The main idea of ​​the story is the little prince. Analysis of the work "The Little Prince" (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)

Who has not read the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery " The little Prince"? Probably, there are very few such people, because everyone should read this unusual fairy tale in his life. At least that's what I think. The writer wrote a fairy tale that went far beyond the scope and canons of the genre, and when you read "The Little Prince", thoughts constantly creep into my head: what am I reading now? It seems to me that the work is similar to a parable that leads us to thoughts about universal moral values and the secrets of being. The little prince is an amazing character. The writer created such a hero who combines the spontaneity of a child, the straightforwardness of the soul and the ability to understand true essence things the way they are. The last line usually famous for the wise old people.

The actions of the protagonist are striking in their eccentricity. His touching solicitude for a capricious rose, which requires watering, closing with a screen or glass cover, is touching. After arriving on Earth, the Little Prince wonders why the rose is so dear to him, because it is not the only one on the planet. Then his friend Fox came to his aid, prompting the hero that only the heart is vigilant. And the truth is, you can't see the main thing with your eyes.

Thanks to these words, the golden-haired hero understands that the rose is the only one in this world, they became friends and filled each other's life with meaning. I am amazed at the accuracy of Fox's words! You can't see with your eyes how dear and cozy the house is, and the stars are beautiful and attractive. To realize this, you need to have a sensitive heart, in which there is no place for anger, envy, hypocrisy, greed. Only the heart is able to internally feel the happiness and joy that is hidden behind the shell.

The Little Prince is a subtle fairy tale, almost a parable, about different kinds of relationships. To yourself. To your planet. To purity in every sense - internal, external. Until a new, unfamiliar friend, for example, Lisa. To her beloved, capricious and absurd at first glance, Rosa, who had to be kept under a glass cover, but who at the right time did not disappoint and turned out to be "Girl What You Need"!

This story is also about the author himself, who disappeared without a trace from the planet somewhere in the desert. The Saint-Exupery plane crashed, probably over the desert, but the exact data on this has not yet been found. More precisely, they are, but controversial. The writer himself refers to the snake bite. But in my opinion, the Snake is an allegory. In general, everything in a fairy tale is an allegory. But the main idea of ​​the author, as it seems to me, is as follows: "You cannot see the most important thing with your eyes," said the Fox ... Only the heart is sharp-sighted! " And therefore, my deepest regards to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry for writing the greatest fairy tale that will help adults preserve the purity of the soul inherent in children.

The work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince" is rightfully considered to be a real pearl of world literature of the twentieth century. Incredible Touching story teaches not only children, but also adults love, friendship, responsibility, empathy. We invite you to get acquainted with literary analysis works according to the plan, which will be useful in preparing for the exam and literature lessons in grade 6.

Brief analysis

Year of writing- 1942.

History of creation- The impetus for writing the work was the writer's memories of the plane crash over the Arabian Desert, as well as the tragic events of World War II. The book is dedicated to Leon Werth.

Theme- The meaning of life, love, loyalty, friendship, responsibility.

Composition- The work consists of 27 chapters, during which the main characters travel around the planets and talk with each other, reflecting on life.

genre- Philosophical tale-parable.

Direction- Realism.

History of creation

An unusual fairy tale, which has been resonating in millions of hearts around the world for many years, was written by a French writer at the height of World War II, in 1942.

In 1935, while flying from Paris to Saigon, Saint-Exupery was in a plane crash. The accident took place in the Libyan desert, and left a deep mark on the soul of Saint-Exupery. Late memories of this incident, as well as deep feelings about the fate of the world, which was at the mercy of fascism, resulted in a fairy tale, the protagonist of which was little boy.

During this period, the writer, on the pages of his diary, shared his innermost thoughts about the future of mankind. He worried about a generation that received material benefits, but lost its spiritual content. Saint-Exupery set himself a difficult task - to return the lost mercy to the world and remind people of their responsibility for the Earth.

The work was first published in 1943 in the United States and was dedicated to a friend of the writer - Leon Werth, a famous Jewish journalist and literary critic who endured endless persecution during the war. Thus, Antoine de Saint-Exupery wanted to support his comrade, and express his active civil position against anti-Semitism and Nazism.

It is noteworthy that all the drawings in the story were made by the writer himself, which further emphasizes his ideas presented in the book.

Theme

In his work, the writer raised many global topics, which for centuries have worried and continue to worry all of humanity. First of all, it is the topic of finding the meaning of life... This is what the Little Prince does, traveling from one planet to another.

The author is saddened that the inhabitants of these planets do not even try to go beyond their usual worlds, and find an answer to the eternal question of the meaning of life - they are quite satisfied with the usual life framework. But after all, only in the search is the truth born, which is proved by the main character, returning in the finale of the narrative to his beloved Rose.

Worries the writer and friendship and love... He not only reveals these burning topics, but also conveys to the readers the whole necessity of responsibility for a loved one, and the whole world as a whole. The little prince works tirelessly to care for and protect his tiny planet. He loves and cares for Rose with all his heart, which remains alive only thanks to his efforts.

The all-consuming evil is represented in the work with the help of baobabs, which can quickly devour all life on the planet, if they are not regularly uprooted. it vivid image, which has absorbed all human vices, which must be fought tirelessly throughout life.

The main idea of ​​the work lies in the phrase: "To love is not to look at each other, it is to look in the same direction." You need to learn to trust people, to be responsible for your loved ones, not to close your eyes to what is happening around - this is what the famous fairy tale teaches.

Composition

In the work "The Little Prince" the analysis is based not only on the disclosure of the main themes, but also on the description of the compositional structure. It is based on the reception of dialogue and travel central characters- the narrator and the little prince. In the tale are revealed two storylines- this is the story of a pilot-narrator, and the theme of the reality of "grown-up" people directly related to him, and the story of the life of the Little Prince.

Throughout the 27 chapters of which the book consists, friends travel around the planets, get acquainted with different heroes both positive and downright negative.

Time spent together opens up previously unknown horizons for them. Their close communication allows us to connect two completely different universes: the world of children and the world of adults.

Parting does not become a tragedy for them, because during this time they became much wiser and were able to better understand each other, sharing a piece of their soul, and draw important conclusions.

main characters

genre

"The Little Prince" is written in the genre philosophical fairy tale-parable, in which reality and fiction are surprisingly intertwined. Behind the fantastic fairy tale real human relations, emotions, experiences are hidden in the best possible way.

The tale in the form of a parable is the most popular amalgamation of literary genres. Traditionally, the tale is instructive in nature, but it affects readers in a soft and unobtrusive manner. In fact, a fairy tale is a reflection of real life, but only reality is transmitted through fiction.

The genre of the parable was also chosen by the writer for a reason. Thanks to him, he was able to boldly and simply express his worried views on moral issues modernity. The parable becomes a kind of conductor of the author's thoughts into the reader's world. In his work, he discusses the meaning of life, friendship, love, responsibility. Thus, the fairy tale-parable acquires a deep philosophical implication.

A truthful depiction of real life, despite the fantastic nature of the plot, indicates that realism prevails in the work, which is not alien to philosophical allegories. However, romantic traditions are also strong enough in the fairy tale.

"The Little Prince" is childhood, but at the same time a thoughtful work. Antoine de Saint-Exupery placed in the lung and a little tale reflection of the real adult world with its advantages and disadvantages. In some places it is satire, myth, fantasy and tragic story... Therefore, both small and large readers like this multifaceted book.

The Little Prince was born during the Great patriotic war... It all started with drawings by Exupery, in which he portrayed the very "little prince".

Exupery, as a military pilot, once had a plane crash in 1935 in the Libyan desert. Old wounds, memories of the catastrophe and news of the outbreak of world war inspired the writer to create a work. He thought about the fact that each of us is responsible for the place where he lives, be it a small apartment or an entire planet. And the struggle casts doubt on this responsibility, because it was during that fierce battle of many countries that lethal nuclear weapons were first used. Alas, many people did not care about their home, since they allowed wars to bring humanity to such extreme measures.

The work was created in 1942 in the United States, a year later it became available to the reader. The little prince became the final creation of the author and brought him worldwide fame. The author dedicated his book to a friend (Leon Werth), moreover, to the boy his friend once was. It is worth noting that Leon, who was a writer and critic, being a Jew, suffered from persecution during the development of Nazism. He also had to leave his planet, but not on his own.

Genre, direction

Exupery talked about the meaning of life, and in this he was helped by the parable genre, which is characterized by a pronounced morality in the finale, an instructive tone of the narrative. Fairy tale as a parable is the most common cross between genres. A distinctive feature of the tale can be called the fact that it has a fantastic and simple plot, but at the same time it is instructive in nature, helps young readers to form moral qualities, and adults to reflect on their views and behavior. A fairy tale is a reflection of real life, but reality is presented to the reader through fiction, no matter how paradoxical it may sound. Genre originality the work suggests that "The Little Prince" is a philosophical fairy tale-parable.

The work can also be attributed to a fantasy story.

The meaning of the name

The Little Prince is a story about a traveler who wanders the whole universe. He does not just travel, but is in search of the meaning of life, the essence of love and the secret of friendship. He learns not only the world around him, but also himself, and self-knowledge is his the main objective... It is still growing, developing and symbolizing an immaculate and tender childhood. Therefore, the author called it "small".

Why a prince? He is alone on his planet, it all belongs to him. He very responsibly approaches his master's role and, despite his modest age, has already learned to look after her. Such behavior suggests that we are faced with a noble boy, managing his property, but what is the best name for him? A prince, because he is endowed with power and wisdom.

The essence

The plot originates in the Sahara Desert. The pilot of the plane, having made an emergency landing, meets the same Little Prince who arrived on Earth from another planet. The boy told his new acquaintance about his journey, about the planets he had visited, about his previous life, about the rose, which was his faithful friend. The little prince loved his rose so much that he was ready to give his life for it. The boy was dear to his house, he liked to watch the sunsets, it was good that on his planet they could be seen several times a day, and for this the Little Prince only had to move a chair.

One day, the boy felt unhappy and decided to go in search of adventure. Rose was proud and rarely bestowed her warmth on the patron, so she did not hold him back. During his journey, the Little Prince met: the Ruler, who is confident in his absolute power over the stars, the Ambitious, for whom the main thing is to be admired, the Drunkard, who drinks out of guilt for alcohol abuse, no matter how paradoxical it may sound. The boy even met a Business Man, whose main occupation is counting stars. The little prince faced the Lamplighter, who lit and extinguished the lantern on his planet every minute. He also met the Geographer, who in his entire life had seen nothing but his planet. The last place of the traveler's position was the planet Earth, where he found a true friend. All major events are described by us in summary books for the reader's diary.

The main characters and their characteristics

1. The little Prince- the image is partially autobiographical, although it is very difficult to imagine that an adult pilot was once a little dreamer. The main character is a little boy, but at the same time he often turns out to be smarter than adults who "love numbers very much." Exupery endowed his hero with seemingly incompatible qualities: spontaneity and reliability. He is kind and loves very much his Rose, which remained on his planet. At the same time, he is still growing and does not know many things. For example, he learned friendship only on planet Earth, and realized his love only after separation.
2. the Rose... The prototype of Rosa is the author's wife, Consuelo, a Hispanic woman with a fiery disposition. The rose was a special flower, the little prince would recognize her among a thousand other roses, all other flowers were "empty" for him. The rose was fragile and vulnerable, so the boy covered her with a glass jar. But the character of this lady was explosive and capricious: she imperiously addressed her interlocutor and often insisted on something of her own.

Loving does not mean looking at each other, it means looking in the same direction.

A person should take care of his home, and not tear it apart by wars into bloody, lifeless parts. This idea was especially relevant then, during the Second World War. The little prince cleaned his planet every day, preventing the baobabs from becoming rampant. If the world could unite in time and sweep off the face of the earth the National Socialist movement led by Hitler, then the bloodshed could have been prevented. For those who love the world should have taken care of it, and not locked themselves in their little planets, thinking that the storm will pass by. Millions of people have suffered because of this disunity and irresponsibility of governments and peoples, and the writer urges, finally, to learn to loyally and responsibly love the harmony that only friendship provides.

What does it teach?

The story of the Little Prince is surprisingly heartfelt and instructive. Exupery's creation tells how important it is to have a faithful friend by your side and how important it is to be responsible for those whom you have "tamed". The tale teaches to love, to be friends, warns against loneliness. In addition, you should not lock yourself in your small territory, fencing off from the whole world around. You need to get out of your comfort zone, learn new things, look for yourself.

Exupery also encourages the reader to listen not only to his mind in making decisions, but also to his heart, because you cannot see the main thing with your eyes.

Interesting? Keep it on your wall!

Dudar Xenia

"There are books for centuries. They are good advisers, mentors and friends. If such a book entered life, you will not be alone. I have such books. Some grow with me, others have entered my life relatively recently. as a person grows older, the meaning of the read works changes. French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince". "

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"Why do the stars shine"

(The problem of the meaning of life in the fairy tale by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"The little Prince")

I wish I knew why the stars are shining

He said thoughtfully.

(Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "The Little Prince")

1. Introduction

There are books for centuries. They are good counselors, mentors, and friends. If such a book has entered life, you will not be alone. I have such books. Some grow with me, others have entered my life relatively recently. It is surprising that as a person grows up, the meaning of the read works changes. The book of the wonderful French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince" led me to this idea. This amazing work is a fairy tale for both children and adults. The phenomenon of the fairy tale "The Little Prince" is that, written for adults, it has firmly entered the circle of children's reading. Not everything available to adults will be immediately revealed to children. But children read this book with pleasure, as it attracts them with the simplicity of presentation, designed for a child, with that special atmosphere of spirituality inherent in this particular fairy tale, the deficit of which is so acutely felt today.

Also, children are close to the vision of the author's ideal in a child's soul. Exupery sees only in children the most valuable, unclouded basis of human existence. For only children know how to see things in their true light, regardless of their "practical benefits"!

Listening to the arguments of the Little Prince, following his travels, you come to the conclusion that all human wisdom is collected on the pages of this fairy tale. Traveling around the planets and getting to know their inhabitants, a little boy learns the world, and I with him.

This tale makes you think about many things, and especially about the meaning of life and its value. These thoughts sooner or later visit a person, including me. The problem of the meaning of life worried, worries and will worry people. If they can think and feel. If they want to understand themselves and the world around them. In my opinion, this question is relevant for everyone. I draw nuggets of wisdom from the Great Books. And one of them is "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

The purpose of my workis an examination of the problem of the meaning of human life, based on the work of the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince".

When working on this topic, the following tasks:

consider the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince";

• to trace the main ideas of the work, which will help to better understand the problem of the meaning of life;
• study the problem of the meaning of life in philosophy and religion;
• to trace views on the problem of the meaning of life in philosophy and religion;
• consider the views of two age groups on this problem, based on the survey conducted;
• analyze the results obtained;
• compare your own point of view with the findings and ideas of the book.

I believe that mine research has a widepractical relevance, which consists of the following aspects:

1) intellectual baggage (assistance in passing the exam);

In this book, I can find many useful quotes and arguments to them about love, friendship, childhood, psychology of an adult and a child, spiritual stagnation and, of course, about the meaning of life, which will help me when passing the exam in Russian language, literature and social studies;

2) "vaccination" against suicide;

The work I have done made me look into myself, into the essence of things, think about the fact that suicide is contrary to all the laws of morality and morality, think about the value and beauty of life, about the amazing mystery of being, which can only be comprehended by a living, active soul.

3) a step towards Orthodoxy;

The Little Prince touches upon many important topics that sound in tune with Christianity. They made me understand once again that God is Love.

4) personal development. This book develops a person's personality: his character, view of the world, helps to evaluate his actions, thoughts, desires, to understand his rights and, above all, responsibilities.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote few books, but in them he managed to tell people the most important thing.

French writer, poet and professional pilot was born on June 29, 1900 in the city of Lyon. He first started writing in school years... At this age, Antoine suffered a bereavement - his brother Francois died. And this death caused the first serious reflections on life.

After graduating from college, he was preparing to enter the naval school. But the career of a brilliant naval officer did not take place. The young man, obsessed with the love of writing, failed the exam in literature. Even then, it was obvious to Antoine: he can only write about what he personally experienced. “Before you write, you have to live,” he later remarked.

Aviation and literature entered Antoine's life almost simultaneously. Once he was asked directly: what does he prefer - to fly or write? He replied: “I don’t understand how these things can be separated. For me, flying and writing are the same thing. " Antoine contrasted the serene stagnant existence of the inhabitants with an active, active life, a life amid storms, dangers, lightning, a life inspired by the lofty goal of serving people and progress. His whole life passed under this worthy motto.

“… I chose work for maximum wear and, since you always have to squeeze yourself out to the end, I will no longer back down. I only wish that this heinous war would end before I melt like a candle in a stream of oxygen. "

On July 31, 1944, less than two weeks before the liberation of France from the Nazi invaders, the military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupery died on his last combat mission. For a long time he was considered missing. Only in the 50s, in the diary of a former German officer, a record of a document was found confirming his death.

Exupery made a reconnaissance flight, there was no machine gun on board. Saint-Exupery found himself defenseless in front of the fascist fighter. The plane caught fire and began to descend towards the sea ...

Saint-Exupery left us completely unnoticed, but was he really so completely?

All his life Saint-Exupery was looking for the meaning that would justify future death and thereby destroy it: “They die only for what is worth living for”.

For what, in his understanding, was it worth living? For the sake of people, adults and children, for the sake of poetry and love - for the sake of life itself ...

Saint-Exupéry created his best work during the war, in 1942. The Little Prince is the world's most read fairy tale for children and adults. Surprisingly, because not every book can interest, it would seem, such opposite ages.

In my opinion, the key lies in the fact that children read this book with pleasure, as it attracts them with its simplicity of presentation and unusual plot, adults see in it an incorruptible truth, a faithful adviser.

3. "The Little Prince"

At the age of six, the boy read about how a boa constrictor swallows its prey, and drew a snake that swallowed an elephant. It was a drawing of a boa constrictor on the outside, but the adults claimed it was a hat. Adults always need to explain everything, so the boy made another drawing - a boa constrictor from the inside. Then the adults advised the boy to give up this nonsense - according to them, he should have done more geography, history, arithmetic and spelling. So the boy gave up a brilliant career artist. He had to choose another profession: he grew up and became a pilot, but he still showed his first drawing to those adults who seemed to him smarter and more intelligent than the others - and everyone answered that it was a hat. It was impossible to talk to them heart to heart - about boas, jungles and stars. And the pilot lived alone until he met the Little Prince.

This happened in the Sahara. Something broke in the plane's engine: the pilot had to fix it or die, because the water was only for a week. At dawn, the pilot was awakened by a thin voice - a tiny baby with golden hair, who, no one knows how, got into the desert, asked to draw a lamb for him. The astonished pilot did not dare to refuse, especially since his new friend was the only one who could see in the first drawing a boa constrictor that had swallowed an elephant. It gradually became clear that the Little Prince flew from a planet called asteroid B-612.

The entire planet was the size of a house, and the Little Prince had to take care of it: every day he cleaned three volcanoes - two active and one extinct, as well as weed out sprouts of baobabs. But his life was sad and lonely, so he loved to watch the sunset - especially when he was sad. He did this several times a day, just moving his chair to follow the sun. Everything changed when a wonderful rose appeared on his planet. It was a beauty with thorns - proud, touchy and simple-minded. The little prince fell in love with her, but the rose seemed to him capricious, cruel and arrogant - he was too young then and did not understand how this flower illuminated his life. And so the little prince cleared in last time his volcanoes, pulled out sprouts of baobabs, and then said goodbye to his flower, which only at the moment of parting confessed that he loved him.

He went wandering and visited six neighboring asteroids. On the first, the king lived: he wanted so much to have subjects that he offered the Little Prince to become a minister, and the kid thought that adults were very strange people... On the second planet lived an ambitious person, on the third - a drunkard, on the fourth - a business man, and on the fifth - a lamplighter. All the adults seemed to the Little Prince extremely strange, and only the Lamplighter liked him: this man remained faithful to the agreement to light in the evenings and extinguish the lanterns in the morning, although his planet had decreased so much that day and night changed every minute. Don't be so small here. The little prince would have stayed with the Lamplighter, because he really wanted to make friends with someone - besides, on this planet one could admire the sunset fourteen hundred and forty times a day!

A geographer lived on the sixth planet. And since he was a geographer, he was supposed to ask travelers about the countries where they came from in order to record their stories in books. The little prince wanted to talk about his flower, but the geographer explained that only mountains and oceans are recorded in books, because they are eternal and unchanging, and flowers do not last long. Only then the little prince realized that his beauty would soon disappear, and he left her alone, without protection and help! But the offense had not yet passed, and the little prince went on, but he thought only of his abandoned flower.

The seventh was the Earth - a very difficult planet! Suffice it to say that it has one hundred and eleven kings, seven thousand geographers, nine hundred thousand businessmen, seven and a half million drunkards, three hundred and eleven million ambitious - a total of about two billion adults. But the little prince made friends only with the snake, the Fox and the pilot. The snake promised to help him when he bitterly regrets his planet. And the Fox taught him to be friends. Everyone can tame someone and become their friend, but you always need to be responsible for those whom you have tamed. Then the little prince decided to return to his rose, because he was responsible for it. He went into the desert - to the very place where he fell. There he met the pilot. The little prince found a yellow snake, whose bite kills in half a minute: she helped him, as promised. The kid said to the pilot that it would only look like death, so there is no need to grieve - let the pilot remember him, looking at the night sky. And when the Little Prince laughs, the pilot will think that all the stars are laughing, like five hundred million bells ...

After reading the book again, I decided to trace the main ideas of the work, which will help to understand the problem of the meaning of life more deeply.

Previously, I opened the textbook by R. Januškevičius, O. Januškevičienė. "Fundamentals of morality", monographs by V. Solovyov "Justification of good", E. Trubetskoy "The meaning of life", Sherdakova V. N. "The meaning of life as a philosophical and ethical problem." I realized that the search for the meaning of life is an urgent problem at all times and among all peoples.

4.The meaning of life in philosophy and religion

The meaning of life, the meaning of being is a philosophical and spiritual problem related to the definition of the ultimate goal of existence, the purpose of humanity, man as a biological species, one of the main worldview concepts, which is of great importance for the formation of the spiritual and moral appearance of a person.

The question of the meaning of life is one of the traditional problems of philosophy, theology and fiction, where it is considered primarily from the point of view of determining what the meaning of life is most worthy for a person.

Ideas about the meaning of life are formed in the process of people's activities and depend on their social status, the content of the problems to be solved, the way of life, the worldview, the specific historical situation.

Philosophical vision of the problem

Subjecting the theoretical analysis of the mass consciousness of the meaning of life, many philosophers proceeded from the recognition of a certain invariable "human nature", constructing on this basis a certain ideal of man, in the achievement of which the meaning of life, the main purpose of human activity was seen.

Ancient philosophy

The ancient Greek philosopher and encyclopedic scientist Aristotle, for example, believed that the goal of all human actions is happiness (eudaimonia), which consists in the fulfillment of the essence of man.

Epicurus and his followers proclaimed the goal of human life to receive pleasure (hedonism), understood not only as sensual pleasure, but also as deliverance from physical pain, mental anxiety, suffering, fear of death. The ideal is life in a "secluded place", in a close circle of friends, non-participation in state life, distant contemplation. The Gods themselves, according to Epicurus, are blessed beings who do not interfere in the affairs of the earthly world.

According to the teachings of the Stoics, the goal of human aspirations should be morality, which is impossible without true knowledge. The human soul is immortal, and virtue consists in human life, in harmony with nature and the world mind (logos). Life ideal Stoics - equanimity and calmness in relation to external and internal irritating

Existentialism

The problem of choosing the meaning of life, in particular, is devoted to the works of existentialist philosophers of the 20th century - Albert Camus ("The Myth of Sisyphus"), Jean-Paul Sartre ("Nausea"), Martin Heidegger ("Conversation on a Country Road"), Karl Jaspers ( "The meaning and purpose of history").

Speaking about the meaning of human life and death, Sartre wrote: “If we have to die, then our life has no meaning, because its problems remain unresolved and the very meaning of the problems remains uncertain ... Everything that exists is born without a cause, continues in weakness and dies accidentally ... Absurd that we were born, it's absurd that we will die

Nihilism

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche characterized nihilism as the emptying of the world and especially human existence from meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth or essential value. Nihilism denies the claims of knowledge and truth, and explores the meaning of existence without knowable truth. Nihilism, brought to an extreme state, turns into pragmatism, a denial of what is unhelpful and irrational in relation to one's own body, serving to satisfy the basic needs of a person; in recognition that the best thing to do in this life is to enjoy it.

Positivism

Ludwig Wittgenstein

Things in personal life may have meaning (importance), but life itself has no meaning other than these things.

Pragmatism

William James

Pragmatic philosophers believe that instead of seeking the truth about life, we should seek a useful understanding of life. William James argued that truth can be created but not found. Thus, the meaning of life is a belief in the purpose of life, which does not contradict someone's experience of a meaningful life. Roughly speaking, it could sound like: "The meaning of life is those goals that make you appreciate it." For a pragmatist, the meaning of life, your life, can only be discovered through experience.

Arthur Schopenhauer

German philosopher of the XIX century Arthur Schopenhauer defined human life as a manifestation of some kind of world will: people think that they act according to on their own, but in fact they are driven by someone else's will. According to Schopenhauer, life is a hell in which a fool chases after pleasures and comes to disappointment, and a sage, on the contrary, tries to avoid troubles through self-restraint - a wisely living person realizes the inevitability of disasters, and therefore curbs his passions and sets a limit to his desires. Human life, according to Schopenhauer, is a constant struggle with death, constant suffering, and all efforts to free oneself from suffering lead only to the fact that one suffering is replaced by another, while the satisfaction of basic vital needs turns into only satiety and boredom.

Religious approaches and theories

Most religions embrace and express certain concepts of the meaning of life, offering metaphysical reasons for explaining why humans and all other organisms exist. Perhaps the fundamental definition of religious faith is the belief that life serves a Higher, Divine purpose. Most people who believe in a personified God could agree that it is God who is the One “in Whom we live, move, exist”

The meaning of life from the point of view of Christianity

The true meaning of life is in accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. This is our salvation and eternal life. We are reconciled to God through the Calvary Sacrifice of the Son of God - we are forgiven and redeemed and justified and accepted into eternal abode by Jesus Christ. And although we still continue to live on earth, but in spirit we are with God - we are His children, heirs of a beautiful eternity. Then our life is completely renewed, we are born from Above - the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit abides in us, - we overcome sin by the Power of Above, by the Power of Jesus Christ!

Only after the resurrection of Christ are true progress and development possible.

The meaning of life is God's plan for man, and it is different for different people. It can be seen only by washing away the adhering dirt of lies and sin, but it is impossible to "invent" it.

The meaning of the earthly stage of life is in acquiring eternal life, which is possible only through the personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the promise to serve Him with a faithful and clear conscience, participation in the sacrifice of Christ and His resurrection.

Seraphim Sarovskyin 1831, during a conversation with Nikolai Alexandrovich Motovilov, he said:

“Prayer, fasting, vigil and all other Christian deeds, no matter how good they are in themselves, however, the purpose of our Christian life does not consist in doing only them, although they serve the necessary funds to achieve it. The true goal of our Christian life is to acquire the Holy Spirit of God. "

"The true goal of Christian life is to acquire the Holy Spirit of God."

Judaism

According to the Torah, the Almighty created man as an interlocutor and co-creator. Both the world and man were created deliberately imperfect - so that man, with the help of the Almighty, would raise himself and the world on higher levels perfection.

The meaning of life of any person is to serve the Creator, even in the most mundane matters - when a person eats, sleeps, sends out his natural needs, fulfills his marital duty - he must do this with the thought that he cares about the body - in order to be able to with to serve the Creator with full dedication.

The meaning of human life is to contribute to the establishment of the kingdom of the Almighty over the world, the disclosure of his light for all the peoples of the world.

Islam

Islam implies a special relationship between man and God - "surrender to God", "obedience to God"; followers of Islam are Muslims, that is, "devotees." The meaning of a Muslim's life is to worship the Almighty: "I created jinn and people only for them to worship Me." (Quran, 51:56).

According to the fundamental tenets of Islam, “Allah (God) rules over everything and takes care of his creations. He is Merciful, Merciful and Forgiving. People must completely surrender themselves to Him, be submissive and humble, always and in everything rely only on the will and mercy of Allah. At the same time, a person is responsible for his deeds - both righteous and unrighteous. For their actions, each person will receive retribution at the Judgment, to which Allah will subject everyone, raising them from the dead. The righteous will go to heaven, while the sinners will face severe punishment in hell.

Buddhism

According to the Buddha's teachings, the dominant, inalienable property of every person's life is suffering (dukkha), and the meaning and the highest goal of life is to end suffering. The source of suffering is human desires. It is considered possible to end suffering only upon reaching a special, fundamentally inexpressible state - enlightenment (nirvana - a state of complete absence of desires, and therefore suffering).

I, of course, respect the opinion of people who think, seek, but I believe that the meaning of life of any person is to serve the Creator, that Christianity, namely Orthodoxy, helps a person consider himself a servant of God and be happy from that.

5. The main ideas of the work

And so, "The Little Prince" ...

Amazing personifications and deep philosophical images give this work a special personality and flavor. I would compare "The Little Prince" with a diamond with many facets: I just want to hold it in my hands for a longer time, having examined precious stone from all sides. First of all, this book makes a person a Human, touching the hidden strings of the soul, it shapes his personality. The little prince reminds adults that once they were children too, teaches them to see with their hearts, because "you cannot see the most important thing with your eyes."

You can endlessly talk about the wisdom of each chapter of the tale.

1) Antoine de Saint-Exupery tells us about amazing planets, meaning the souls of people. These mysterious planets with their inhabitants, with whom the author introduces us, personify an apartment building, where in each apartment (planet) with its own way and peculiar inner peace different people live.

They are alien to each other. The inhabitants are blind and deaf to the call of the heart, the impulse of the soul. Their tragedy is that they do not strive to become a Personality. "Serious people" live in their own, artificially created little world, fenced off from the rest (everyone has their own planet!) And consider it true meaning being! These faceless masks will never know what it is true love, friendship and beauty

Some have flaws in their souls, like the dream of power in the king, selfishness and narcissism in the ambitious, and some tell us about true moral values ​​like foxes about friendship and love, a lamplighter about dedication. In the images of the Little Prince and the Pilot, on whose behalf the story is being told, the writer embodies the brightest human qualities - philanthropy, touching and defenseless beauty. The pilot and the Little Prince see the world in the same way, in a childish way: it is important for them whether he likes to catch butterflies, and they are not at all interested in how old someone is. A pilot is a person who has retained the pure soul of a child, he has not lost his childlike spontaneity. The true talent of a person, his talent, can only be understood by people with an open heart. The little prince finds a friend in the face of the Pilot, because they understand each other without words and are ready to open all the secrets of their souls.

The character of the Little Prince is vividly captured Christian ideas childish purity, openness and meekness. “Be like children” - to psychologists, even the most distant from Christianity, this phrase is clear as day. The fact is that until the age of seven, children's consciousness is not capable of separating itself and the world. I am the whole world, and the whole world is me. Children's consciousness is not limited and expressive, it contains absolutely everything. Life, like a whole apple, is beautiful in its indivisibility and simplicity. Therefore, it is necessary to remember that by offending a child, we offend the world; giving him joy - we paint the world in thousands of colors.

One of the steps leading to the knowledge of the meaning of life is the understanding that you need to live with an open heart. As children.

The little prince lives in a secluded corner of the soul of every person. He personifies our dreams, bright thoughts and, probably, conscience. Like a guardian angel with golden hair, he rejoices in our good deeds. When we commit unseemly deeds, he grieves and waits for our return to the righteous path.

2) It is very important for every person to understand that important point in life is the understanding of their sinfulness and the ability to fight with sin.

Before this, I probably did not understand, but all the time I tried to linger on the meaning of the metaphor that was eluding me. When I started going to church and learned what sin is, I understood what the writer was talking about. The baobab is a sin. Now it is clear to me why the meaning "escaped". After all, my vocabulary simply did not have this word, and understanding of its meaning - even more so. It was a sin for me not to follow my "want". The author told us about how a small tender sprout - a sin not torn out in time - grows and gets stronger, turns to stone and tears the soul to pieces, depriving it of the opportunity to grow something alive.

« On the planet of the Little Prince, like on any other planet, useful and harmful herbs grow. So, there are good seeds of good there, useful herbs and harmful seeds of bad, weedy grass. But the seeds are invisible. They sleep deep underground until one of them decides to wake up. Then it sprouts; he straightens out and reaches for the sun, at first so sweet and harmless. If this is a future radish or rose bush, let it grow to health. But if it is some kind of bad herb, it must be uprooted as soon as you recognize it. And on the planet of the Little Prince there are terrible, malignant seeds ... these are the seeds of the baobabs. The soil of the planet is all infected with them. And if the baobab is not recognized in time, then you will not get rid of it. He will take over the entire planet. He will penetrate her through and through with his roots. And if the planet is very small, and there are many baobabs, they will tear it to shreds. "

The Holy Fathers managed to snatch the seed of the baobab-sin from their souls. We have to conduct a daily examination of our soul and pluck out the sprouts of the baobabs with the Sacrament of Repentance. Otherwise, the forecast is disappointing. A sprout not torn out in time turns into a monolithic tree of sin, which, blocking out the light, dooms the soul to destruction. Therefore, I will allow myself, following the author, to exclaim: "People, beware of the baobabs !!!" And don't forget the Little Prince's excellent advice:

“There is such a firm rule,” the little prince told me later. - I got up in the morning, washed myself, put myself in order - and immediately put your planet in order».

I reluctantly compare it to morning prayer. Every morning, looking deeply into our hearts, we must remember the need to “remove our planet” - our soul.

For what, according to Saint-Exupery, a person lives: in order to love, improve his soul or grow baobabs? .. Of course, in order to improve and develop.

A small tender sprout - a sin not torn out in time - grows and gets stronger, turns to stone and tears the soul to pieces, depriving it of the opportunity to grow something alive.

3) Our life is focused on things called the improvement of human life and scientific and technological progress. And now, spending all their energy on maintaining a "decent standard of living", people increasingly began to understand that this path does not make them happy.

Where are the people? It's so lonely in the desert ...

It's lonely among people too.

People have become aggressive, closed and unfriendly to each other, while forgetting that our life is a consequence of our actions. Therefore, you should not succumb to the blues and resentment towards others, but learn to feel the movements of your soul and follow them.

4)"… It is impossible to live with refrigerators, politics, balances and crosswords anymore! Absolutely impossible. It is impossible to live without poetry, without colors, without love ... ", - writes Saint-Exupery in his memoirs. The author forces the reader to change the angle of view to familiar things. After all, the truly valuable is the desired sip of water, the thirst for human communication, one - the only rose, friendship, love for man, mutual understanding, mercy, enjoyment of the beauty of nature.

- You are not in the least like my rose, ”he told them. - You are still nothing. Nobody has tamed you, and you have not tamed anyone. This was my Fox before. He was no different from a hundred thousand other foxes. But I made friends with him, and now he is the only one in the whole world.

The fox generously shared his secrets and wisdom with the Little Prince. "Taming each other" is one of his secrets. Domestication is an art that can be learned. Before meeting the Little Prince, the Fox only did what he fought for his existence: he hunted chickens, and the hunters hunted him. Having tamed, the Fox was able to escape from vicious circle, in which attack and defense alternated among themselves. He found spiritual harmony, the joy of communication, gradually opening his heart to the Little Prince.

These are invisible bonds. They cannot be seen, they can only be felt. To tame - to create bonds of love, unity of souls. To tame means to make the world more valuable and kinder, because everything in it will remind you of your beloved creature: the stars will laugh, the ears of rye will come to life. To tame is to bind yourself to another being with love, care and responsibility.

Each person is responsible not only for his own destiny, but also responsible for the one whom he “tamed”. One must be faithful in love and friendship, one cannot be indifferent to what is happening in the world. The main character discovers the truth for himself and his readers - only that which is filled with content and deep meaning, in which the soul is invested.

The little prince knows that his rose is the only one, because he "tamed" it.

A rose is a symbol of love and beauty that needs to be grown from a small seed to a beautiful flower.

“I didn’t understand anything then! -confesses the little prince.- It was necessary to judge not by words, but by deeds. She gave me her scent, illuminated my life. I shouldn't have run ... Behind these pitiful tricks and tricks one should have guessed tenderness. Flowers are so inconsistent! But I was too young. I didn’t know how to love yet ”.

Now he realizes that she alone is dearer to him than all the roses in the world. Therefore, he sacrifices his life and returns to where he is needed.

Together with the Little Prince, I realized that the meaning of life, first of all, is to learn to love. This science is complex and simple at the same time. If the Lord is in the heart - everything is within the power! To truly love means to be tolerant and sensitive, not to find fault with words, to be able to forgive. I would very much like to supplement this thought with the statement of the Apostle Paul:" Love is longsuffering, merciful, love does not envy, love is not exalted, is not proud, does not rage, does not seek its own, does not get irritated, does not think of evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth; Covers everything, believes everything, hopes everything, endures everything. Love never ends".

And I also realized thanks to the Little Prince that “they die only for what is worth living for” ...

What are the main guidelines that will help to better understand the problem of the meaning of life, I took from this book?

• « You cannot see the most important thing with your eyes. Only the heart is sharp-sighted. "

• Everything around us - from a blade of grass to a person - is alive, filled

A mysterious life - just stop and listen.

• The truly valuable is the desired sip of water, the thirst for human communication, one - the only rose, friendship, love for man, mutual understanding, mercy, enjoyment of the beauty of nature.
• "We are responsible for those we have tamed."
• To tame - to create bonds of love, unity of souls.
• To tame is to bind yourself to another being with love, care and responsibility.
• "I got up in the morning, washed myself, put myself in order - and immediately put your planet in order."
• It is necessary to work every day to fill with light and keep your soul pure.
• You should not succumb to the blues and resentment towards others, but learn to feel the movements of your soul and follow them.
• "They die only for what is worth living for."
• Beautiful is only that which is filled with content and deep meaning, in which the soul is invested.

6. Language of the work

The language of the tale attracts with its amazing richness and variety of techniques. It is melodic ("... And at night I like to listen to the stars. Like five hundred million bells ..."), simple and unusually accurate. This is the language of memories, dreams and reflections:

“... When I was six years old ... I once saw an amazing

picture ... "or:" ... For six years now, as my friend together with the lamb

left me. " This is the language of tradition, legend, parable. Stylistic manner - the transition from image to generalization, from parable to morality - feature writing talent of Saint-Exupery.

The language of his work is natural and expressive: “laughter is like a spring in the desert”, “five hundred million bells”. It would seem that everyday, familiar concepts suddenly acquire a new original meaning in him: “water,” “fire,” “friendship,” etc. Many of his metaphors are just as fresh and natural: “they (volcanoes) sleep deep underground, until one of them decides to wake up ”; the writer uses paradoxical combinations of words that cannot be found in ordinary speech: “children should be very indulgent towards adults”, “if you go straight and straight, you won’t get far ...” or “people no longer have enough time to learn anything ".

Thanks to such peculiarities of the language, known truths are perceived in a new way, their true meaning is revealed, forcing readers to think: is the familiar always the best and correct.

In the language of a fairy tale, you can find many traditional concepts of goodness, justice, common sense, inherent in folklore, it has an ancient mythological subtext. So, the Serpent conceals the mystery of life and death, light is a circle of human warmth, communication and intimacy. The narrative manner of the story is also peculiar. The author seems to be conducting a confidential and sincere conversation with the reader, reflecting on the essence of human existence. We feel the constant invisible presence of the author, who passionately wants to change life on earth and believes that the kingdom of goodness and reason will come. You can talk about a kind of melodic narrative, sad and pensive, built on soft transitions from humor to serious meditation, on halftones, transparent and light, like watercolor illustrations of a fairy tale created by the writer himself and is integral part artistic fabric of the work.

Comprehending the wisdom of life, little hero simultaneously teaches moral lesson adults, all people in general. Moral beauty love, friendship, happiness and human life is revealed to the heroes and readers by the end of the story.

In essence, we have before us a reimagined plot of the parable of prodigal son in which lost adults listen to the words of a child.

7. Images-symbols of a fairy tale

The images written in the tradition of a romantic philosophical fairy tale are deeply symbolic. The images are just symbolic, since we can only guess what the author wanted to say and interpret each image depending on our personal perception. The main symbolic images are the Little Prince, the Fox, the Rose and the Desert.

The little prince is a symbol of a man - a wanderer in the Universe, looking for hidden meaning things and your own life.

The desert is a symbol of spiritual thirst. It is beautiful, because there are springs hidden in it, which only the heart helps a person to find.

The narrator suffers an accident in the desert - this is one of the plot lines in the story, its background.

He finds himself alone with the dead desert, the sands. The Little Prince, an alien from the "planet of childhood", helps him to see what is true in life and what is false. Therefore, the meaning of this image in the work is special - it is like an X-ray beam that helps a person to see what is hidden from the superficial gaze. Therefore, the theme of childhood, with its unclouded gaze, crystal clear and clear consciousness and freshness of feelings, occupies a central place in the story. Truly - "through the mouth of a child speaks the truth."

"... Do you know why the desert is so good?" - the little prince asks the pilot. And he himself answers: "Somewhere there are springs hidden in it ..." Water is the fundamental principle of life, the source of all existence, the ability to restore, rebirth, a source of strength that gives immortality. In legends, dragons guarded the water, at Saint-Exupery the desert guards it. The author believes that “springs are hidden” in every person, you just need to be able to find them and open them.

The water that the heroes find turns out to be not just water: “She was born from long way under the stars, from the creak of the gate, from the effort of the hands ... She was like a gift to the heart ... " of a kind.

The theme of hidden springs, the author's belief in their existence give the ending of the fairy tale-parable an optimistic sound. The story contains a powerful creative, sublime pathos, the moral principle in it does not oppose the life aspirations of the heroes, but, on the contrary, merges with the general direction of the work.

15 people aged 16-17 were interviewed.

The main leitmotif mental development in this adolescence is the formation of a new, still rather unstable self-consciousness, attempts to understand oneself and one's capabilities. Usually this age is called transitional. At this time, the formation of a person's personality and character, a reassessment of life guidelines, a teenager is looking for himself and learns the adult world.

Having learned the opinion of my comrades, I decided to ask the same questions to teachers (age group from 30 to 45 years old), and compare the opinions of students and teachers. And here's what I did.

1. When did you first think about the meaning of life? What caused this?

Most of the two age groups are thinking about the problem of the meaning of life in high school. And this, in my opinion, is not surprising, because graduation from school is the beginning adulthood... During this period, the teenager must decide what to devote his life to, outline the value guidelines.

Another reason why most of the respondents thought about the meaning of life is the death of a loved one or tragic family circumstances. This is a good enough reason, because death a loved one or family problems are always sudden and depressing. But at the same time, this is an impetus to think about your actions, the days lived and about what it is worth continuing to live for. I tried for a long time to remember when I thought about this question. Since childhood, I fell in love with reading and drawing, probably these hobbies have developed in me the ability to think.

2. What helps you not to despair in difficult life

situations?

Of course, the most popular answer to this question is the support of loved ones. And I confess that I am glad it is. After all, loneliness is, in most cases, a painful state of a person, which leads to negative consequences.

I believe that the rest of the answers to this question are also important. After all, for me willpower, faith, humor and hope for the best are faithful helpers in the fight against life's problems, troubles and blues.

3. Health, friends.

I was pleased with the fact that for teachers and students, in most cases, the family in the concept of “the meaning of life” is one of the main aspects. After all, a family is a social unit, a significant component of a strong country.

In my opinion, the concepts of "hobbies" and "self-realization" have some relationship, because a person wants to do what he likes to do. And this means that, self-actualizing in what he loves, he will do his job better.

Health is not the most important, although it is also a rather significant aspect. Probably, it depends to some extent on our mentality. The Russian person has an amazing ability for dedication and dedication to his work. On the one hand, this is a good feature, but on the other hand, an increase in the volume of labor often has a detrimental effect on health.

For me, the meaning of life is revealed by words such as a strong family, love for man and the world around him, hobbies (self-realization), faith in God and the secrecy of life.

4. Name historical figures, heroes of literary works who can be imitated (without fanaticism), from whom you can learn.

A large number of my classmates believe that it is not worth imitating anyone. I think this fact is somewhat ambiguous. On the one hand, it's good that teenagers don't want to blindly follow someone. They themselves try to stand out from the crowd and not be like someone else. But, in my opinion, they were critical of this issue. There are many ways to imitate. Perhaps, due to their age, they simply have not yet found the person from whom they can learn something, or they do not want to find yet, trying to live by their principles. Perhaps here we can also say about the unwillingness to think, and about the lack of a certain baggage of knowledge.

I was glad that other classmates named different historical figures, literary heroes from whom you can learn something.

I can name many literary heroes and historical figures that deserve attention. If we are guided by examples from literature, then I would name Alexei Karamazov (his pure soul and love for people), the Petersburg dreamer (for his ability to see the beautiful and living in everything) and, of course, the Little Prince (surprisingly wise and kind).

9. Conclusion

Exupery forces the reader to change the angle of view to familiar phenomena. It leads to the comprehension of the obvious truths: you cannot hide stars in a bank and it is pointless to count them, you need to protect those for whom you are responsible and listen to the voice of your own heart. Everything is simple and complex at the same time.

“On your planet,” said the little prince, “people grow five thousand roses in one garden ... and do not find what they are looking for ...

They do not find it, - I agreed.

But what they are looking for can be found only in one single rose, a sip of water ... "

It is important that children remember this truth and do not pass by the main thing - one must be faithful in love and friendship, one must listen to the voice of the heart, one cannot be indifferent to what is happening in the world, one cannot passively treat evil, everyone is responsible not only for his own fate, but also for the fate of another person.

The main thing that Antoine de Saint-Exupery wanted to convey to the reader, he was able to fit in one book. I love "The Little Prince" for the inexhaustible idea of ​​love, love for life and all living things. Such books should be read because they make you think, make you human soul live. Read and re-read the tale "The Little Prince" in different time and at any age. Draw from this bottomless well the invigorating moisture of wisdom for your spiritual development.

A person lives an ordinary life. Sometimes he looks like a hardworking ant: he works to the point of exhaustion, caring for his daily bread, while forgetting to look at the stars at times. But still, the human soul feels that the earthly is perishable, coming, and therefore, albeit subconsciously, each of us seeks to understand why and for what he lives. And all the man's guesses about this being, all his attempts to get closer to this being, all the aspirations to penetrate its secret are, in fact, a huge question asked to heaven. Thousands of questions, thousands of attempts and thousands of guesses ...

An instant gift, a beautiful gift,

Life, why are you given to us?

The mind is silent, but the heart is clear:

Life for Life is given to us ...

10. Literature

1.A. de Saint-Exupery. The little Prince. - M., 2007.

2.R. Januškevičius, O. Januškevičienė. The foundations of morality. Textbook for schoolchildren and students. - M., 2002.

1975.

4.The meaning of life in Russian philosophy, late XIX - early XX century. SPb .:

The science. St. Petersburg. ed. firm, 1995 .-- S. 12, 218

5. Solovyov V.S. Justification of good. M .: Respublika, 1996 .-- S. 29-30,

189-193, 195-196.

6. Trubetskoy E. N. The meaning of life. Moscow, 1998

7. Frank S. L. The meaning of life. Berlin, 1995

8. Sherdakov V.N .. The meaning of life as a philosophical and ethical problem //

Philosophical Sciences. 1985. No. 2.

In 1943, the work of interest to us was first published. We will briefly tell you about the background of its creation, and then we will analyze it. "The Little Prince" is a work that was inspired by an incident that happened to its author.

In 1935, Antoine de Saint-Exupery was in a plane crash during a flight from Paris to Saigon. He ended up on the territory located in the Sahara, in its northeastern part. Memories of this accident and the invasion of the Nazis prompted the author to think about the responsibility for the Earth of people, about the fate of the world. In 1942, he wrote in his diary that he was worried about his generation, devoid of spiritual content. People lead a herd existence. Returning spiritual concerns to a person is the task that the writer set himself.

Who is the work dedicated to?

The story we are interested in is dedicated to Leon Werth, a friend of Antoine. This is important to note when conducting analysis. "The Little Prince" is a story in which everything is filled with deep meaning, including dedication. After all, Leon Werth is a Jewish writer, journalist, critic who suffered persecution during the war. This dedication was not just a tribute to friendship, but also a bold challenge from the writer to anti-Semitism and Nazism. In a difficult time, he created his fairy tale, Exupery. He fought against violence with words and illustrations, which he manually created for his work.

Two worlds in a story

Two worlds are represented in this story - adults and children, as our analysis shows. "The Little Prince" is a work in which this division is made not by age. For example, a pilot is an adult, but he managed to keep a child's soul. The author divides people according to ideals and ideas. For adults, the most important are their own affairs, ambition, wealth, power. And the child's soul longs for something else - friendship, understanding, beauty, joy. The antithesis (children and adults) helps to reveal the main conflict of the work - the opposition of two different systems of values: real and false, spiritual and material. It deepens further. Having left the planet, the little prince on his way meets "strange adults", whom he cannot understand.

Travel and dialogue

The composition is based on travel and dialogue. The big picture the existence of humanity losing its moral values ​​is recreated by a meeting with the "adults" of the little prince.

The main character travels in the story from asteroid to asteroid. He visits, first of all, the nearest, on which people live alone. Each asteroid has a number, like an apartment in a modern multi-storey building. These figures contain a hint of the separation of people who live in neighboring apartments, but live as if on different planets. For the little prince, meeting the inhabitants of these asteroids becomes a lesson in loneliness.

Meeting with the king

On one of the asteroids lived a king, who looked at the whole world, like other kings, in a very simplified way. For him, subjects are all people. However, the king was tormented by this question: "Who is to blame for the fact that his orders are impracticable?" The king taught the prince that it is harder to judge oneself than others. Having mastered this, you can become truly wise. The lover of power loves power, not his subjects, and therefore is deprived of the latter.

The prince visits the planet of the ambitious

An ambitious person lived on another planet. But vain people are deaf to everything except praise. Only the glory loves the ambitious, and not the public, and therefore remains without the latter.

Drunkard planet

Let's continue the analysis. The little prince goes to the third planet. His next meeting is with a drunkard who is concentrating on himself and eventually becomes completely confused. This person is ashamed of what he drinks. However, he drinks in order to forget about conscience.

Business man

A business man owned the fourth planet. As the analysis of the fairy tale "The Little Prince" shows, the meaning of his life was that one should find something that does not have an owner and appropriate it. Business man counts riches that are not his: one who only saves for himself could just as well count the stars. The little prince cannot understand the logic by which adults live. He concludes that it is good for his flower and volcanoes, that he owns them. But the stars do not benefit from such possession.

Lamplighter

And only on the fifth planet does the main character find a person with whom he wants to make friends. This is a lamplighter whom everyone would despise, since he thinks not only of himself. However, his planet is tiny. There is no room for two. The lamplighter works in vain, because he does not know for whom.

Meeting with a geographer

The geographer, who writes thick books, lived on the sixth planet, which he created in his story Exupery ("The Little Prince"). The analysis of the work would be incomplete if we did not say a few words about him. He is a scientist and beauty is ephemeral to him. No one needs scientific works... Without love for a person, it turns out that everything is meaningless - honor, power, labor, science, conscience, and capital. The little prince also leaves this planet. The analysis of the work continues with a description of our planet.

Little Prince on Earth

The last place the prince visited was Strange Earth. Feels even more lonely when he arrives title character the story of Exupery "The Little Prince". The analysis of the work when describing it should be in more detail than when describing other planets. After all, the author pays special attention in the story to the Earth. He notes that this planet is not at all home, it is "salty", "all in needles" and "completely dry." It's uncomfortable to live on it. Its definition is given through images that seemed strange to the little prince. The boy notes that this planet is not easy. It is ruled by 111 kings, there are 7 thousand geographers, 900 thousand businessmen, 7.5 million drunkards, 311 million ambitious.

The protagonist's travels continue in the following sections. He meets, in particular, the switchman directing the train, but people do not know where they are going. The boy then sees a merchant selling thirst pills.

Among the people who live here, the little prince feels lonely. Analyzing life on Earth, he notes that there are so many people on it that they cannot feel like one whole. Millions remain strangers to each other. What do they live for? A lot of people rush in fast trains - why? People are not connected by pills or fast trains. And the planet will not become a home without it.

Friendship with the Fox

After analyzing the "Little Prince" by Exupery, we found out that the boy is bored on Earth. And Fox, another hero of the work, has a boring life. Both of them are looking for a friend. The fox knows how to find him: you need to tame someone, that is, create a bond. And the main character realizes that there are no shops where you can buy a friend.

The author describes the life before the meeting with the boy, led by the Fox from the story "The Little Prince". allows us to note that before this meeting he was only fighting for his existence: he was hunting chickens, and hunters hunted him. The fox, having tamed himself, escaped from the circle of defense and attack, fear and hunger. It is to this hero that the formula "only the heart is vigilant" belongs. Love can be transferred to many other things. Having made friends with the main character, the Fox will fall in love with everything else in the world. The close in his mind unites with the distant.

Pilot in the desert

It is easy to imagine the planet as home in habitable places. However, in order to understand what a home is, you need to be in the desert. This is precisely what Exupery's analysis of The Little Prince suggests. In the desert, the protagonist met a pilot, with whom he later became friends. The pilot was here not only because of a malfunction of the aircraft. He was enchanted by the desert all his life. The name of this desert is loneliness. The pilot understands an important secret: there is meaning in life when there is someone to die for. The desert is a place in which a person feels a thirst for communication, thinks about the meaning of existence. It reminds us that the earth is the home of man.

What did the author want to tell us?

The author wants to say that people have forgotten one simple truth: they are responsible for their planet, as well as for those they have tamed. If we all understood this, there probably would be no wars and economic problems. But people are very often blind, do not listen to their own hearts, leave their home, looking for happiness far from their relatives and friends. Antoine de Saint-Exupery did not write his fairy tale "The Little Prince" for fun. The analysis of the work carried out in this article, we hope, has convinced you of this. The writer addresses all of us, urging us to carefully look at those around us. After all, these are our friends. They must be protected, according to Antoine de Saint-Exupery ("The Little Prince"). We will finish the analysis of the work at this point. We invite readers to reflect on this story on their own and continue the analysis with their own observations.