A Guidebook to Life

Everyone’s life is a journey. Some journeys might be dramatic, some might be difficult, and some even might be dangerous. But all these paths ultimately lead to a promised treasure. In The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupéry, the naïve, curious Prince goes on a journey of self-discovery, encountering different people and animals, and finally discovers the secret of life. When I am in my darkest times, I seek the Prince’s realizations to enlighten myself. The heart-warming novel is a guide on how one should face the complexities of life, including challenges, faith, and experiences, and how to live the best out of it.

Setbacks are inevitable but at the same time helpful. Proud of his precious flower, the Prince faces his greatest disappointment when he stumbles upon the rose garden: the realization that his rose is not unique. His past effort of taking care of his special flower suddenly becomes worthless. The disillusionment is so great that the always-optimistic, cheerful Prince “lay down in the grass and cried” (78). The description seems brief, but because of the sharp contrast established, the Prince’s immeasurable sorrow bleeds out of the words. The realization that we are not unique, not the center of the world, and not able to achieve whatever we want is traumatizing. Disillusioned, many of us are plunged into the abyss of self-doubt, never able to reach back to the ground. Yet, like the Prince, we should ultimately take the nightmare as a lesson, discovering more about ourselves. Those who can recover from setbacks are the true masters of their life, and only they can fully appreciate the value of self-realization.

Hope, another recurring theme of the novel, exists everywhere, waiting to be discovered and guiding people to their goals. It just seems impossible when the narrator and the Prince try to find drinkable water in the desert. On the verge of giving up, the Prince comments: “‘What makes the desert beautiful… is that somewhere it hides a well’”(93). Indeed, as absurd as it may be to look for a water source in an immense desert, this exact dim hope rekindles the survival will of the narrator, leading him to discover the water he needs. The toil that the narrator experiences, because of the hope, makes the reward ever so enriching. To him, the water in the well is sweeter than any other water elsewhere because “its sweetness is born of the walk under the stars, the song of the pulley, the effort of [his] arms” (96). When we are pursuing dreams, there will be grave occasions in which all hope seems lost, that our goals are absurd and we will never be able to achieve them. It’s fine to feel exhausted, but not defeated. There is always a silver lining. If we endure the hardship, we will harvest fruits that are sweeter than anyone would have imagined.

What makes life beautiful is the effort and experience that each individual goes through. To the Prince, the narrator could have been just another human on Earth, boring and odd, but because the two have spent time together and understand each other, the narrator has “tamed” the Prince, forging a deep friendship. Upon departure, the Prince tells the narrator “‘you— only you— will have stars that can laugh!’” (104). Because of the journey they went through, the heartbreaking departure is not dreadful, but instead creates a precious memory, a memory that only belongs to the narrator. This is what makes life beautiful. Too often we care about superficial matters such as reputation and appearance but have not tried to create memories with others. The superficial fame will eventually be obsolete, yet the memories created last forever.

“What is essential is invisible to the eye,” declares the fox (87). It is true. Challenges, hope, and experiences are all things that people cannot directly observe, and because of this, many have long neglected their importance. These people eventually will lose their direction and don’t know why. Yet, there is still time to fully appreciate these invisible aspects of life. It is never too late for one to start living a meaningful life.