The Little Prince: The Big Lesson

Abstract

The Little Prince, a theoretical parable in itself, is capable of evoking emotions related to oneself and the societal fabric of existence in an eloquent manner. This research paper talks about The Little Prince in terms of childhood, identity, and society in the Indian context. How being busy in modern times is confounded with being productive is questioned in this paper. The notion of how development is usually understood is problematic. It is important to understand that a child is not something to be raised. Only learning from experience, freedom, and responsibility is to be fostered. The Little Prince takes us from formality to authenticity. The way of the little prince is not philosophy. His way of life is philosia, where philo means “love” and ousia means “truth.” The Little Prince reminds us that truth is not an escape, but rather the awareness of escape.It is to be noted that childhood as a cultural construction comes out to be a human choice, and the consciousness of childhood comes out to be cultural. Much of childhood remains ununderstood in terms of playing and balancing the cathartic threads of psychoanalysis, culture, and society. Through a psychosocial lens, this paper sheds light on how something hidden is always hyper-present, presenting itself by showing what it shows.