Book Review

A Spring Flows in Desert

—Book Review of the Little Prince

As for me, this is the second time to read this meaningful fairytale. However, it’s also the first time to read  the Little Prince  in English. Four years ago, when I was a junior student, I was totally attracted by this simple but philosophical book as soon as I read it. This time, after reading this book in English, I’ve found something new in this simple story.

This is a simple story between a pilot and a little prince, and the pilot is the storyteller. At the beginning of the story, the pilot tells readers a story in his childhood. One day he drew a snake which just had swallowed an elephant, but grown-ups thought it’s a hat and insist on it. He felt frustrated for explaining it to adults but in vain. Then, He told another story which happened six years ago.

Six years ago, the pilot had to crash-landed the plane in the Sahara Desert for aircraft faults. He met the little prince at there, who came from another planet. The mysterious prince told stories about his little planet, his rose and people he met along the way he came to earth, such as a king, a conceited man, a drunkard, a businessman and other people. The prince domesticated a fox on the earth, and the fox told a secret to him which made him realize the value of his rose. At last, the little prince had to went back to his own planet for being injured because of a poisonous snake’s bite. The pilot wrote this fairytale to commemorate the little prince.

In my opinion, this is a fairytale about love, responsibility, movement, purity and tear.

There are a few characters in this book, but every one of them has his or her own story, and they are all symbolic. One of the main characters is the pilot, an imaginative adult who likes getting along with children. He draws a little sheep to the little prince, listens to his stories carefully. He can understand the little prince’s feelings, and also be upset because of the prince’s departure. There is a child living in the pilot’s heart. The other main character is the little prince, a mysterious, cute, but also kind and responsible child, who is the only resident living on the little planet called B-612. He moves away young baobabs, clears the volcano, takes care of his rose. He can’t understand the king, the drunkard and many other people. He is the soul of this book, and also the symbol of love, hope, responsibility and the intelligence of children which is hidden inside all of our hearts. Besides, all of other characters has his or her own meaning behind themselves.

Now I finally understand why the story is so attractive. Four years ago when I first read this book, I only thought it’s an interesting fairytale, which has impressive characters. However, after reading it again as an adult, I find it’s a fairytale written to grown-ups. It gives us a child’s perspective to observe this world and feel children’s simplicity and purity.

As it is written in this book, “all grown-ups were once children—although few of them remember it”. In the real world, we are busy with all kinds of things, and we ignore the words from the deep of our soul. As time goes by, we finally become adults, but we also lose our childhood at the same time. We used to be similar to the little prince when we are children. We can’t understand the king who think he can govern the whole universe, but can’t give a sunset to the little prince on the other hand. We can’t understand the conceited man who take off his hat and wear it constantly, thinking that everyone will respect him. We can’t understand the drunkard who keep drinking wine in order to forget the shame of drinking wine. We can’t understand many other adults if we were children.

However, as a child, the little prince learns how to believe another one, how to take care of another one, and how to love another one. Because of love, the person we love becomes unique. Because of love, the love between two people becomes unique. Because of love, the cruel world becomes bearable and warm. Love is a kind of responsibility. Love is a kind of need between each other. Love is a kind of miracle in the world.

As a writer says, “Every time reading  the Little Prince , I’m touched by the attitude to observe the world like a child. It’s simple, childish, but also pure and sincere. As time goes by, the childhood goes far away. We grow up gradually. Time takes away many memories, and vanishes the innocence we used to have inside our hearts. However, every time I read  the Little Prince , my heart become bright and clear again like taking a shower with clean water.” Although each of us has own experiences and characteristics, we have the same love of fairytales. Although the childhood can’t come back again, we can find the feeling of childhood in fairytales.

I finally understand why  the Little Prince  is so attractive, because it brings back the feeling of my childhood.

2020-11-29

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