LA SYMBOLIQUE DE L’ÉTOILE DANS L’ŒUVRE D’ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY
THE SYMBOLICS OF THE STAR IN THE WORK OF ANTOINE OF SAINT-EXUPÉRY

Summary/Abstract: The star symbol crosses the work of Antoine de Saint-Exupery from one end to the other, the star receiving positive or negative meanings in turn. The first meaning is positive and coincides with the role of celestial indicator or guide for night flights. Immediately after appears a negative connotation - that of bad fate and fatality. The scene in which Bernis (“Southern Mail”) as a kid, discovers amongst the cracks of the attic a bright star predicting death and disease, or the scene in which Riviere (“Night Flight”) feels pursued by a star who wants to convey bad news about one of the crews, are significant in this respect. The star also inspires in the author the feminine mystery, whether it’s Genevieve - Bernis’s childhood friend - who builds herself a magical universe populated with story elements and real elements, whether it’s the fleeting passionate loves of his life. In “Wind, Sand and Stars”(« Terre des Hommes »), the star also embodies planet earth, and the starry sky reveals to the author the miracle of life on such a small planet lost in the universe. Moments of reflection always lead to the image of the traveller through the desert who always seeks water, guiding himself by a star. This symbolic image represents the uninterrupted quest for the meaning of life and the path to the ideal. The story of the little prince ends by intersecting three symbolic planes: the desert, the water and the star. This image briefly summarizes the essential significance of exupérienne prose.

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