Padre Blazon Character Analysis in Fifth Business

Padre Blazon is an old and eccentric member of the Jesuit group of scholars with whom Dunstan studies for a time. Dunstan has a particularly close relationship with Padre Blazon, whose understanding of Christianity, faith, and God is unusual and thoughtful. Padre wishes Jesus had lived to be an old man—for he is an old man himself, and realizes there is nothing in the teachings of Christ that tells us how to be old. He advises Dunstan on how to handle and think about Mrs. Dempster’s sainthood. He dies an elderly but still energetic man, and tells Dunstan on his deathbed that he has finally figured out how to be old.

Padre Blazon Quotes in Fifth Business

The Fifth Business quotes below are all either spoken by Padre Blazon or refer to Padre Blazon. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Religion, Faith, and Morality Theme Icon

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Penguin Classics edition of Fifth Business published in 2001.

“What good would it do you if I told you she was indeed a saint? I cannot make saints, nor can the pope. We can only recognize saints when the plainest evidence shows them to be saintly.”

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Page Number and Citation: 161

Explanation and Analysis:

Padre Blazon Character Timeline in Fifth Business

The timeline below shows where the character Padre Blazon appears in Fifth Business. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...When he leaves the Bollandists for Vienna, he travels with one of the elderly members, Padre Blazon . Padre Blazon is an odd man, farcical in appearance and fond of making long... (full context)

Padre Blazon has many atypical beliefs about the nature of religion, chief among them the belief that... (full context)

4. Even though Dunstan appreciates Padre Blazon ’s advice, the visits with Mrs. Dempster continue to weigh on him. Her stay in... (full context)

...him compliments. They do, and what’s more Dunstan hears news that makes him even happier: Padre Blazon is still alive in a hospital in Vienna. He goes to see him immediately. (full context)

Padre Blazon is delighted to see Dunstan, and asks him quickly about his fool-saint. Dunstan recalls Father... (full context)

After he listens to the story, Padre Blazon is tired, and Dunstan goes home for the night, returning in the morning. Padre Blazon... (full context)

...he has met the Devil yet. Dunstan tells him briefly about his encounter with Liesl. Padre Blazon is thrilled to hear it, and agrees that a relationship with the Devil is good... (full context)