The Little Prince Theme of Transformation

The main characters change a ton in The Little Prince. It’s not like they grow ten feet, get tattoos, or start wearing all black. Unlike other books about growing up, the characters don’t change on the outside. The prince doesn’t grow up to be a king; the fox remains a fox; and the flower stays a flower: she doesn’t change into a beautiful princess. Yet each of these characters has altered by the end of the book. They change on the inside. You could say they have all been tamed, and they have all learned how to see in the best, most important ways. They are able to separate the important from the unimportant, and they have made new friends.

Questions About Transformation

  1. Who changes the most in The Little Prince? Why did you select this character?
  2. When the prince tamed the fox, which of them became more transformed as a result?
  3. How does seeing the garden of roses change the prince’s understanding of his flower?
  4. Are the transformations in The Little Prince always accompanied by sadness? Why or why not?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Although the flower never leaves her planet, she’s transformed by the prince’s departure: when he leaves, she realizes what was really important in their relationship.

In The Little Prince, characters learn the most when they give something up or say goodbye to it.