Political and religious allusions

Both political and religious allusions can be found in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's novella The Little Prince. One example of a political allusion is the story about the Turkish astronomer who discovered the asteroid B 612 - the Little Prince's home planet - in 1909. When he presents his finding at the International Astronomical Congress, he is not taken seriously because of his traditional Oriental dress. 

Only when the astronomer presents his findings in a Western suit is he believed. The only reason why he wore a Western suit is because a Turkish dictator had forbidden his people to wear Oriental clothes under threat of the death penalty. This episode about the astronomer can be understood as an allusion to the abolition of Oriental headgear by the Turkish preside...