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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Little Prince, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Relationships
The True and the Essential
Exploration vs. Narrowmindedness
Childhood vs. Adulthood
Innocence
Summary
Analysis
The little prince meets a flower with three petals and asks her where the men are. The flower, who has only once seen a caravan pass, responds that she believes there are only six or seven men in existence and that they are rootless creatures, which makes their lives very difficult.
This simple flower lacks the ability to explore, which causes her to make mistaken assumptions about the existence of men. The implicit point is that men who don't constantly explore are similarly limited. The flowers absurd level of limitation simply drives home the fact that only through exploration and experience can one gain a fuller understanding of the world.
Themes
