Exupery the little prince meaning. Analysis of the work "The Little Prince"

“The Little Prince” was born in 1943, in America, where Antoine de Saint-Exupéry fled from Nazi-occupied France. An unusual fairy tale, equally well received by both children and adults, turned out to be relevant not only during the Second World War. Today she is still read by people trying to find answers to questions in The Little Prince. eternal questions about the meaning of life, the essence of love, the price of friendship, the necessity of death.

By form- a story consisting of twenty-seven parts, according to plot- a fairy tale about magical adventures The handsome prince, who left his native kingdom because of unhappy love, art organization– a parable – simple in speech execution (it’s very easy to learn from “The Little Prince” French) and complex in terms of philosophical content.

main idea fairy tales-parables - statement true values human existence. home antithesis– sensory and rational perception of the world. The first is typical for children and those rare adults who have not lost their childish purity and naivety. The second is the prerogative of adults, firmly rooted in the world of rules they themselves created, often absurd even from the point of view of reason.

The appearance of the Little Prince on Earth symbolizes the birth of a person who comes into our world with a pure soul and a loving heart, open to friendship. Return fairy tale hero home occurs through real death, coming from the venom of a desert snake. The physical death of the Little Prince embodies the Christian idea about eternal life a soul that can go to Heaven only by leaving its bodily shell on earth. The fairy-tale hero's annual stay on Earth correlates with the idea spiritual growth a person learning to make friends and love, care for and understand others.

The image of the Little Prince based on fairy-tale motifs and the image of the author of the work - a representative of an impoverished noble family, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who in childhood bore the nickname “Sun King”. The little boy with golden hair is the soul of the author who never grew up. The meeting of an adult pilot with his child self occurs in one of the most tragic moments of his life - a plane crash in the Sahara Desert. The author, balancing on the brink of life and death, learns the story of the Little Prince while repairing the plane and not only talks to him, but also goes together to the well, and even carries his subconscious in his arms, giving him the features of a real character, different from him.

The relationship between the Little Prince and Rose is an allegorical depiction of love and the difference in its perception between a man and a woman. Capricious, proud, beautiful Rose manipulates her lover until she loses power over him. Tender, timid, believing in what he is told, the Little Prince suffers cruelly from the beauty’s frivolity, not immediately realizing that he had to love her not for words, but for deeds - for that wonderful aroma that she gave him, for all that the joy she brought into his life.

Having seen five thousand Roses on Earth, the space traveler becomes desperate. He was almost disappointed in his flower, but the Fox, who met him on the way in time, explains to the hero the truths long forgotten by people: that you need to look with your heart, and not with your eyes, and to be responsible for those you have tamed.

Art Fox image- an allegorical image of friendship, born from habit, love and the desire to be needed by someone. In an animal’s understanding, a friend is someone who fills his life with meaning: destroys boredom, allows him to see the beauty of the world around him (comparing the Little Prince’s golden hair with ears of wheat) and cry when parting. The little prince learns the lesson given to him well. Saying goodbye to life, he thinks not about death, but about his friend. Fox image in the story it also correlates with the biblical Serpent-tempter: for the first time the hero meets him under an apple tree, the animal shares with the boy knowledge about the most important basics of life- love and friendship. As soon as the Little Prince comprehends this knowledge, he immediately acquires mortality: he appeared on Earth traveling from planet to planet, but he can leave it only by abandoning his physical shell.

In the role fairytale monsters in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's story, adults appear, whom the author snatches from the general mass and places each on his own planet, which encloses a person within itself and, as if under a magnifying glass, shows his essence. The desire for power, ambition, drunkenness, love of wealth, stupidity are the most characteristic features of adults. Exupery presents the common vice of all as activity/life that is devoid of meaning: the king from the first asteroid rules over nothing and gives only those orders that his fictitious subjects can carry out; the ambitious person values ​​no one but himself; the drunkard is unable to escape the vicious circle of shame and drinking; business man endlessly adding up the stars and finding joy not in their light, but in their value, which can be written on paper and deposited in a bank; The old geographer is mired in theoretical conclusions that have nothing in common with the practical science of geography. The only one reasonable person, from the point of view of the Little Prince, in this row of adults looks like a lamplighter, whose craft is useful to others and beautiful in its essence. Perhaps this is why it loses its meaning on a planet where the day lasts one minute, and on Earth electric lighting is already in full swing.

The story about the boy who came from the stars is written in a touching and bright style. She's all permeated sunlight, which can be found not only in the hair and yellow scarf of the Little Prince, but also in the endless sands of the Sahara, ears of wheat, the orange Fox and the yellow Snake. The latter is immediately recognized by the reader as Death, because it is she who is inherent in a power greater than "than in the king's finger", opportunity "carry further than any ship" and ability to decide "all the riddles". The snake shares with the Little Prince his secret of knowing people: when the hero complains about loneliness in the desert, she says that "among people too" It happens "alone".

The content of “The Little Prince” is difficult to convey, because either you need to write one line, since the scenery for all the dialogues of the characters in the story is simple, or you need to rewrite the entire book, if not word for word, then a few sentences for each chapter. It’s better to quote in whole paragraphs. In a nutshell, these are Exupery's memories of the Little Prince and the several days they spent together, lost in the Sahara Desert, until the death (or liberation) of the Prince.

Star Boy met typical characters during his journey and talked with them and the author (the book is written in the first person). Love for one's only life partner is the main theme. "The Little Prince" also appeals to the most issues of concern human existence. If you list them in a list, it will seem boring - so much has already been written. Fear of death, confrontation between fathers and sons, materialism, the world of childhood - who will be surprised by another fairy tale about all this? What is the amazing secret of the popularity of the story "The Little Prince"? A review of it can be briefly expressed as follows: it is among the ten most published works of art of the twentieth century.

Genre

As Exupery himself admits at the beginning of the book, he finds it difficult to determine the genre of “The Little Prince,” calling the book a fairy tale. There is a generally accepted classification for literary works, which is focused on plot, volume and content. "The Little Prince", according to her, is a story. In a narrower sense, it is an allegorical story-fairy tale with illustrations by the author himself.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and the Little Prince

The story is largely autobiographical. But not in literally, although in Exupery’s life there were long flights, plane crashes, disastrous desert and thirst. This is the book because the Little Prince is Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, only in childhood. Nowhere is this stated directly.

But throughout the story, Exupery mourns his childhood dreams. Easily, without drama, even with some humor, he retells comical stories from his interactions with older relatives in childhood. He would like to remain the child that he is new friend, but gave in and grew into a down-to-earth and pragmatic pilot. This is such an oxymoron. A pilot who is forced to return to a sinful, war-torn earth from the sky, and his soul still yearns for the stars. After all, all adults were children at first, but few of them remember this.

Rose

Consuelo, the author's wife, is the prototype of the Capricious Rose. The main character of the story is simple-minded, if not narrow-minded, beautiful and very inconsistent, probably like all women. If you choose one word to describe her character - manipulator. The prince saw through all her tricks and cunning, but cared about his beauty.

Reviews of Consuelo de Saint-Exupéry, of course, cannot be so one-sided. One thing speaks of her generosity, that, despite frequent life Apart from each other and the constant fear of the death of her desperately brave pilot husband, she remained with him. His character was difficult. Not in the sense of anger and aggression, but precisely in excessive openness, which numerous mistresses took advantage of. Despite all this, the marriage did not break up until death separated them. After many years, their correspondence was published, from which it is clearly clear that Consuelo was Exupery’s muse, the haven where his soul took refuge. And although the temperament of Consuelo herself, whom her friends called the “Salvadoran volcano,” did not always fit into the image of a quiet home, the love between them was all-forgiving.

Book publication

It seems that the book was easy for Exupery. But the translator of the first edition into English, Lewis Galantier, recalled that he rewrote each sheet of the manuscript many times. He also drew wonderful gouache pictures for the story. Exupery wrote the book at a time of acute political confrontation throughout the world - Nazi Germany started World War II. This tragedy resonated vividly in the soul and heart of the patriot. He said that he would defend France and could not stay away from the battlefield. Despite all the attempts of friends and superiors to protect the already popular writer from hardships and danger, Exupery achieved enrollment in a combat squadron.

In 1943, the book was published in the United States in English, where the writer was then living in New York, forced to leave German-occupied France. And immediately after this, the story was published in French - the author’s native language. Only three years later, “The Little Prince” was published in Exupery’s homeland; the author had been dead for two years. And Exupery, and Tolkien, and Clive Lewis created amazing fantasy tales. All of them worked in the first half of the terrible twentieth century for Europe. But they never learned how much their works influenced generations after their lives.

Drunkard

The miracle created by Exupery in The Little Prince is the dialogue between the heroes and the Prince. The conversation with the Drunkard on the next planet on the boy’s journey, very short compared to others, is a clear example of this. Just four questions and answers, but this is the best summary of the theory of the vicious circle of guilt, known psychological phenomenon, on the explanation and justification of which eminent psychologists spent many pages, but it was necessary to include a quote from “The Little Prince” in their works.

This is the best therapy for addicted people. The language of the story is simple and clear, but mercilessly reveals the full depth of the problem, causes pain and heals. This is the magic of the book “The Little Prince” - a deep disclosure of the most hidden but pressing problems of all humanity through the example of one conversation with one individual. It is not customary to talk about these difficulties of the human race publicly or with children.

Blind leading the blind

And these dialogues are conducted by a child and different adults. The little prince and the heroes are blind people who also want to teach others about life, and they are pure children. The child is merciless in his questions, hits where it hurts, sees the point. At the same time, he only asks the right questions. Most of the opposing characters remain blind and continue to lecture everyone around them, not seeing their own weakness.

But the reader of the story begins to see the light and recognizes himself in one or another character. The author of "The Little Prince" also begins his path to the light.

Lamplighter

The lamplighter is the only representative of the adult world who, although grumpy, is a positive character. He is true to his word, even if he no longer needs to fulfill it. But still, after meeting him, there remains an aftertaste of doubt and hope. It seems that it is not so wise to blindly follow a promise that has lost its meaning. Although the Lamplighter’s sacrifice is respectable. But examples of mothers come to mind who burn for their children, but suffocate them with love, never ceasing to complain about fatigue, doing nothing to find an opportunity to rest. And yet, every time a lantern star lights up, there is hope that someone will look at it. The prince especially singled him out among all his acquaintances from different planets, appreciating the beauty of his work.

Fox

The most famous quote"The Little Prince" belongs to this character. “You are forever responsible for those you tamed!” - he said to the Prince. The Fox is the source of the main lesson the Prince learned. They met after the bitter disappointment of the main character - the beautiful Rose turned out to be one of five thousand of the same, an unremarkable flower with bad character. The distressed child lay down on the grass and cried. After meeting with the Fox, the Prince realized that it was important for him to return to his small asteroid to his beloved Rose. This is his responsibility to her, and to fulfill his duty, he must die.

Second important truth, which the Fox revealed to his new friend: only the heart is vigilant, but with your eyes you cannot see the main thing. It was after a conversation with the Fox that the Prince repented of his attitude towards Rose and realized that it was in vain to take her words to heart. You had to love her for who she is, without being offended by simple-minded antics.

Geographer and others

It is worth being grateful to the Geographer at least for telling the Prince about the Earth. As for the rest, he is another chicane who believed that his work was fundamental and eternal. They are all alike - these stupid, important, over-aged people. Businessman, Ambitionist, King, Geographer - these heroes of "The Little Prince" with a significant air did useless things and could not stop and think. “But no, I’m a serious person, I don’t have time!” One word - adults.

A planet with a good reputation

This is the review given by the Geographer in “The Little Prince” about planet Earth. Exupery is much less enthusiastic about her and is ironic. Two billion adults who are bloated with their own importance are lighter than emptiness compared to their big planet.

Yellow snake

Snake is the first Living being, which the Little Prince met on Earth. She is death itself. It is so poisonous that after its bite life lasts half a minute. Amazing collective image. Speaks in riddles, like a sphinx. The snake is the image of the ancient tempter from the Bible, who sowed death and is still doing this. An evil, harmful creature who took pity on the Prince. But only for the time being, having predicted that they would meet again, and the pure Boy from the Star would look for her of his own free will.

The Prince learns, the reader learns

After each meeting of the Little Prince, the reader comprehends a new truth about himself. The prince also went traveling to study. Only two facts are directly stated in the book - he became unhappy due to the nagging of Capricious Rose and decided to travel with migratory birds. There is an impression that he was tired of his beauty and ran away. But, although she thought so and apologized before his departure for his bad behavior, the reason for his departure was the search for knowledge.

What did he learn at the end of the journey? He learned to love his beautiful, but the only prickly flower in the whole world with difficult character. This is the most the main idea“The Little Prince” - to love the only one who was sent to you by fate, despite everything, even the bad in him. So that love makes him perfect.

Fathers and Sons

Another main idea of ​​the Little Prince is the confrontation between the worlds of adults and children. The first is represented mainly by its worst members - from the drunkard to the greedy. He is openly condemned by Exupery, whose childhood memories are sad. The older he got, the more he hid his inner world, learning to be “like everyone else.” He constantly emphasizes that being an adult and being a hypocrite are the same thing. The adult world constantly surprised the Prince throughout the story. It's thin and significant moment“The prince was amazed and did not always understand, and once he became angry to tears, but he never condemned anyone. And it really helps to let yourself inside your heart and take lessons from it. Both children and adults learn better and happily change for the better only in an atmosphere of trust and acceptance.

Christian parallels

To broaden your horizons and perceive new ideas that, due to a different worldview, do not come to mind naturally, it is interesting to read the review of “The Little Prince” by Christians.

The book "The Little Prince" is similar to the Bible in its allegorical nature. She also teaches gently and unobtrusively, through parables. As daring as it may sound, at times the Prince resembles Christ. But this is not surprising. When the Lord was asked to name the most important person in the Heavenly Kingdom, he placed a two-year-old child in front of a crowd of arguing men. The prince, as a collective image, absorbed all the childish spontaneity, openness, trust, and defenselessness.

Exupery's last conversation with the Little Prince on the topic of death as liberation from the shackles of the body is sad and bright. A light, weightless soul flies to a better world (to the place desired by the Prince - to his Rose). The prince teaches an over-aged pilot lost in the desert that there is no need to be afraid of death.

It's worth spending just a little time reading this wonderful piece of art, but you should prepare to meet the reflection of your soul. Because best review about "The Little Prince" - this is a mirror of the heart, because the most important thing can only be seen by it.

The work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery “The Little Prince” is rightfully considered a real pearl of world literature of the twentieth century. An incredibly touching story teaches not only children, but also adults love, friendship, responsibility, and empathy. We invite you to get acquainted with literary analysis works according to a plan that will be useful in preparing for the Unified State Exam and literature lessons in the 6th grade.

Brief Analysis

Year of writing– 1942.

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

Subject– 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 fairy tale-parable.

Direction– Realism.

History of creation

An unusual fairy tale, which has resonated with 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 involved in a plane crash. The accident occurred 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 found itself in the grip of fascism, resulted in a fairy tale, the main character of which was a little boy.

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

The work was first published in 1943 in the USA and was dedicated to the writer’s friend, Leon Werth, a famous Jewish journalist and literary critic, who suffered endless persecution during the war. Thus, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 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.

Subject

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

The author is sad that the inhabitants of these planets do not even try to go beyond the boundaries of their familiar little worlds and find an answer to the eternal question of the meaning of life - they are quite satisfied with the usual framework of life. But only in search is the truth born, as the main character proves by returning to his beloved Rose at the end of the story.

The writer worries and problems of friendship and love. He not only reveals these burning topics, but also conveys to readers the need for 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, who remains alive only thanks to his efforts.

The all-consuming evil is represented in the work with the help of baobab trees, which can quickly absorb all life on the planet if they are not regularly uprooted. This bright image, which has absorbed everything human vices, with which you need to tirelessly fight throughout your life.

The main idea of ​​the work lies in the phrase: “Loving does not mean looking at each other, it means looking in the same direction.” You need to learn to trust people, be responsible for your loved ones, and not turn a blind eye to what is happening around you - this is what the famous fairy tale teaches.

Composition

In the work “The Little Prince”, the analysis is based not only on revealing the main themes, but also on describing compositional structure. It is based on the technique of dialogue and travel central characters- the narrator and the Little Prince. Revealed in the fairy tale two storylines is the story of a pilot-narrator, and the directly related theme of the reality of “adult” people, and the life story of the Little Prince.

Over the course of the 27 chapters that make up the book, friends travel around planets, meet different heroes, both positive and outright negative.

The time spent together opens up previously unexplored horizons for them. Their close communication allows them 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 tale-parables, in which reality and fiction are surprisingly intertwined. Behind the fantastic fairy tale story real human relationships, emotions, experiences are hidden in the best possible way.

A fairy tale in the form of a parable is the most popular crossing literary genres. Traditionally, the fairy tale is instructive in nature, but affects readers in a soft and unobtrusive manner. In essence, a fairy tale is a reflection real life, but only reality is conveyed through fiction.

The genre of parable was also chosen by the writer for a reason. Thanks to him, he was able to boldly and simply express his views on the moral problems of our time. The parable becomes a kind of conductor of the author’s thoughts into the world of the reader. In his work, he talks about the meaning of life, friendship, love, responsibility. Thus, the fairy tale-parable acquires deep philosophical overtones.

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

Dudar Ksenia

“There are books that last forever. They are good advisers, mentors and friends. If such a book comes into life, you will not be alone. I have such books. Some grow with me, others came into my life relatively recently. It’s amazing that As a person grows up, the meaning of the works he reads changes. A book by a wonderful writer led me to this idea. French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery "The Little Prince". "

Download:

Preview:

"Why do the stars shine"

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

"A little prince")

I wish I knew why the stars shine

He said thoughtfully.

(Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince)

1. Introduction

There are books that last forever. They are good advisers, mentors and friends. If such a book comes into your life, you will not be alone. I have such books. Some grow with me, others entered my life relatively recently. It is surprising that as a person grows up, the meaning of the works he reads changes. The book of the wonderful French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, “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 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 its presentation, designed for children, with that special atmosphere of spirituality inherent in this fairy tale, the shortage of which is so acutely felt these days.

Children are also close to the vision of the author’s ideal in a child’s soul. Only in children does Exupery see the most valuable, unclouded foundation of human existence. For only children know how to see things in their true light, regardless of their “practical benefits”!

Listening to the Little Prince's reasoning and 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, the little boy learns about the world, and I along with him.

This fairy tale makes you think about many things, 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 has worried, worries and will continue to worry people. If they know how to 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 grains of wisdom from the Books of the Great. And one of them is “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.

The purpose of my workis a consideration of the problem of the meaning of human life, based on the work of the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry “The Little Prince”.

When working on this topic, the following questions were raised: tasks:

consider the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry “The Little Prince”;

• 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;
• trace views on the problem of the meaning of life in philosophy and religion;
• consider the views of two age categories on this problem, based on a survey;
• analyze the results obtained;
• compare own point view with the findings and ideas of the book.

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

1) intellectual baggage (assistance in passing the Unified State Examination);

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

2) “vaccination” against suicide;

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

3) a step towards Orthodoxy;

The work "The Little Prince" touches on many important topics, which sound in unison with Christianity. They forced me into Once again understand that God is Love.

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

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

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

After graduating from college, he was preparing to enter the Naval Academy. But the career of a brilliant naval officer did not materialize. A young man obsessed with writing failed his literature exam. Even then it was obvious to Antoine: he could only write about what he personally experienced. “Before you write, you need to live,” he later remarked.

Aviation and literature entered Antoine’s life almost simultaneously. One day he was asked directly: what does he prefer - flying or writing? 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 ordinary people with an active, active life, life among storms, dangers, lightning, a life inspired by the high goal of serving people and progress. His whole life passed under this worthy motto.

“...I chose to work to the max and, since you always have to push yourself to the limit, I won’t back down. I just wish this vile war would end before I fade away 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, military pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry died while carrying out his last combat mission. For a long time he was considered missing. Only in the 50s, a document was found in the diary of a former German officer confirming his death.

Exupery was making a reconnaissance flight; there was no machine gun on board. Saint-Exupéry found himself defenseless against the fascist fighter. The plane caught fire and began to descend towards the sea...

Saint-Exupery left us completely unnoticed, but is it really so complete?

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-Exupery created his best work during the war, in 1942. “The Little Prince” is the most widely read fairy tale in the world for children and adults. It’s surprising, because not every book can interest seemingly such opposite ages.

In my opinion, the answer 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 the 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 picture of a snake swallowing 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 quit this nonsense - according to them, he should have studied more geography, history, arithmetic and spelling. So the boy refused brilliant career artist. He had to choose a different profession: he grew up and became a pilot, but still showed his first drawing to those adults who seemed to him smarter and more understanding than the others - and everyone answered that it was a hat. It was impossible to talk heart to heart with them - about boa constrictors, the jungle and the 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 there was only enough water left for a week. At dawn, the pilot was awakened by a thin voice - a tiny baby with golden hair, who somehow ended up in the desert, asked him to draw a lamb for him. The astonished pilot did not dare refuse, especially since his new friend was the only one who was able to see the boa constrictor swallowing the elephant in the first drawing. It gradually became clear that the Little Prince had arrived from a planet called “asteroid B-612”.

The whole 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, and also weeded out baobab sprouts. 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, simply moving the chair after the sun. Everything changed when a wonderful rose appeared on his planet. She was a beauty with thorns - proud, touchy and simple-minded. The little prince fell in love with her, but the rose seemed capricious, cruel and arrogant to him - he was too young then and did not understand how this flower illuminated his life. And so the Little Prince cleaned out last time his volcanoes, tore out the baobab sprouts, and then said goodbye to his flower, who only at the moment of farewell admitted that he loved him.

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

On the sixth planet there lived a geographer. And since he was a geographer, he was supposed to ask travelers about the countries from which they came 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 live long. Only then did the Little Prince realize that his beauty would soon disappear, and he left her alone, without protection and help! But the resentment had not yet passed, and the Little Prince moved on, but he only thought about his abandoned flower.

The seventh was Earth - a very difficult planet! Suffice it to say that there are one hundred and eleven kings, seven thousand geographers, nine hundred thousand businessmen, seven and a half million drunkards, three hundred and eleven million ambitious people - 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 regretted his planet. And the Fox taught him to be friends. Anyone can tame someone and become their friend, but you always need to be responsible for those you tame. 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 she promised. The kid told the pilot that it would only look like death, so there was no need to be sad - let the pilot remember it while looking at the night sky. And when the Little Prince laughs, it will seem to the pilot 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 better understand the problem of the meaning of life.

Previously, I opened the textbook by R. Januskevicius, O. Januskevicien. “Fundamentals of Morality”, monographs by Solovyov V.S. “Justification of Good”, Trubetskoy E.N. “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 a relevant 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 determining the ultimate goal of existence, the purpose of humanity, man as a biological species, one of the basic ideological concepts that is of great importance for the formation of the spiritual and moral image of an individual.

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

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 being solved, lifestyle, worldview, specific historical situation.

Philosophical vision of the problem

Subjecting to a theoretical analysis of the ideas of mass consciousness about the meaning of life, many philosophers proceeded from the recognition of a certain unchangeable “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 encyclopedist Aristotle, for example, believed that the goal of all human actions is happiness (eudaimonia), which consists in the realization of the essence of man.

Epicurus and his followers proclaimed the goal human life receiving pleasure (hedonism), understood not only as sensual pleasure, but also as relief from physical pain, mental anxiety, suffering, and 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). The life ideal of the Stoics is equanimity and calmness in relation to external and internal irritants

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 must 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 reason, continues in weakness and dies by accident... Absurd that we were born, it is absurd that we will die

Nihilism

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche characterized nihilism as the emptying of the world and especially human existence of meaning, purpose, intelligible truth or essential value. Nihilism denies the claims of knowledge and truth, and explores the meaning of existence without knowable truth. Nihilism, taken to an extreme state, turns into pragmatism, the denial of what is unhelpful and irrational in relation to one’s own body, serving to satisfy basic human needs; in recognition that the best thing you can 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 different from these things.

Pragmatism

William James

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

Arthur Schopenhauer

The 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer defined human life as a manifestation of a certain world will: it seems to people that they are acting according to at will, but in fact they are driven by someone else's will. According to Schopenhauer, life is a hell in which a fool pursues pleasures and comes to disappointment, and a wise man, 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 only lead to the fact that one suffering is replaced by another, while the satisfaction of basic life needs only results in satiety and boredom.

Religious approaches and theories

Most religions embrace and express certain concepts about the meaning of life, offering metaphysical reasons to explain 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 personal God would agree that God is the One “in whom we live, move, have our being.”

The meaning of life from a Christian point of view

The true meaning of life is 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 the eternal abode by Jesus Christ. And although we still continue to live on earth, we are with God in spirit - we are His children, heirs of a beautiful eternity. Then our life is completely renewed, we are born again - the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, dwells in us - we overcome sin with the Power from Above, 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 cannot be “invented.”

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

Seraphim of Sarovin 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 goal of our Christian life is not in doing them alone, although they serve as necessary means for achieving 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 imperfect intentionally - so that man, with the help of the Almighty, would raise himself and the world on higher levels perfection.

The meaning of any person’s life is to serve the Creator, even in the most everyday affairs - when a person eats, sleeps, satisfies natural needs, performs marital duty - he must do this with the thought that he is taking care of the body - in order to be able to serve the Creator with complete dedication.

The meaning of human life is to contribute to the establishment of the kingdom of the Almighty over the world, to reveal its light to all peoples of the world.

Islam

Islam implies special treatment between man and God - “commitment to God”, “submission 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 so that they would 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 Gracious, Merciful and Forgiving. People must completely surrender themselves to Him, be submissive and humble, and always and in everything rely only on the will and mercy of Allah. At the same time, a person is responsible for his actions - both righteous and unrighteous. For their actions, each person will receive retribution at the Judgment, to which Allah will subject everyone, resurrecting them from the dead. The righteous will go to heaven, but the sinners will face severe punishment in hell.

Buddhism

According to the teachings of the Buddha, the dominant, integral property of every person’s life is suffering (dukkha), and the meaning and highest goal life is the cessation of suffering. The source of suffering is human desires. It is considered possible to stop suffering only after achieving 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 and seek, but I believe that the meaning of any person’s life is to serve the Creator, that Christianity, namely Orthodoxy, helps a person consider himself a servant of God and be happy because of it.

5. 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” to a diamond with many facets: you just want to hold it in your hands longer, examining the gem 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 they were once children too, and teaches them to see with their hearts, because “you can’t see the most important things with your eyes.”

We can talk endlessly about the wisdom of each chapter of the fairy tale.

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

They are strangers 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 world, fenced off from the rest (each has their own planet!) and consider it true meaning being! These faceless masks will never know what it is true love, friendship and beauty

For some, flaws dominate in their souls, like the dream of power in a king, selfishness and narcissism in an ambitious man, and some tell us about true moral values like the fox about friendship and love, the lamplighter about dedication. In the images of the Little Prince and the Pilot, on whose behalf the story is 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: for them it is important whether he likes to catch butterflies, and they are not at all interested in how old someone is. The pilot is a man who has retained the pure soul of a child within himself; he has not lost his childish spontaneity. The true gift of a person, his talent, can only be understood by people with an open heart. The little prince finds a friend in the person of the Pilot, because they understand each other without words and are ready to reveal all the secrets of their souls.

The character of the Little Prince clearly captures the Christian ideas of childhood purity, openness and meekness. “Be like children” - to psychologists, even those farthest from Christianity, this phrase is clear as day. The fact is that until the age of seven, a child’s consciousness is not able to separate itself and the world. I am the whole world, and the whole world is me. A child's consciousness is not limited and expressive; it contains absolutely everything. Life, like a whole apple, is beautiful in its inseparability and simplicity. Therefore, it is necessary to remember that by offending a child, we offend the world; By giving him joy, we paint the world with thousands of colors.

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

The little prince lives in secluded corner the soul of every person. He personifies our dreams, bright thoughts and, probably, conscience. Like a guardian angel with golden hair, he rejoices at our good deeds. When we commit unseemly acts, 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 one’s sinfulness and the ability to fight sin.

I probably didn’t understand this before, but I kept trying to dwell on the meaning of the metaphor that eluded me. When I started going to church and learned what sin was, I understood what the writer was talking about. Baobab is a sin. Now it’s clear to me why the meaning “eluded.” After all, I simply didn’t have this word in my vocabulary, much less an understanding of its meaning. It was a sin for me not to follow my “I want”. The author told us about how a small tender sprout - a sin not plucked out in time - grows and becomes stronger, turns to stone and tears the soul into pieces, depriving it of the opportunity to grow something living.

« On the planet of the Little Prince, like on any other planet, useful and harmful herbs grow. This means that there are good seeds of good, healthy 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 up and reaches out to the sun, at first so cute and harmless. If it's a future radish or rose bush, let it grow healthy. But if it is some kind of bad herb, you need to pull it out by the roots as soon as you recognize it. And on the planet of the Little Prince there are terrible, evil seeds... these are the seeds of the baobabs. The entire soil of the planet is contaminated with them. And if the baobab is not recognized in time, then you will no longer be able to get rid of it. He will take over the entire planet. He will penetrate it right through with his roots. And if the planet is very small, and there are a lot of baobabs, they will tear it to pieces.”

The Holy Fathers managed to snatch the seed of the baobab-sin from their souls. We have to conduct a daily inspection of our souls and pull out the sprouts of baobabs with the Sacrament of repentance. Otherwise, the prognosis is disappointing. A sprout that is not pulled out in time turns into a monolithic tree of sin, which, obscuring the light, dooms the soul to destruction. Therefore, let me exclaim after the author: “People, beware of baobabs!!!” And don't forget the wonderful advice of the Little Prince:

“There is such a firm rule,” the Little Prince told me later. - Get up in the morning, wash your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order».

I can’t help but compare this to morning prayer. Every morning, looking deeply into our hearts, we must remember the need to “clean up our planet” - our soul.

What, according to Saint-Exupéry, does a person live for: to love, to improve his soul or to grow baobabs?.. Of course, in order to improve himself and develop.

A small tender sprout - sin, not plucked out in time - grows and strengthens, turns to stone and tears the soul into pieces, depriving it of the opportunity to grow something living.

3) Our life is focused on things called the improvement of human life and scientific and technological progress. And so, 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 also lonely among people.

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

4)"… It is no longer possible to live by refrigerators, politics, balance sheets and crossword puzzles! Completely impossible. It is impossible to live without poetry, without colors, without love...”, - Saint-Exupery writes in his memoirs. The author forces the reader to change their perspective on familiar things. After all, what is truly valuable is the desired sip of water, the thirst for human communication, the one and only rose, friendship, love for a person, mutual understanding, mercy, enjoyment of the beauty of nature.

- “You are not at all like my rose,” he told them. - You are nothing yet. No one has tamed you, and you have not tamed anyone. This is how my Fox used to be. He was no different from a hundred thousand other foxes. But I became friends with him, and now he is the only one in the whole world.

The fox generously shared his secrets and his wisdom with the little prince. “Tame each other” is one of his secrets. Taming is an art that can be learned. Before meeting the Little Prince, the Fox did nothing but fight for his existence: he hunted chickens, and the hunters hunted him. Having tamed the Fox, he was able to break out of the vicious circle in which attack and defense alternated. 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 means to bind oneself to another creature with love, care and responsibility.

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

The little prince knows that his rose is the only one because he has “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! -admits the Little Prince.- We should have judged not by words, but by deeds. She gave me her scent and illuminated my life. I shouldn't have run... Behind these pitiful tricks and tricks, I should have guessed tenderness. The flowers are so inconsistent! But I was too young. I didn’t know how to love yet.”

Now he understands that she alone is dearer to him than all the roses in the world. So 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 your heart, everything is possible! To truly love means to be tolerant and sensitive, not to find fault with words, and to be able to forgive. I would very much like to complement this thought with the statement of the Apostle Paul:" Love is patient, merciful, love does not envy, love is not arrogant, is not proud, is not rude, does not seek its own, is not irritated, does not think evil, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends".

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

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

• « You can't see the most important thing with your eyes. Only the heart is vigilant."

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

Mysterious life - just stop and listen.

• Truly valuable is the desired sip of water, the thirst for human communication, the one and only rose, friendship, love for a person, 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 means to bind oneself to another creature with love, care and responsibility.
• “You got up in the morning, washed your face, put yourself in order - and immediately put your planet in order.”
• It is necessary to work every day to fill your soul with light and keep it pure.
• You should not give in to the blues and resentment towards others, but learn to feel the movements of your soul and follow them.
• “They only die for what is worth living for.”
• Only that which is filled with content and deep meaning, into which the soul is invested, is beautiful.

6. Language of the work

The language of the fairy 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 thoughts:

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

picture..." or: "...It's been six years since my friend and the lamb

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

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 ordinary, familiar concepts suddenly acquire a new original meaning for him: “water”, “fire”, “friendship”, etc. Many of his metaphors are equally fresh and natural: “they (volcanoes) sleep deep underground, until one of them decides to wake up”; the writer uses paradoxical combinations of words that you won’t find in ordinary speech: “children should be very lenient 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 features of 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 fairy tales you can find a lot traditional concepts about goodness, justice, common sense, characteristic folklore, it has ancient mythological overtones. Thus, the Snake conceals the mystery of life and death, light is the circle of human warmth, communication and intimacy. The narrative style of the story is also unique. The author seems to be having 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 desires to change life on earth and believes that the kingdom of goodness and reason will come. We can talk about a peculiar melody of the narrative, sad and thoughtful, built on soft transitions from humor to serious thoughts, on halftones, transparent and light, like watercolor illustrations of a fairy tale, created by the writer himself and being an integral part of the artistic fabric of the work.

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

In essence, we have a reimagined plot of the parable of the prodigal son, in which lost adults listen to the words of the 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 precisely symbolic, since we can only guess what the author wanted to say and interpret each image depending on personal perception. The main symbolic images are the Little Prince, Fox, Rose and desert.

The Little Prince is a symbol of a person - a wanderer in the Universe, looking for the hidden meaning of things and his own life.

The desert is a symbol of spiritual thirst. It is beautiful because springs are 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 face to face with the dead desert, the sands. The Little Prince, an alien from the “planet of childhood,” helps him see what is true and what is false in life. Therefore, the meaning of this image in the work is special - it is like an X-ray beam, helping a person to see what is hidden from the superficial gaze. Therefore, the theme of childhood with its unclouded view, crystal clear and clear consciousness and freshness of feelings occupies a central place in the story. Truly, “the truth speaks through the mouth of a child.”

“...Do you know why the desert is good?” - the Little Prince asks the pilot. And he himself answers: “Somewhere in it springs are hidden...” A well in the desert, water - this is another important image-symbol for Saint-Exupery, full of deep philosophical content. Water is the fundamental principle of life, the source of all existence, the ability to restore, regenerate, a source of strength that gives immortality. In legends, water was guarded by dragons; in Saint-Exupéry, it was guarded by the desert. 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 ordinary water: “It was born from long journey under the stars, from the creaking of a gate, from the effort of hands... She was like a gift to the heart...” This allegory is not difficult to understand: we are all driven by faith and the desire to find this pure spring, this life truth, which is protected by the author and the Little Prince - each in his own way.

The theme of hidden springs and 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, moral principle it does not oppose the life aspirations of the heroes, but, on the contrary, merges with the general orientation of the work.

15 people aged 16-17 years were interviewed.

The main leitmotif mental development in that adolescence is the formation of a new, still rather unstable self-awareness, an attempt to understand oneself and one’s capabilities. This age is usually called transitional. At this time, the formation of a person’s personality and character takes place, a reassessment of life guidelines, the teenager searches for himself and learns about the adult world.

Having learned the opinion of my comrades, I decided to ask the same questions to teachers (age category from 30 to 45 years), and compare the opinions of students and teachers. And this is what I got.

1. When was the first time you thought about the meaning of life? What caused this?

Most of the two age categories thought about the problem of the meaning of life in high school. And this, in my opinion, is not surprising, because finishing school is the beginning adult life. During this period, the teenager must decide what to devote his life to and outline value guidelines.

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

2.What helps you not to despair in difficult life situations?

situations?

Of course, the most popular answer to this question is the support of loved ones. And I admit that I am glad, this is exactly so. After all, loneliness is, in most cases, a painful human condition that leads to negative consequences.

I believe that the other 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 problems, troubles and blues.

3. Health, friends.

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

In my opinion, the concepts of “hobbies” and “self-realization” have some kinship, because a person wants to do what he likes to do. This means that, self-realizing in what he loves, he will do his job better.

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

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

4.Name historical figures, heroes of literary works that you can imitate (without fanaticism), from whom you can learn.

A large number of my classmates believe that you should not imitate 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 treated this issue critically. You can imitate in different ways. Perhaps, due to their age, they simply have not yet found that person from whom they can learn something, or they do not want to find one yet, trying to live by their principles. Perhaps we can also say here about a reluctance to think, and about the lack of a certain amount of knowledge.

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

I can name many literary heroes and historical figures who deserve attention. If we are guided by examples from literature, then I would name Alexei Karamazov (his pure soul and love for people), the St. 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 on familiar phenomena. It leads to the comprehension of obvious truths: you cannot hide the stars in a jar and count them pointlessly, you need to take care of 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 don’t 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 not ignore 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 be passive towards evil, everyone is responsible not only for your own destiny, but also for the destiny of another person.

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

A man lives an ordinary life. Sometimes he is like a hardworking ant: he works until exhaustion, taking care of his daily bread, while sometimes forgetting to look at the stars. But still, the human soul feels that earthly things are transitory, temporary, and therefore, albeit subconsciously, each of us strives to understand why and for what he lives. And all of man’s guesses about this being, all of his attempts to get closer to this being, all of his aspirations to penetrate its mystery are, in fact, a huge question asked of heaven. Thousands of questions, thousands of attempts and thousands of guesses...

An instant gift, a wonderful gift,

Life, why were 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-Exupéry. A little prince. – M., 2007.

2.R. Januskevicius, O. Januskevicien. Fundamentals of morality. Tutorial for schoolchildren and students. – M., 2002.

1975.

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

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

5. Solovyov V. S. Justification of good. M.: Republic, 1996. - pp. 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.