Clear

John Ferguson is one of the protagonists of Clear. He is described as having a narrow, angular face, with dark hair and a slim build. John is a Presbyterian minister who previously served in the Church of Scotland. However, in the Great Disruption of 1843, John leaves the Church of Scotland and joins the Free Church of Scotland, a new version of the church that pushes back against the previously established system of patronage that allowed wealthy landowners to install their own ministers in churches on their land.

John grew up with his aunt and his father, and his aunt’s refusal to allow him to speak Scots in her house inspires John to take up his great project of translating the Gospels into Scots to make them more accessible to his congregation. John is a man of simple pleasures. At the beginning of the novel, when he still holds fast to his faith, he thinks upon arrival at the Baillie house: “He also had his box, with Mary’s fruitcake and his other foodstuffs inside. All of these things were blessings, and for each one he mouthed a silent prayer of thanks” (8). John thanks God for the dried food he’s packed with him, demonstrating both his appreciation for the smaller things in life and his gratitude towards the deity that he deems responsible for the boons of his existence.