Chapter IV – The Six Faces of Power II

The little prince’s interplanetary journey is actually more of an exploration of the types of power in the present and past, rather than a tour of the universe.

 Each planet represents a different manifestation of authority — its moral foundation, its illusion of legitimacy, and the way it inevitably decays. The king, the vain man, the drunkard, the businessman, the lamplighter, and the geographer are all faces of the same humanity, each wearing a different mask of rule and submission. 

This chapter examines the three faces of power embodied by these six characters — from capitalism to communism, from the desire to rule to the passion for possession, from the burden of duty to the abstraction of knowledge.  

💼 The Businessman’s Political Anatomy

“I own the stars, because nobody else before me ever thought of owning them.”

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

There is a businessman on this planet who constantly calculates and has no emotional connection to anything.He tries to own the stars he cannot touch — aimlessly and endlessly.The beauty, the light, or the distance of the stars mean nothing to him, because for him, these magnificent stars are nothing more than a property measured in numbers.The tragedy of this chapter lies in the confusion between having and being.It is the abstract representation of capitalism — not the desire to understand or create, but the blind worship of ownership.If only the businessman had let go of his obsession and realized that the stars are beautiful not when they are counted, but when they are watched, he would not have been trapped in this idea of “endless growth” that never satisfies but only exhausts.

Exupéry wrote during a time when industrial capitalism was maturing and banking power was expanding — a perfect moment for veiled criticism.This character, with his mechanical way of speaking, is employed to be a slave to numbers; the ledger and interest rates have become the new sacred texts of the modern age.

When the Little Prince asks, “But what use do you bring to the stars?”, the businessman cannot answer.His silence reveals the system’s inherent weakness — its inability to justify itself in human terms.

There is no need to name examples; we all know the businessman states, and unfortunately, they are powerful and widespread.

🔦The Lamplighter’s Political Anatomy

Although it is one of the shortest chapters, the Lamplighter’s planet is one of the most widely and powerfully addressed in The Little Prince.On this tiny planet, the Little Prince encounters a lamplighter who lights the lamp every evening and extinguishes it each morning.But because of the planet’s speed and size, a single day lasts only one minute.As a result, he can do nothing but turn the lamp on and off every minute.Even though he is exhausted, he cannot question why — and the only thing he says sums up his entire existence:

“Orders are orders.”

There is no logical reason left for his loyalty.He works tirelessly but does not understand why.Exupéry here portrays a worker trapped in blind obedience.His work, under normal circumstances, is useful: it illuminates the night and announces the morning.But he has forgotten that the system has changed: it no longer values purpose, only profit.The lamplighter becomes a representation of the exploited worker, forced to keep pace with an unstoppable system.The phrase “Orders are orders”, which has become a kind of universal motto, critiques two major issues:

1. Capitalism consumes humans in the name of efficiency.
2. Bureaucracy detaches from morality, performing every task blindly, without questioning logic or ethics.

The very task that keeps him standing also gradually destroys him.The Little Prince connects most with the lamplighter.He is the only character who lives for others rather than himself.The tragedy lies in the fact that the most hardworking and honest person is trapped in the most meaningless work — a striking commentary on the devaluation of good will in an impersonal system.

🌍 The Geographer’s Political Anatomy

“It is the profession of the geographer to record, not to explore.”

On the Little Prince’s last planet, the reader meets the geographer.This clever figure measures stars, mountains, and oceans, recording them meticulously in his notebook.He gathers concrete information but never makes his own discoveries — he does not directly experience anything.He possesses knowledge, yet it is practically worthless.

The geographer represents the modern intellectual elite.Theoretical knowledge, when detached from practice, becomes incomplete and ultimately meaningless.Life is not only about books, numbers, and concrete facts; systems that appear perfect may fail in practical application.This reluctance to engage with the world, despite the Little Prince’s curiosity and desire to explore, highlights the chapter’s critique: knowledge gains meaning only through experience.This phenomenon is especially visible in many education systems.Accumulated knowledge that does not contribute to society becomes merely a symbol of power and prestige.

Particularly in the education sector, practical benefit is often overlooked while theoretical success is emphasized — yet theory without practice is inherently flawed.Exupéry here emphasizes the importance of learning through experience and nurturing curiosity.Knowledge, when divorced from action, risks becoming a hollow tool of prestige rather than a source of real understanding.

Exupéry reminds us that judging children solely by their test papers ignores their curiosity, creativity, and true intellectual potential.

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