# Mr. Blatchford — Orthodoxy character guide

> Mr. Blatchford in Orthodoxy by G. K. Chesterton.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Robert Blatchford

**First appearance:** 0003-i-introduction-in-defence-of-everything-else

## Snapshot

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

## Who they are

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.

## Relationships

### [Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orthodoxy_se/characters/narrator)

_rivalry_

Mr. Blatchford is a secularist writer whose materialist views the narrator actively opposes in debate.

## In the story

### [The Suicide of Thought](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orthodoxy_se/chapters/iii-the-suicide-of-thought)

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

### [The Romance of Orthodoxy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orthodoxy_se/chapters/viii-the-romance-of-orthodoxy)

Cited as an example of an enemy of the Church who, in attacking it, ends up defending tyrants.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orthodoxy_se/characters/mr_blatchford
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orthodoxy_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/orthodoxy_se/characters