One of the most important
lessons is learned through the fox. It can
be said that through the fox the prince learns the value of
faithfulness. The prince has wandered far from his own planet and from
the rose, the one he loves, because he felt she had rejected him. In contrast, the fox
teaches him that when one "tames" something, that something becomes extra special. When
one tames something, one needs that something and that something needs you in return. As
the fox explains, if the prince tamed him then they would be unique to each other in all
the world and need each other. In addition, the fox explains that if the prince tamed
him the fox's life would have meaning and that things that were of no use to him now
would suddenly be of use, such as the wheat fields. The wheat fields are the same color
of the prince's hair and so looking at the wheat fields would remind the fox of the
prince. In short, the fox teaches the prince that his flower has tamed
him. But more importantly, when the prince decides it is time to leave
the fox, the fox teaches the prince that he is responsible for what he
tames; he is therefore responsible for his
rose, as we see in the fox's lines, "It is the time you have wasted for
your rose that makes your rose so important ... You become responsible, forever, for
what you have tamed. You are responsible for your rose ..." (Ch. 21). It is due to the
fox's wisdom that the prince realizes he must return home
to continue caring for his rose.
The
snake also teaches him a very valuable lesson. Meeting the snake is the
first time that the prince begins to see the value of reconnecting with
his roots, as we see in the snake's line, "Whomever I touch, I send back
to the earth from whence he came" (Ch. 17). In addition, he learns the
value of the spiritual world rather than the corporeal
world, something he also learns from the fox who teaches him that it is the things that
can't be seen that are important. It is because of his knowledge of the value of things
unseen that the prince becomes brave enough to leave his body behind in order to return
to his flower.
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