When I first picked up "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, I was confused. I had heard about it being a classic novel, and figured it would be a book for adults. When seeing its short length and pages filled with pictures I couldn't help thinking of it as a glorified picture book. As I stated reading it, I still was faced with this confusion. Its plot seemed to be something out of a fairy tale. Looking deeper though, I realized this was the intention of the author.
Much of the plot of the story revolves around the differences between adults and children. The two main characters both share similar child-like traits. The Prince is a true child though, and looks to teach the narrator to bring out his child-like traits that he has left behind. he does this by encouraging the narrator to draw pictures and teaching him other little lessons. In this way, the book takes on traits of a picture book.
The story also encompasses many aspects of an adult novel. It holds deep themes that critique adults. It talks about wealth, power, drugs and other aspects of adult life that are confusing to kids. The Little Prince above all else sees love as the most important thing in the universe and doesn't understand why people occupy themselves with other "serious" tasks.
The Little Prince could be read by both children and adults, but what they would get out of it is different. I my eyes, Saint-Exupery seeks to write a story from a child's perspective to adults, hoping to help them to better themselves. He hopes that by writing it in this way, they can remember what it was like to be a child, and what is really important in life.
Now that I finished the story, I'm still unsure of whether I would describe this story as a child's story or a book for adults. It think that was the intention of the story, and either way I agree that it is a classic and that anyone can get something out of it.
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