Chapters XXII The chapters in which the narrator describes the princes journeyf r o m p l a n e t to planet are an example of a picaresque

n a r r a t i v e . Picaresque is a genre of episodic literature in w h i c h a p r o t a g o n i s t travels from place to place or has one adventure after another. In TheLittle Prince, each of the adults the prince encounters on the variousp l a n e t s h e v i s i t s s y m b o l i z e s a p a r t i c u l a r c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f a d u l t s i n general.T h e k i n g i s a p o l i t i c a l f i g u r e , b u t S a i n t - E x u p r y s a t i r i z e s t h e kings personality rather than the political system the king represents.Saint-Exupry emphasizes that the king is not a tyrant but simply aridiculous man who possesses a petty need for power and domination.The king, like the other characters the prince encounters, is very lonely.Yet the kings desire to rule so consumes him that he doesnt treat theprinces visit as an opportunity to lessen his loneliness. Instead, he triesto fit his visitor into his own distorted worldview by commanding the prince to serve as his minister of justice.Even though the king is a nice man who tailors his commands tosuit the little princes wishes, the prince objects on principle to the ideaof being commanded. The princes reaction to the king emphasizes theimportance of free will and taking responsibility for ones actions. Theprince refuses to judge others, and he refuses to do anything he has notwilled himself. Since the king points out that he always pardons the rat,it would be simple for the prince to please the king by condemning therat to death. Yet the prince refuses because the idea of condemnation bothers him. The prince reacts in a similar way when the king appointshim as his ambassador. The prince remains silent as he leaves, implicitlyrejecting this title. He then continues his travels on his own volition, notas a representative of the king. The vain mans sense of self-worth parallels the kings authorityi n i t s meaninglessness. Like the kings authority, the vain m a n s superiority depends on being alone. As long as he is the only man on theplanet, he is assured of being the most attractive man on the planet. Atthe same time, the vain mans sense of superiority depends on the praiseof visitors. These contradictions underscore Saint-Exuprys disdain forgrown-up life. He argues that adults, with their limited, unimaginativeviews, dont know what they truly need in their lives. The adults thelittle prince meets are capable of only pushing companionship awaywhen it presents itself.Though he is flawed, the drunkard is more sympathetic than theking and the vain man are. Unlike them, the drunkard seems somehowt r a p p e d a g a i n s t h i s w i l l . T h e f a c t t h a t h e d r i n k s t o f o r g e t that he isashamed of his drinking is absurd and irrational, but t h e f a c t t h a t shame plays such a big part in his actions indicates his awareness of his lifes emptiness. However, the drunkard shows himself to be just asmuch of a grown-up as the king and the conceited man are. The arrivalof the prince presents an opportunity for the drunkard to break the c y c l e , b u t instead the drunkard retreats into silence, as he is t o o stubborn and unwilling to address his serious problems. Chapters XIIIXV Instead of shaking his head and moving on as he does at the first three planets, the prince takes the time to express his disapproval of thebusinessmans way of life. The extra time he devotes to chastising thebusinessman shows that

the businessman epitomizes the flaws of thegrown-up world more than any other character. The prince astutelylikens the businessman to the drunkard. Both are so preoccupied bym e a n i n g l e s s p u r s u i t s that they have no time for visitors. T h e businessman is so riveted by the idea of ownership that he cannot, whenp r e s s e d , e v e n r e m e m b e r t h a t h i s p r o p e r t i e s a r e k n o w n a s stars. Theprince further demonstrates the shallowness of the businessmansenterprise by pointing out that the businessman is o f n o u s e t o h i s possessions.The prince admires the lamplighters commitment to his work,and he admires the work itself, which brings beauty into the universe.N e v e r t h e l e s s , the lamplighter d i s p l a y s s o m e g r o w n - u p v a l u e s . H e blindly follows orders that are obsolete, and he is unwilling to try the princes suggestion that he take a break by walking in the direction of the sun.The lamplighters actions are suggestive of religious worship. Hefollows mysterious orders from an invisible, outside power, which heserves with humility. His job of lighting and extinguishing suggests a kind of ritual observance, like the Jewish tradition of lighting Sabbathcandles or the role that candles commonly play in Christian worship. Insome ways, Saint-Exupry could be celebrating the power of religiousobservance and of giving oneself up to a higher power. Certainly, thel a m p l i g h t e r s d e v o t i o n t o h i s p r o f e s s i o n i s n o b l e r t h a n t h e businessmans devotion to his possessions.N o n e t h e l e s s , the l a m p l i g h t e r i s a t r a g i c f i g u r e . A m o n g o t h e r things, he is a victim of circumstance. His planet is too small for otherpeople, so he is doomed to be without companionship. He is also tiredand expresses his great desire to sleep. The lamplighters main afflictionis his inability to gain satisfaction from his work. Like many people whoo b s e r v e r e l i g i o u s r i t e s , t h e l a m p l i g h t e r c a r r i e s o u t h i s l i g h t i n g r i t e s because he has been told to, but he never gives them the reflection thatis necessary for true enlightenment. In the world of The Little Prince,sadness is a part of admirable lives in the same way that the baobabsare an unavoidable danger that is part of the natural world.Like the lamplighter, the geographers understanding of duty andprofession is flawed. He claims to know everything, but he knows veryl i t t l e because he so rigidly refuses to explore for himself. T h e geographer has the means to be a man of some genuine importance, buthis blind adherence to an arbitrary rule about what geographers aresupposed to do makes him as shallow as the other grown-ups.However, the geographers lesson about the ephemerality of the rosem a k e s h i m a k e y character. The geographer sees the f l o w e r s ephemerality as a sign that the rose is unimportant, but for the littleprince, it makes the rose even more special. When he realizes how mucht h e rose needs him, the little prince experiences his first moment o f regret. His love for the rose hinges on her dependence on him, so thep r e s s u r e s o f t i m e a n d d e a t h m a k e t h e p r i n c e v a l u e h e r a l l t h e m o r e . Because the rose will one day die, it is all the more important for theprince that he love her while he can