The Professor’s House · Character

Rodney Blake

Tom Outland's older partner on the New Mexico range, a generous, unlucky workingman who gave Tom the friendship and stability he'd never had.

supporting

Also known as Roddy, Blake

First appearance: I

As a supporting figure in The Professor’s House, Rodney Blake is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Mentioned as Tom's remarkable friend who gave up a job to be with him.

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Rodney Blake met Tom Outland in a railroad camp and took him under his wing after nursing him through pneumonia, then threw up his job so the two could ride the Sitwell range together. A man who can do anything for somebody else and nothing for himself, he'd been burned by his mother's remarriage, a faithless fiancée, and a swindled oil investment. The mesa he and Tom dream of climbing becomes the emblem of their partnership, and his loyalty—and its limits—shape how Tom's story ends.

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

See Rodney Blake in I

Character Web

18 connections

A slice of how Rodney Blake sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Central characters
Minor associates

+13 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Tom Outland’s solitary return to the mesa after Blake’s disappearance marks the emotional peak of his grief an…

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In the story

Rodney Blake appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter X
Mentioned as Tom's remarkable friend who gave up a job to be with him.
Book II: Tom Outland's Story
Tom's loyal friend and partner in the discovery of the Cliff City; later sells the relics.
I
A workingman who wins gambling money; becomes Tom's close friend and mentor figure.
II
Tom's partner, who shares the duties of watching the cattle and is shown the pottery and arrowheads.
III
Tom's partner; shares in the discovery and helps plan the exploration of the mesa.
IV
Tom's partner in the excavation, sharing the labor and observations of the Cliff City.
V
Tom's partner in the discovery; stays behind to work and save money.
VI
Sold the relics to Fechtig; defends his decision to Tom.
VII
Has left after selling the relics; Tom searches for him but cannot find him.

Chapter companion notes

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See Rodney Blake in I

See Rodney Blake in Chapter X