Jordan Baker In The Great Gatsby

“Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we get become; and the same is true of fame.” This profound statement by Arthur Schopenhauer denotes humanity’s desire for wealth, and the never ending descent into an ocean of heedless thinking. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel that shines light on the enticing lives of the wealthy and the pitiful lives of the poor. Fitzgerald demonstrates both the lengths that people are willing to go for money and the dastardly consequences that go along with those questionable decisions. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, wealth and the desire for more wealth perpetuate careless and neglectful actions. The character Jordan Baker is facetious and a fraud, while Myrtle Wilson

During one of Gatsby’s parties, Baker wants to go out and drive; she “...passed so close to some workmen that our fender flicked a button on one man’s coat” (58). She wasn’t driving carefully and put others in danger because of her reckless actions, When Nick scolds her for being dangerous, she replies, “‘It takes two to make an accident’” (58). Daisy’s statement distances herself from any blame and places that blame on others. Furthermore, at Daisy’s, Nick hears all about how “She [Baker] had moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round” (57). Baker didn’t want to lose an important game or tarnish her famous reputation, so she moved the ball against the rules. Jordan Baker is careless, not only because she is wealthy and doesn’t need to think about consequences, but also because she wants to maintain her prestige and lavish

As Gatsby recounts his story of young love he says, “‘For Daisy was young and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant cheerful snobbery…’” (151). Daisy was so caught up in her snotty attitude that she stopped waiting for Gatsby, which was both selfish and neglectful. Gatsby also recalls that he had given Daisy “...a false sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same station as herself…” (149). One might think this was wrong of Gatsby, but the only reason he felt the need to pretend to be in the same economic class as Daisy was because she only cared about her future husband’s financial situation. One of the most influential statements made about Daisy’s negligence comes from Nick; he can’t seem to contact Daisy about Gatsby’s death, and he remarks, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money…”(179). In this situation, both Daisy and Tom made decisions that severely impacted other human lives, but they themselves didn’t suffer any repercussions because they were able to hide behind their wealth. Unquestionably, Daisy was a money leech who was willing to use anyone as a scapegoat to keep her wealth