In John Ridd, Blackmore presents a man of unusual strength and strong conscience. A devout Christian who feels he is closely in touch with the world God has created, Ridd loves the countryside of Exmoor and its people with their conservative ways. As he jokingly remarks "many of us still looked upon wheels (though mentioned in the Bible) as the invention of the evil one, and Pharoah's especial property." Certain that God has a purpose for everyone, he muses on God's ways throughout the novel. Despite his exhaustion after his great struggle with Carver Doone, he tries to assist his helpless opponent out of the Wizard's Slough. He has grown since the years of his teens, when revenge was his main purpose in life.

Some readers consider Ridd one of the more outstanding male chauvinists in literature. He thinks that all women, with the exceptions of...