The Little Prince is the main character and protagonist of the novel. The book is the story of his search for answers about what is important in life. The Little Prince has always lived on a distant star, Asteroid B-612. One day a new flower grows up on his planet. He finds the plant to be lovely and believes it is one of a kind in the universe; as a result, he believes himself to be a rich man, the owner of a unique and valuable treasure. He nurtures and cares for the flower, making sure that no harm comes to it. Unfortunately, the flower also believes herself to be beautiful and unique. Because of her vanity, she exaggerates about herself more and more. Finally, the Little Prince can stand her bragging no more. He decides to leave his star to get away from the flower and to travel to various planets, seeking the answers to life.
Before he arrives on earth, the Little Prince visits five planets. On each of them he learns a new lesson. For example, from the switchman he learns that it is crazy to rush forward through life, never happy with the place where one finds himself. From the businessman, he learns that most wealthy people are too busy counting their assets to appreciate and enjoy life. From the geographer, he learns that facts and figures often hide the real meaning of life.

Finally, the Prince reaches planet Earth and finds himself in a desert. The first creature he meets is a snake, who promises that he can send the Little Prince back to his star when he is ready. The Prince never forgets the snake’s promise and later returns to the creature to seek his assistance. The Little Prince then meets a fox who teaches him the most important lesson of all: one cannot really see with one’s eye; instead one must feel with one’s heart in order to understand the true meaning of things. Because of the fox, the Little Prince begins to understand the he really loves his flower and needs to return to his star to take care of her.
Next the Little Prince meets the narrator, whose airplane has crashed in the desert. The two of them become friends, and the Little Prince tells him about his travels to the other planets and what he has learned from each of them. He also tells him what he has learned from the fox. The narrator is charmed by the Little Prince because of his sincerity, truthfulness, and child-like innocence and purity. He feels that the Prince has actually “tamed” him, just as the Prince tamed the fox. When he realizes that the Little Prince is going home, the narrator is greatly saddened, knowing he will miss his friend.

Before the Prince is bitten by the snake and returns to his star, he gives the narrator one last direction. He tells him to look up at the stars and imagine them laughing; then he is to think about the Little Prince and their friendship.

I will leave it for you to decide the aptness of the comparison. As for the other character, I will save that for my 250th post.