Poverty in Little Princes by Connor Grennan

910 Words2 Pages

Poverty is a worldwide epidemic, creating undesirable living conditions for many people on a daily basis. Some of the most touching stories in literature have an overlying theme of poverty. A wide variety of these stories are often set in Asia. Connor Grennan’s novel Little Princes was set in Katmandu, Nepal. In his book, Connor tells the story of his gargantuan trek across Nepal in an attempt to return seven missing children, all of which belong to a Nepali orphanage he volunteered in. These children were all victims of ruthless child trafficking. Connor’s time in Nepal was laden with obstacles and undesirable living conditions. Therefore, Little Princes presents a dystopian world as a result of poor conditions of the orphanage, the treacherous nature of the mountains and the poorly equipped hospital.
Though many unpleasant events arose on Connor’s journey, perhaps one of the most significant was working at the Little Princes orphanage. The orphanage was technologically advanced in comparison to the majority Nepali housing, however it still lacked resources and space. The orphanage was deficit in essential items like food, water and clothing. On the night of Connor’s arrival, he learns that “Dal Bhat is eaten by about 90 percent of the Nepalese people, twice a day” (Grennan 11). It soon became evident that the vast majority of Katmandu’s residents were unable to afford more than two meals daily. Additionally, the extreme level of poverty in Nepal only allowed for civilians to eat an incredibly primitive meal, Dal Bhat, which consisted of rice and lentils. This meal provided inadequate nutritional value and lacked the variety of ingredients essential to maintaining good health. Due to deficit resources, the orphanage is undoubte...

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...rable living space. Traveling and living became an incredible feat in the Nepali mountains, which is another reason it qualifies as a dystopia.
The setting of Little Princes qualified as dystopian because of the impoverished orphanage, the lethal mountains and the lackluster hospital. Though it seemed Nepal was a forlorn location to live, there are numerous other regions worldwide with similar or worsened conditions. Nobody is exempt from the possibility of losing their job, their home and the resources that they need to survive regardless of where they are situated on the globe. It is vital to donate time and money to people in these situations, just as Connor did throughout Little Princes. After all, if you were in their shoes, wouldn’t you desire assistance?

Works Cited

Grennan, Connor. Little Princes. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2010. Print.

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