MBTI Type: ESFJ

John does not believe in making impersonal decisions—he cannot leave the woman he loves to be forcefully married off to a man she hates, even if it endangers his family. He cannot allow his brother-in-law to die on the battlefield, and leave his sister’s child without a father. He cannot even stand aside and watch Carver drown in quicksand, without attempting to save him. His decisions all come instantly and from his sense of moral right and wrong, his emotions about how he feels, and his judgments about the appropriateness of situations. John initially opposes his wife’s marriage to Tom, because he is a “highwayman.” However much he might like their cousin, it’s not a profession that is moral or that will ensure her a happy life. But he also realizes he is in no position to judge her, because he has also made a controversial choice of a future wife—the granddaughter of their sworn enemy. His emotional appeals include taking a risk with the ‘hanging judge’ by asking him to please pardon Tom, justifying his request by pointing out that Tom ‘fought as hard against the Doones as any of us,’ as if he is judging him on his actions alone. He often fails to think through his decisions, simply impulsively makes them and doesn’t even question or rationalize them away later. His subjective experiences with the Doones cause him to form harsh opinions of them, but when he meets and falls in love with Lorna, John challenges all these assumptions and opens his mind up to new perspectives on the situation. He’s aware of the danger she is in and wants to get her out of it, immediately. John does not like the idea of changing her situation, after she comes to live with them on the farm—he almost doesn’t want to reveal the truth of her fortune because “it’ll change everything, won’t it? She’s happy here with us!” (Again, basing his decisions off an external factor like her happiness, rather than the facts.) John remembers her instantly when they meet again, since he recalls the pretty girl who saved him from drowning when he was just a boy. He also struggles to move past his father’s murder and forgive the family responsible.

Enneagram: 2w1 so/sx

John inevitably winds up saving and helping people wherever he goes. He may not even realize that his desire to save Lorna is as much about his instant attraction to her but also his way of showing his devotion to her and earning her approval. He can be somewhat overpowering in his demands for her to leave her home in the valley and run away with him. John becomes almost instantly affectionate with her, wanting to touch and kiss her when they barely know each other. He rushes to the aid of anyone who needs him – from his uncle (going into the Doone valley to spy on them for him) to Lorna (braving the Doone valley to rescue her, then defending her on the farm) to his brother-in-law (almost getting hanged on a rescue operation). Even when Carver is neck-deep in mud after shooting Lorna, John feels duty-bound to rescue him – because it’s the right thing to do (his 1 wing). He is often angry and resentful, lashing out at people, but also choosing the moral high ground even when it makes him unhappy (telling Lorna the truth about her family and attempting to save his enemy’s life).

Since it’s hard to find pictures of the other characters, I’ll include the rest of the Ridd family below.

His mother is a moralistic but forgiving ESFJ 1w2 who focuses on teaching her children to be responsible for their actions and do the right thing; though initially angry about his decision to invite Lorna into their lives, Sarah puts aside her own misgivings and treats her with kindness, coming to love her as her own daughter. She doesn’t want Annie, an ISFP 9w1, to marry a highwayman, because it’s an immoral profession and she doubts he can become a farmer. It’s true, Tom Faggus is an ESTP 7w8 and he soon gets ‘bored’ with farming and runs off to join the army, endangering himself in the process. Lizzie is an ESTJ 8, who tells it like it is—straightforward and unafraid of offending people, from telling Lorna “if you weren’t a Doone, I could almost like you” to slapping her brother when she finds out who he has fallen in love with (how can you love one of the people who murdered our father?). She isn’t about to wait for the man she loves to propose, so she does it herself. Their uncle is an ESTJ who won’t take no for an answer and turns to an ultimate authority, Judge Jeffries (another ESTJ) to solve their problems with the Doone s for them. His sweet, shy and temperate daughter Ruth is an ISFJ 2w1 who tenderly cares for other people, always putting their welfare ahead of her own needs and desires.