# Narrator — Mark Rutherford’s Deliverance character guide

> Narrator in Mark Rutherford’s Deliverance by Mark Rutherford.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Unknown, your, mine, myself

**First appearance:** 0002-mark-rutherford-s-deliverance

## Snapshot

A self-doubting, deeply sincere man who narrates his own spiritual and professional struggles while scraping together a living as a parliamentary journalist in London.

## Who they are

Rutherford is a first-person narrator whose editor warns readers he is no hero—weak, impressionable, and prone to self-created torments—yet possessed of passionate affection and unflinching honesty. Newly lodged in Camden Town with ten pounds and no prospects, he schemes to secure newspaper commissions covering parliamentary debates, only to find both engagements serve the same district. His ceaseless speculations and inability to solve his own problems make him a type of the century's troubled, earnest seekers.

## Relationships

### [Clement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/clement)

_friendship_

Clement is the narrator's closest friend and confidant, offering intellectual and emotional support through life's trials.

### [Ellen Butts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/ellen_butts)

_romantic_

Ellen Butts is the narrator's beloved, representing a deep, idealized romantic attachment that shapes his emotional life.

### [Mrs. Butts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/mrs_butts)

_social_

Mrs. Butts is Ellen's mother and the narrator's landlady, maintaining a cordial but somewhat distant social relationship.

### [Miss Leroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/miss_leroy)

_friendship_

Miss Leroy is a kind and sympathetic friend to the narrator, offering companionship during his struggles.

### [Marie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/marie)

_romantic_

Marie is a young woman with whom the narrator shares a tender, unfulfilled romantic connection.

### [Job](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/job)

_psychological_

Job serves as a symbolic figure for the narrator's own suffering and existential questioning, a psychological mirror.

### [Jesus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/jesus)

_psychological_

Jesus is a spiritual figure the narrator turns to for solace and moral guidance, representing an idealized compassion.

### [John](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/john)

_friendship_

John is a fellow dissenter and friend who shares the narrator's religious doubts and intellectual pursuits.

### [Jehovah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/jehovah)

_psychological_

Jehovah is the stern, distant deity the narrator struggles to reconcile with his own sense of justice and mercy.

### [Mrs. Taylor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/mrs_taylor)

_social_

Mrs. Taylor is a neighbor or acquaintance who provides minor social interaction and local gossip.

### [Ellen Butts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/ellen_butts)

_romantic_

Ellen Butts is the narrator's beloved, representing a deep, idealized romantic attachment that shapes his emotional life.

### [Job](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/job)

_psychological_

Job serves as a symbolic figure for the narrator's own suffering and existential questioning, a psychological mirror.

## In the story

### [Editor's Note](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/chapters/editor-s-note)

The editor and friend of Rutherford, correcting reviewers' misunderstandings about Rutherford's character.

### [I: Newspapers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/chapters/i-newspapers)

The narrator reflects on his work as a newspaper correspondent, his struggles with dishonesty and degradation, and his friendship with M'Kay.

### [VIII: Flagellum Non Approquinabit Tabernaculo Tuo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/chapters/viii-flagellum-non-approquinabit-tabernaculo-tuo)

Reflects on his marriage to Ellen and his new clerical job, describing the drudgery and his coping mechanisms.

### [IX: Holidays](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/chapters/ix-holidays)

The editor who presents Rutherford's autobiography and adds a postscript about his death.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters/narrator
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mark_rutherford_s_deliverance_se/characters