Orthodoxy · Character

Mr. Blatchford

A socialist and atheist whose warm-hearted attack on Christianity the narrator reframes as a Christian virtue gone loose and dangerous.

supporting

Also known as Robert Blatchford

First appearance: i introduction in defence of everything else

As a supporting figure in Orthodoxy, Mr. Blatchford is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Criticized for being mad on the Christian virtue of charity, leading to a mercy that would cause anarchy.

In the storyThe Suicide of ThoughtOpen this moment free

See Mr. Blatchford in The Suicide of Thought Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

He is the book's example of a good man whose goodness has escaped its proper frame — charity untethered from any doctrine of sin. The narrator's charge is affectionate and sharp: Blatchford forgives so eagerly that he abolishes the offense, and mercy without judgment becomes mere anarchy. He matters because he shows how the modern world is full of old Christian virtues gone mad, each one isolated and wandering alone.

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The fuller portrait of Mr. Blatchford sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Mr. Blatchford in i introduction in defence of everything else