History TearJerker / TheLittlePrince

* A meta example: A [[UsefulNotes/NazisWithGnarlyWeapons Luftwaffe]] pilot (Horst Rippert) was a big fan of Saint-Exupéry's works and so were his children. He connected the dots and concluded that it likely was him who shot down Saint-Exupéry and he was horrified. While modern evidence casts doubt on his account, he still went to his grave (in 2013) with this doubt in his mind.

* The end when the little prince returns to his asteroid.
** Or, if you interpret it differently, the prince returns post-mortem.
** And on a meta level, interpreting the narrator as Saint-Exupéry himself, who died in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII soon after writing this novel. Then read the epilogue where the narrator asks for word if the prince ever returns...

* When the prince finally realizes that he must return to his rose, and consequently must abandon his now-tame Fox. It's worse if you've seen the movie, where the Fox is played by the gentle Creator/GeneWilder.

* The book is entirely a tearjerker itself.
-->"I shall not leave you."

--->And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

* The end when the little prince returns to his asteroid.
** Or, if you interpret it differently, the prince returns post-mortem.
** And on a meta level, interpreting the narrator as Saint-Exupéry himself, who died in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII soon after writing this novel. Then read the epilogue where the narrator asks for word if the prince ever returns...
* Not to mention when the prince finally realizes that he must return to his rose, and consequently must abandon his now-tame Fox. It's worse if you've seen the movie, where the Fox is played by the gentle Creator/GeneWilder.
-->"Ah," said the Fox, "I shall cry."
** And then of course the Fox's last lesson for the prince, especially if you think of its importance near the ''end'' of the book... say with the laughing stars:
--->And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.

-->[[spoiler:"I shall not leave you."]]
* The end when [[spoiler:the little prince returns to his asteroid]].
** Or, if you interpret it differently, [[spoiler:the prince returns post-mortem]].
** And on a meta level, [[spoiler: interpreting the narrator as Saint-Exupéry himself, who died in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII soon after writing this novel. Then read the epilogue where the narrator asks for word if the prince ever returns...]]

--->And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: [[spoiler:It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye]].

* [[spoiler:"I stopped in my tracks, my heart torn asunder; but still I did not understand."]]
* A meta one, but still very tragic nonetheless: the author's plane was shot down by a German pilot during WWII. When the pilot learned many years later that he killed the very person who wrote the book he and his children loved, [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone he broke down in tears]].

The book is entirely a tearjerker itself.

** And on a meta level, [[spoiler: interpreting the narrator as Saint-Exupéry himself, who died in WorldWarII soon after writing this novel. Then read the epilogue where the narrator asks for word if the prince ever returns...]]

* Not to mention when the prince finally realizes that he must return to his rose, and consequently must abandon his now-tame Fox. It's worse if you've seen the movie, where the Fox is played by gentle GeneWilder.

The entire book is entirety a tearjerker itself.

--->"Ah," said the Fox, "I shall cry."

---->And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: [[spoiler:It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye]].

--->"One day," you said to me, "I saw the sunset forty-four times!" And a little later you added: "You know -- one loves the sunset, when one is so sad..."
--->"Were you so sad, then?" I asked, "on the day of the forty-four sunsets?" But the little prince made no reply.

* Tearjerker? Like, the whole damn book.

** Not to mention when the prince finally realizes that he must return to his rose, and consequently must abandon his now-tame Fox. It's worse if you've seen the movie, where the Fox is played by gentle GeneWilder.

*** And then of course the Fox's last lesson for the prince, especially if you think of its importance near the ''end'' of the book... say with the laughing stars:

** The exchange between the narrator and the Prince in chapter 6.

* A meta one, but very tragic nonetheless: the author's plane was shot down by a German pilot in WWII. When the German man learned that he killed the person who wrote the book that he and his children loved, he broke down in tears.

* A meta one, but very tragic nonetheless: St. Exupery was shot down in his plane by a German pilot who adored The Little Prince and would read it to his children. Said pilot broke down in tears when he learned of this.

** And on a meta level, [[spoiler: interpreting the narrator as Saint-Exupéry himself, who died in WorldWarII soon after writing this novel. Then read the epilogue where the Narrator asks for word if the Prince ever returns...]]

--->"One day," you said to me, "I saw the sunset forty-four times!" And a little later you added: "You know -- one loves the sunset, when one is so sad..." "Were you so sad, then?" I asked, "on the day of the forty-four sunsets?" But the little prince made no reply.

--->"One day," you said to me, "I saw the sunset forty-four times!" And a little later you added: "You know -- one loves the sunset, when one is so sad..." "Were you so sad, then?" I asked, "on the day of the forty-four sunsets?" But the little prince made no reply.

* TearJerker: The end when [[spoiler:the little prince returns to his asteroid]].