Is the little prince Jesus Christ remains one of the most popular questions among readers of Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s famous book. Who is Little Prince has always been a debatable matter. From child within us, over the real boy from Bedouin tribe who got lost in the desert, up to the Christian savior himself.
Could Little Prince Be The Manifestation of Christian Messiah?
In order to understand the true nature of Little Prince, we must first analyze the writer. Antoine de Saint-Exupery was born to a Catholic aristocratic family as a third out of five children. During world war one, together with his younger 15-year-old brother Francois, he was attending Marianist College Villa in Fribourg, Switzerland. It was the private catholic school in which his brother got a rheumatic fever that eventually killed him. Antoine took care of his brother who, interestingly, had blondie hair much similar to the little prince.
These just stated facts imply that Antoine was in contact with Christian religion during his early age which makes it very likely that he adopted the philosophy of Jesus Christ as a feature of a savior. And one of the main traits of Jesus Christ is his awareness of life after death.
Was Little Prince Really Jesus?
The little prince appeared to the writer when he was in a life and death situation – a plane crash in the middle of the desert. He said he came from a star far away. His whole story seemed unbelievable. The most important part of the little prince is that he was a child. It is because only a child can be completely innocent and pure. Those are the features of the Christian messiah. However, there is more. At the end of the book, the little prince dies.
During his journey over the earth, Little Prince meets plants and animals. He can speak with all of them. It is another trait suitable for the Christian savior. A poisonous snake becomes one of his new acquaintances. We all know that snake is the symbol of the Devil. But it does not attack him. The snake feels pity for the little prince and even offers him, if he gets too sad on this planet, to help him go back to where he came from. It is how the novel ends. Little Prince wants to get back to his beloved flower who is waiting for him on his home star. But the prince’s body is just too heavy and he must release himself from it to reach his true home. It is why he allows the snake to bite him. Many people perceive this act as a suicide which would exclude the possibility of the little prince being Jesus Christ. However, is that really so?
Did Little Prince Kill Himself?
When speaking to the snake and arranging his return home the little prince doesn’t think of death at all. Some interpretations claim that the Little Prince believes in life after death which is another big similarity between him and the messiah. But for the little prince leaving his body has nothing to do with death. It is only another step in life that will allow the reunion with what he truly loves. Therefore, we see that what the boy believes in is eternal life. And this is one of the core motives in Christianity. Souls are immortal and are going to exist forever. A body is merely a temple for the immortal infinity God gave to human beings. And material life is just another stage of our existence. All this is part of the little prince’s understanding that induces him to accept the poisonous bite as a ride home.
Additional Interesting Motives
Together with the earth, the little prince visits seven planets. According to Bible, seven is the number that symbolizes perfection. While the next statement has nothing to do with Christianity it is interesting to note that there are seven chakras as well. However, if we add little prince’s home planet into consideration we have the number eight that symbolizes infinity. All these numbers imply that the Little Prince is a creature of high spirituality and with a very tight bond with his true nature that the Creator himself gave him.
Did Little Prince Resurrect?
Another very interesting question relating to the book ending is if the little prince resurrected. The writer tried to shoot at the snake but he missed. It was already late. Prince fell into his arms and passed away. But the next day his body inexplicably disappeared. The writer looked for it but there was no way he could find it. While there are numerous skeptics that are going to say the dehydration did its part and made him incapable of clearly seeing what is ahead, there are always those believers that will call it a resurrection. The outcome in the Little Prince book is almost the same as it was with Jesus’s resurrection. The difference is that, according to the story, the messiah was seen raising in the sky while the little prince remained shy. He went during the night while the writer was sleeping. It is the real reason he was unseen.
Characters Meaning
On his journey before arriving on our home planet the little prince encounters:
- King
- Conceited man
- Drunkard
- Businessman
- Lump-lighter
- Geographer
While these people are not a representation of sin which is to be expected if the story is related to Jesus Christ, they are a perfect example of how people can miss their whole lives. And mess it with different obsessions. King, for example, has the urge to order and control. And he wants to see his orders filled so strongly that he doesn’t even dare to give an order someone might not be able to fill. So, he commands the sun to fall at sunset and rise at dawn. A conceited man is so in love with himself that he believes everyone is his admirer. What is very interesting is that all of the characters perceive existence through their nature as the whole universe was built on their own image.
Lamp-lighter is a little different from them. He is the only one the Little Prince deems worthy of a friendship. It is because he is very responsible and wants to follow the regulations. However, to blindly follow something and never question it is one of the worst ways people can spend their lives. The little prince would stay but the planet is way too small for two people. It can barely carry a lamplighter. But it is also the only planet that makes the little prince sad because he has to leave. On it, he could watch more than 1000 sunsets a day. The businessman is obsessed with counting and possession so much that he can’t seize the beauty of stars. And geographer who launches the journey of the little prince to planet earth knows every place and has all the maps but had never been anywhere himself.
Maybe the reason for the little prince meeting all those people is inspiring a change in them. However, grown-ups rarely change. Regardless if we choose to observe the little prince as Jesus Christ or not, the right question to ask is: What can save humanity if not the innocence of a child that got lost deep within?
