Augustine as a Character

Lopate says that a writer of a personal essay needs to have some distance from themselves. Augustine exhibits the characteristics of a personal essayist. In Augustine’s memoir Confessions, Augustine is honest in his descriptions of his actions as a young man. He admits that his love for stealing, sex, and other sinful actions is wrong, and yet he still chose to commit those sins. In his explanations and admittance, Augustine displays distance from his younger self, which is crucial to writing a personal essay.