<P> In the novella, the fox, believed to be modelled after the author's intimate New York City friend, Silvia Hamilton Reinhardt, tells the prince that his rose is unique and special, as she is the one he loves . The novella's iconic phrase, "One sees clearly only with the heart", is believed to have been suggested by Reinhardt . </P> <P> The fearsome, grasping baobab trees, researchers have contended, were meant to represent Nazism attempting to destroy the planet . The little prince's reassurance to the pilot that the prince's body is only an empty shell resembles the last words of Antoine's dying younger brother François, who told the author, from his deathbed: "Don't worry . I'm all right . I can't help it . It's my body". </P> <P> Many researchers believe that the prince's kindhearted but petulant and vain rose was inspired by Saint - Exupéry's Salvadoran wife Consuelo de Saint Exupéry, with the small home planet being inspired by her small native country, El Salvador, also known as "The Land of Volcanoes". Despite a raucous marriage, Saint - Exupéry kept Consuelo close to his heart and portrayed her as the prince's rose, whom he tenderly protects with a wind screen and places under a glass dome on his tiny planet . Saint - Exupéry's infidelity and the doubts of his marriage are symbolized by the vast field of roses the prince encounters during his visit to Earth . </P> <P> This interpretation was described by biographer Paul Webster who stated she was "the muse to whom Saint - Exupéry poured out his soul in copious letters...Consuelo was the rose in The Little Prince . "I should have judged her by her acts and not by her words," says the prince . "She wrapped herself around me and enlightened me . I should never have fled . I should have guessed at the tenderness behind her poor ruses ." </P>

The little prince antoine de saint exupery characters