The insightful and reflective Book II of St. Augustine’s book, “Confessions” covers the dark times of St. Augustine after turning away from God, fueled by his ripening adolescence when he was sixteen. Within the book, Augustine confesses his trivial sinful acts during the prime age of his life when he was a youth. For instance, the author accounts for his sexual escapades whereby he engaged in various secretive love affairs. Most importantly, Augustine is more focused on his sinful act, whereby he and his companions stole pears from his neighbor’s orchard. As confessed by Augustine, the theft went against God. However, the act itself of delinquency had a significant impact on Augustine’s life; hence he contemplates the motive behind the act throughout the various chapters of the book. Notably, the author regrets the act and offers an insight into the reason why and how he stole the pears. To him, his act was a means to be equal to God as he did not find pleasure in stealing the pears to eat them. Saint Augustine confesses that he was with his companions during the trivial act and was ashamed that he did not outdo them in the theft. Also, the confessor admits that he found love in the forbidden act itself. Thus, by analyzing Augustine’s motives for stealing the pears, various kinds of love at play can be discerned. Ultimately, this essay aims to analyze what Augustine loved in stealing the pears, determine whether the loves involved are of the same thing, and discuss whether one of the loves is greater than the other.

What Augustine loved in this act of theft was the pleasure of the forbidden. In his confession, Augustine points out his pleasure in doing that which was forbidden. According to Book II, Augustine had plenty of pears himself. It is not that he was hungry or lacked the pears that he decided to steal. Augustine confesses, “yet I lusted to thieve, and did it, compelled by no hunger, nor poverty, but through a cloyedness of well-doing, and a pamperedness of iniquity. For I stole that, of which I had enough, and much better” (Augustine 31). Thus, since the desire for the consumption of pears is not at play in this case, the author’s love for engaging in the act was his love for the sin itself. Even though the pears pleased the eyes, Augustine asserts that he did not steal them for their beauty. Rather, it was the act of going against God himself that Augustine loved in the theft. Evidently, “now, behold, let my heart tell thee what it sought there, that I should be gratuitously evil, having no temptation to ill, but the ill itself. It was foul, and I loved it; I loved to perish, I loved mine own fault, not that for which I was faulty, but my fault itself” (Augustine 32). This love is further evident when Augustine did not eat the pears, rather, he threw them away. Book II asserts, “for, when gathered, I flung them away, my only feast therein being my own sin, which I was pleased to enjoy. For if aught of those pears came within my mouth, what sweetened it was the sin” (Augustine 32-33). Thus, Augustine’s desire for illicit pleasure demonstrates a distinct love at play. In this case, Augustine is motivated by the love of gratification; he finds love is the forbidden nature of the act. Overall, this demonstrates a love for immediate gratification and pleasure derived from engaging in the forbidden.

Apart from love derived from allure in the prohibited, Augustine, in his act of theft, also loved peer pressure. Towards the end of the book, chapter eight, Augustine considers peer pressure as he blames it on his theft of his neighbor’s pears. Notably, the author points out his reluctance to seem less daring and shameful than his friends. As per the book, Saint Augustine confesses that he was “ashamed to be less shameful than his friends” (Augustine 32). This illustrates that the author was influenced by the desire for acceptance and conformity within the social circle of his companions. Apparently, Augustine engaged in stealing to be approved and accepted by his friends, demonstrating his love for peer pressure. The author asserts, “for had I then loved the pears I stole, and wished to enjoy them; I might have done it alone. But since my pleasure was not in those pears, it was in the offense itself, which the company of fellow-sinners occasioned” (Augustine 34). He points out that he would not have done it if he was alone. Chapter eight of Book II notes, “yet by myself alone, I would not have done it — I recall what my heart was — alone I could not have done it. I loved, then, in it the companionship of my accomplices with whom I did it” (Augustine 34). Therefore, this Augustine’s motive demonstrates a love for friendship, companionship, and a sense of belonging. Apparently, he was afraid to be rejected or disapproved by his peers. The author longed to be seen as an equal to his companions, even if it was at the cost of committing a forbidden delinquency. His love for acceptance and conformity is motivated by a strong desire for social validation and the phobia of being alone or an outcast. Thus, Augustine aspires to align himself with his companions by stealing the pears with his peers to receive their acceptance and approval. Basically, Augustine also loved the peer pressure to engage in the theft of the pears.

On the other hand, it is evident that the love involved in Augustine’s act of theft included peer pressure and doing what was forbidden. However, these two loves involved are not of the same thing. While peer pressure and the allure of the forbidden contribute tremendously in making Augustine steal the pears, the loves are different in their nature, focus, and inspiration behind them. Taking the case of peer pressure, the love arises from the desire to be accepted and approved by his companions. Augustine notes, “yet alone I had not done it: such was I then, I remember, alone I had never done it. t. I loved then in it also the company of the accomplices, with whom I did it” (Augustine 34). In addition, this love is also motivated by fear of rejection. Augustine feared his peers would reject him if he did not become more shameful like them, hence engaging in the heinous act just to be accepted. On the contrary, the love of engaging in the forbidden is rooted in the attraction of transgression. It emerged from Augustine’s desire to go against the laws. Augustine confesses that he loves the theft itself since it was forbidden, not because he wants the pears. As noted in chapter six of the book, “though fairest of all were those pears, but not them did my wretched soul desire; for I had a store of better, and those I gathered, only that I might steal. I joyed in the theft and sin itself” (Augustine 33). Unlike the love of peer pressure, which is of acceptance and conformity, the love of the forbidden arises from the attraction of sin itself, the desire to break the law, and experience a feeling of freedom. Their respective consequences also prove that the loves are not the same thing. In love for peer pressure, Augustine notes that he wants to appear less shameful than his peers, pointing out a moral conscience acknowledging a wrong act. On the contrary, the allure in the forbidden is selfish and impervious to moral concern. His desire to engage in a forbidden act highlights his priority in gratification over considering ethics. Hence, while these two loves entwine and are related, they are precisely not of the same thing.

While the two loves contribute significantly to Augustine’s stealing, it is important to note that the two loves have varying relative magnitudes. From Book II’s discussion, it is clear that the love in the allure of the forbidden is greater than the love of peer pressure. Although peer pressure is more compelling, it is less inferior compared to Augustine’s motivation for committing sin. This is because this inspiration to steal the pears originates from the fear of being socially ostracized or appearing less shameful. Besides, the author provides this alternative explanation briefly towards the end of his confession, indicating that it was not his primary love. As a result, the greater pull of sensual pleasure and the pleasure in the forbidden overshadows the love of peer pressure. Evidently, the author is more motivated to commit the act by his desire to sin. Augustine is more inspired to steal the pears by his desire to go against God and experience a sense of liberty. Throughout his confession of the act, it is notable that his delinquency indicates a deeper attachment to immediate gratification, which is more influential than his potential impact or ethical concerns of his theft in the peer pressure love. In addition, Augustine expresses more remorse for the actual act of theft, which is a sin, compared to his capitulation to peer pressure. This proves that the confessor’s desires for pleasure went beyond his fear of being an outcast, proving that the love of indulging in the forbidden is greater than being accepted by his companions. Fundamentally, the book underscores the potent allure of indulging in an act that goes against the laws and the difficulty in standing up to such temptations, even when faced with potential humiliation.

To sum up, Book II of Confession is a thought-provoking and enlightening book exploring the youthful age of Saint Augustine and his engagement in trivial delinquencies. It has come out clear that the author’s act of stealing the pears is a significant reflection of the complex nature of human wants and inspirations. Furthermore, his account of theft provides more insight into the two forms of love involved in the act; the love of peer pressure and indulging the forbidden. Clearly, Augustine is compelled by the desire for acceptance and approval and hence is driven by peer pressure. Additionally, his pleasure originates from his desire to commit a sin. It is also apparent that the two loves intertwine; however, the loves are distinct in their nature, motivations behind them, and focus. Evidently, the love for peer pressure originates from the desire to be accepted by his companions and fear of rejection, while the love of the forbidden is driven by Augustine’s desire to go against God. Also, peer pressure loves outlooks moral concerns while Augustine’s love in the forbidden is more about being selfish and impervious; hence the duo is not of the same thing. Ultimately, it appears that the forbidden pleasure outweighs Augustine’s peer pressure as the author is more compelled to engage in the act by the actual act of sin than yielding to peer pressure.