The Desert and Authority: The Disappearance of Borders in The Little Prince

Our main character, the Little Prince, first destination was in the Sahara Desert. One of the most prominent features of the desert in the later parts of the book is the absence of any influence or control. This represents not merely a physical fall but symbolizes a political space where the boundaries of central authority begin to fade, and order occasionally becomes dysfunctional — in other words, a place where power withdraws. It can also be interpreted as an anemic remnant of a once-strong state, that is, a collapse of order.

“Grown-ups never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.”

So why did the author specifically choose the Sahara Desert? Besides being the largest desert in the world, the Sahara has historically been a region where dominant powers have never fully exercised control, borders were not firmly managed, and local orders relatively prevailed. In this context, the expression “absence of authority” does not mean a complete void; rather, it signifies the existence of different forms of power and norms. Because the absence of authority essentially means a shift of authority. When an established system collapses, we call it a lack of authority; however, authoritarian regimes always exist, whether maintained by states, governments, tribal leaders, religious groups, or paramilitary organizations.

The Little Prince finds himself alone the universe in the desert. The vast loneliness of the desert is a metaphor for human existential solitude and the search for meaning. At the same time, it reflects the individual’s loss both within and outside the system — that is, the loneliness of the citizen.

In this metaphorical geography where the center of power has vanished and the individual is left alone, the Little Prince encounters a pilot. 

The first character we encounter in the book is the pilot. Lost in the desert, his very presence in the middle of nothingness leaves a striking first impression. The pilot represents the individual in lands where authority and institutions have weakened. Yet he is not just any individual. On the surface, he is a technically skilled man, trying to repair his broken airplane. On a deeper level, however, he symbolizes the highly capable citizens of fragile states, who—despite their talent—are left without the institutional support necessary to realize their potential. 

These people possess an “airplane” a metaphor for their abilities, and the “pilot” the consciousness to use those abilities. Yet they lack the runway, fuel or maintenance to get the plane in the air.  Their potential remains on the ground.  The pilot's lone and fruitless struggle reflects how individual effort is ineffective in the absence of systemic support.

Even today, there are many such “pilots”. Deprived of the assistance they need to fully utilize their capacities, they turn to other nations for help. In modern terms, this phenomenon is called brain drain. Skilled and educated citizens strive to be productive, yet often remain undervalued, unable to rise to the level they deserve. Without infrastructure and institutional backing, their potential is reduced to isolated individual effort. This issue is especially visible in parts of Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, where the constant outflow of talent condemns societies to stagnation. Nations that abandon their own capable individuals are ultimately doomed to lose their future.

It is no coincidence that the pilot plays such a role in the narrative. Writers often reflect fragments of their own lives in their works. As we have noted before, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry himself was a pilot. It is well known that during his career he once survived a crash in the Sahara Desert, an experience that undoubtedly shaped his imagination here. Moreover, France’s colonial past and its entanglement in Africa can also be seen as part of the background that inspired this allegory.

So, in a world where individual efforts fade into the void of weak systems, how much of our potential can we truly realize?

(This image was generated using the Al tool and is inspried by the aesthetic of The Little Prince)