Antoine De Saint Exupery Essay Research Paper

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Antoine De Saint Exupery Essay, Research Paper An Author’s Last Message Antoine de Saint Exupery died in1944. His death was and still is, to a certain extent, a mystery. Some say that enemy forces shot down the plane he was flying while he was on a reconnaissance mission. Others speculate that he was simply too old and out of shape to handle the newer, more advanced military aircraft. “His voluntary return to action at an age when he was too old to fly fighter planes and too fat to squeeze into the cockpit without difficulty marked his own escape from his own planet B-612” (Economist 104). One very possible hypothesis is that Antoine crashed his plane on purpose in order to escape the confines of this world. His last book, The Little Prince, supports this idea in many

ways. The closer it is examined, the more it seems like a last testimony by Antoine, explaining the causes for his “suicide.” The cause of or reason for his death may never be known. However, treasure hunters have recently uncovered fragment of what they think may be his wreck (Economist 104). Perhaps in time this mystery will be solved. Until then it is left to speculation as to the causes of the death of Antoine de Saint Exupery. In order to understand the motives and experiences that are involved in all of his books, an understanding of some of Antoine’s background is required. Born of aristocratic parents, Antoine lost his father as a small child and watched his brother die as Brennan 2 a young teenager. As a young man he adored his mother, who spoiled him frequently.

Through the years he kept in touch with her by writing letters, which portrayed the love of her that he kept. Growing up, he often caused mischief and pulled pranks on classmates. His teachers often commented on how immature Antoine was, even through his teens. He was obsessed with aviation from an early age, and joined the French Air Force in 1921 but later dropped out to become a commercial pilot (Current 393). Many of his books were solely about flight and were written while he was working for the airmail services of South Africa. Being a party animal, he entertained his comrades with card tricks, piano recitals using oranges instead of fingers, crafty chess strategies and readings from the drafts of his latest novels. Antoine, six foot two and heavy set, seemed to love an

audience, but when alone his world was private, accessible only in the prose he so fastidiously worked and reworked until it held the beauty he felt (Kunitz 613). And thus he lived in the Sahara, said to be his happiest days. In turn he received a sense of duty, of purpose, but most preciously to him, he received a family of friends. While in the desert he tamed numerous wild animals, but had some degree of difficulty while attempting to tame a fox. He married a young widow by the name of Consuelo Suncin in 1931. A drawn out fight between them interrupted his happiness, and Antoine moved to New York. There he stayed with a mistress, writing The Little Prince during the nights. When World Two broke out, Antoine rejoined the Air Force and flew reconnaissance missions for France.

His plane was shot down and never found. To understand Antoine’s point of view, one must realize that the people of our world, for the most part, lack an understanding of the truly important parts of life. Some Brennan 3 may understand the deeper meanings in all of life’s nuances, but most people don’t even take the time to stop and consider them. Oftentimes people become wrapped up in worldly concerns, which inhibit the sight of qualities that lie below the trodden surface of things. People may become “blind” to their surroundings. The important aspects of life such as memories and sentiments can be kept with a person forever, but worldly objects cannot and will not last. For example, some friendships that are built on trust and companionship last a lifetime.