The Autobiography of Mark Rutherford · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in The Autobiography of Mark Rutherford by Mark Rutherford.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Mark Rutherford
major
Also known as Rutherford, Mr. Rutherford
A dissenting minister whose hunger for books beyond his reach turns faith into loneliness and the pulpit into a slow unraveling.
Theresa
supporting
A woman who enters Rutherford's guarded inner life and tests whether the heart can be educated out of its solitude.
Mr. Snale
supporting
Also known as a Mr. Snale, Snale
A chapel deacon whose plain, practical religion quietly measures—and judges—the distance between Rutherford's sermons and his doubts.
Mary Bell
supporting
Also known as Bell, Mary
A young woman in Rutherford's circle whose ordinary warmth and loyalties expose how far his reading has carried him from daily life.
Miss Arbour
supporting
Also known as V Miss Arbour
A thoughtful, generous woman whose friendship offers Rutherford the rare relief of being understood without being preached at.
Ellen
supporting
Also known as VI Ellen
A woman whose presence pulls at Rutherford's affections and forces him to weigh the claims of love against the habits of a solitary mind.
Miss Mardon
minor
Also known as Mardon
A member of the Mardon family, involved in Rutherford's social world.
Mr. Hexton
minor
A minister or authority figure who interacts with Rutherford.
Edward Gibbon Mardon
minor
Also known as Edward Gibbon, Mr. Edward Gibbon Mardon, Mardon
A friend or acquaintance of Rutherford, possibly a fellow dissenter.
Mr. Weeley
minor
A church or community figure who appears in the narrative.
Brother Holderness
minor
A fellow dissenter or church member known to Rutherford.
Mr. Catfield
minor
A minor character in Rutherford's acquaintance.
Mrs. Lane
minor
A landlady or household figure in Rutherford's life.
Miss Wollaston
minor
Also known as Wollaston
A minor character in Rutherford's social circle.
Reuben Shapcott
minor
A friend or colleague of Rutherford, possibly a publisher.
Mrs. Snale
minor
Wife of Mr. Snale, appears in domestic scenes.
The Misses Arbour
minor
Relatives of Miss Arbour, mentioned in passing.
Mr. Lane
minor
Husband of Mrs. Lane, appears briefly.
Mrs. Cook
minor
A minor household figure in the narrative.
