Augustine's Confessions Research Paper

In Augustine’s Confessions, Augustine is faced with many different situations and tough times, but during these times he is also blessed with good friends who help him through all of it. His story as a whole represents the purpose of life, which is finding people to inspire him, help him, love him, and have his best interests at heart to lead him to his destiny. Throughout
Augustine’s lover and the mother of his child is a great example of what gives life purpose. He explores different areas of friendship and it’s relation to love. He explained in Book II that the things that delighted him were, “only this – to love and to be loved.” For a long time all he wanted was love, because he loved the idea of it and the physical aspect. Although

we do not know her name, we do know that she plays an important role in his life. I think that a very large factor in people’s lives in finding someone to love. In almost every text that we’ve read this semester, love seems to appear on numerous different occasions. The historical idea that friendship is only shared between two men may have influenced Augustine’s perspective, but was altered when he referred to the mother of his child and the love of his life as his friend. The idea of friendship is challenged in these passages and I think it demonstrates an important idea of gender equality and mutual acceptance.
The second friendly inspiration that Augustine experiences is with his so-called mentor, Cicero.

Although Cicero was never present during his time, he plays a role in Augustine’s journey because his writings inspire and influence him. When Augustine is through with his readings he says, “that book inflamed me with the love of wisdom.” He was inspired to adventure and obtain wisdom from various parts of his life. Augustine became more enlightened in regards to the meaning of friendship, and fervent for the journey to wisdom. Cicero had such an influence on Augustine’s understanding of friendship because of his definition of it in Laelius, which said, “friendship is nothing other than agreement on all things divine and human, along with good will and affection.” In the Confessions, Augustine’s friend passes away and he is faced with a feeling of less. He describes friendship then after in such ways that Cicero did, claiming that they shared a bond that was no longer existent because without him their life is not the same. The same feelings between friends are dated as far back as possible and Augustine explores the bond shared between two people is similar ways that Cicero did. Although Cicero was not physically present in Augustine’s journey, his historical texts had an immeasurable influence on his life and understanding of

friendship.
Another unknown character appears in Augustine’s Confessions when he describes more personal experiences and interactions with friendship. After Augustine moves to Tagaste, he brings up an old friend from his past. The friendship he shared with this character was described as “sweeter to [him] than all the sweetness of life [he] knew.” It was obvious that they had a tight bond, which is a clear representation of most childhood journeys. We grow up with one, or sometimes multiple, friends that help us construct an understanding of what friendship looks like. We share our first memories with them and create a bond that demonstrates co-dependency, which is commonly deemed irreplaceable to most people. The purpose of life is to experience feelings and bonds such as love and friendship. We all have our first love, first friend, first kiss, and so on, which embed the indication of what these relations should be like. They act as building blocks that we all must learn and grow from, which is the biggest purpose of our lives. We all must learn from our friends and the people surrounding us. Augustine used this example of friendship as a reference to his early understanding of friendship. Mortality is something that all humans face, whether it’s their life or a friend/family members life. However, we grow from these experiences and are enlightened with realizations, strength, and growth as a person. Augustine was devastated after the death of his friend, however he began to realize his vast love for him and through his experience with these difficult emotions he demonstrated what true love is. I think that tough times, such as losing a friend, gives meaning to a persons life because they may be determined to live for their friend and make the best of their life since they still have the chance to. This may gives purpose to some lives, because they found a reason to live, which is for their friend.
After returning to Carthage Augustine reveals that he is trying to escape his heartache, and feelings of loss and emptiness in his life. When faced with a tragedy like his, it’s important to stay surrounded by friends who are there to help you through tough times. This text presents us with universal emotions and put into a context that almost everyone is able to understand. Augustine, in attempt to feel better, was able to make friends in Carthage who helped him through this bumpy road in his life. This experience helped him build an even greater understanding of friendship that he described as “a kindling fire to melt our souls together and out of many to make us one.” It was because of his newfound friends that he was able to get better and take his mind off of the loss that he experienced. Throughout our lives we encounter people that will make us stronger and help us through tough times, and those are the people that we must keep around. This event provides another longstanding example of friendship and how it gives purpose to our lives, because if we can only help ourselves then we are not doing any good and failing to learn important aspects of life and friendship.
Throughout the Confessions Augustine’s mother, Monica, provides him with an understanding of friendship in a universal manner. Their relationship helps him form an understanding of the idea that men and women can be friends. Augustine’s mother provides him with the advice for how to live his life and the sins that he must not commit. She pushes religion on him, as many parents do, and eventually converts. This is an example of something that still happens today; our mothers try to push something on us that we’re against, but we eventually realize that our mothers are always right, even if we wish to believe otherwise. Monica showed him a great amount of affection and taught him a type of friendship that a lot of young men didn’t get to experience. He explained her love for him as greater than all other mothers’ because, “she loved having [him] with her, as all mothers do, only she much more than most.” Monica’s various appearances in Augustine’s life helped him form an understanding of friendship and love shared between men and women. An important aspect in life is to cherish the teachings from your parents, especially your mother, because they know best and have your absolute best interest at hand.
Throughout Augustine’s Confessions, he details his various encounters with friendship and expresses his feelings in a way that can be universally understood. He experiences love, loss, heartache, and joy, all of which strengthen his understanding of friendship and it’s purpose in our lives. Throughout the Confessions he distinctly defines friendship as the bonding of two peoples’ souls through which they share passions, ideas, wisdom, and love for each other. He provides the readers with important messages that have been around for a very long time through universally understood events and feelings. Augustine focuses many of his passages around the concepts of friendship, which is rare a writer of that time to do. He was influenced by historical texts and important figures in his life that helped him construct the true meaning of friendship and greater purpose in life. Friends are what keep us strong and help us through tough times, which provide a purpose in life because serving people is an important concept that we are taught from a very young age. Sometimes serving people can be construed as public duties, family ties, or being there for our friends. Augustine did a great job expanding on the ideas of friendship that gave purpose and meaning to his life, as well as others.
the story Augustine explores the meaning of friendship and identifies the people who mean most to him.