He describes them sympathetically, and even with respect, but no mention is made of the rightness or wrongness of their cause – aside from the possible implications in the use of words like rebel and barbarian ("dissidents", "barbares" in French). He at least makes a few references to "rebels" throughout the book and people who are presumably battling colonial rule in Morocco and the Sahara. Saint-Exupéry is clearly happy to be working for a colonial power, and doesn't much question how welcome his presence may be in the countries he describes so lovingly. Flying the post down to Dakar was, in effect, doing the work of the imperial administration. In the early chapters I found myself pondering the absolutely unproblematic relationship with French imperialism. Before attempting, let's address the accusation.
"Do the occasional undertones of sexism and racism weaken the book at all?"
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