Philosophical View of the Little Prince
Coleen Dayday December 11, 2012
PHILOPE A51
Love and the Self – Other Relation in Antoine de Saint – Exupéry’s The Little Prince
Introduction
Sartre believes that most relationship start out not because they are attracted to one another, but it is because of how one makes the other feel about himself/herself by how the other looks at him/her. They need each other in order to see themselves by basing it on the look of the other. This arrangement is often mistakenly known as love but it is really just both participants being enslaved by the look of the other that they feel the need to prove that they have control over the look. According to Sartre, love is the first attitude that one develops towards the other. But with this so-called “love”, one tries to understand the other’s freedom while also trying to preserve his freedom, thus creating conflict between the two participants. The paper will focus on love and the self-other relation through the story of the Little Prince. Through this book, the real essence of love is to be explained in line with the self-other relation.
The concept of “The Look” will be used to explain the conflict of the characters in the story, especially the story of the rose and the Little Prince. “The Look” is to see yourself how others see you. You are conscious of your existence because you are aware that others see you.
The book of The Little Prince tells us the story of a pilot who crashed and was stranded in the desert – which is also a personal experience of the author – where he meets the Little Prince. The Little Prince tells the pilot about his journeys and his experiences. The paper intends to tackle love and the self-other relation through the Little Prince, The Little Prince’s journeys, and the Pilot himself. In relation to love and the self-other relation, the story of the rose and the Little Prince is a good example to explain the real essence of love. The Little Prince’s love for his planet is to be given
PHILOPE A51
Love and the Self – Other Relation in Antoine de Saint – Exupéry’s The Little Prince
Introduction
Sartre believes that most relationship start out not because they are attracted to one another, but it is because of how one makes the other feel about himself/herself by how the other looks at him/her. They need each other in order to see themselves by basing it on the look of the other. This arrangement is often mistakenly known as love but it is really just both participants being enslaved by the look of the other that they feel the need to prove that they have control over the look. According to Sartre, love is the first attitude that one develops towards the other. But with this so-called “love”, one tries to understand the other’s freedom while also trying to preserve his freedom, thus creating conflict between the two participants. The paper will focus on love and the self-other relation through the story of the Little Prince. Through this book, the real essence of love is to be explained in line with the self-other relation.
The concept of “The Look” will be used to explain the conflict of the characters in the story, especially the story of the rose and the Little Prince. “The Look” is to see yourself how others see you. You are conscious of your existence because you are aware that others see you.
The book of The Little Prince tells us the story of a pilot who crashed and was stranded in the desert – which is also a personal experience of the author – where he meets the Little Prince. The Little Prince tells the pilot about his journeys and his experiences. The paper intends to tackle love and the self-other relation through the Little Prince, The Little Prince’s journeys, and the Pilot himself. In relation to love and the self-other relation, the story of the rose and the Little Prince is a good example to explain the real essence of love. The Little Prince’s love for his planet is to be given
References: 1. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince (London: Egmont Books Limited, 2002), 5-89. 2. Noelle L. de la Cruz, Sartre on being-for-others & Interview with a Vampire (1994) (presentation at De La Salle University, Manila, Philippines, November 19, 2012). 3. Foxfoo, The Little Prince-Personal Footnotes, http://foxfoo.blogspot.com/2008/01/little-prince-personal-footnotes.html (January, 2008).