Jordan Baker, best friends with Daisy, friends with Tom and Gatsby, and the lover of Nick, is considered one of the main characters. Jordan is a typical flapper of the 1920s; she is slender with good posture. She also has a pale, charming face with grey, sun-strained eyes. She is a professional golfer; which gives her a lot of good and bad recognition. Jordan is almost hard to swallow; she is blunt, rude, snobby and stuck up. She treats almost everyone as if they are below her. " 'I hope I never will,' she answered. 'I hate careless people. That's why I like you' " (58). Her actions, along with others, take a toll on the innocent beings in the story line. Throughout the book, Jordan represents the cynical, dishonest, reckless and careless people …show more content…
She just tells Nick about Tom’s mistress, Daisy and Gatsby’s history, goes to Gatsby’s rather crazy parties, and makes a big deal out of something so small that is apart of a huge situation. When Daisy, Gatsby, Nick, Tom and Jordan all go out to the city for the afternoon, they stop at Tom’s mistresses and her husband’s garage for gas. Tom’s mistress believes that Jordan is Daisy, Tom’s wife. Later that day, they all sit in a rich hotel just because they can. Tom goes on an ironic rant about affairs in a marriage and eventually reaching the crazy idea of interracial marriages. Jordan being careless and not looking at the situation with the right mindset, jokingly says “We’re all white here“ (130). Just a few hours later, Daisy runs over and kills Tom’s mistress, Myrtle. When Tom, Nick and Jordan stop at the car accident, Jordan doesn’t say much; she stays quiet. When they all arrive at Tom and Daisy’s house, Jordan invites Nick in as if nothing has happened. When Nick denies her for the first time, she say’s “It’s only half-past nine” (142). When she finally realized that Nick is fed up with the whole situation, she runs into the house embarrassed. It never dawned on her that something terrible just happened. She was too self-absorbed to understand that the situation they were in was deadly. She also couldn’t fathom the fact that she was
Jordan Baker is a friend of Daisy’s. Daisy met her through golfing although, Jordans attitudes and demeanor don't support this story. She is clearly annoyed and bored by the situation, which only intoxicates Nick. Jordan has an attitude of nonchalance about her, she is seemingly untouched by the dramatic nature of the night.
In the novel The Great Gatsby by American novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jordan Baker portrays a professional golfer who is both Daisy Buchanan’s friend and a woman with whom Nick Carraway, the narrator, becomes romantically involved. She is poised, blonde, very athletic, and physically appealing. Throughout the story, Baker represents a typical privileged upper class woman of the 1920’s Jazz Age with her cynical, glamorous, and self-centered nature. Despite the fact that she is not the main character, Jordan Baker plays an important role in portraying one of Fitzgerald's themes, the decay of morality, in the novel. When the audience is first introduced to Jordan Baker, it is during a warm evening when Nick Carraway drives to the East Egg to visit with his cousin Daisy Buchanan and her husband Tom.
At a cursory glance, Daisy may seem like the quintessential socialite, with a happy marriage and a life of luxury. With her wealthy lifestyle, Daisy has the independence to travel anywhere and whenever she wants, oftentimes without Tom, as seen when Nick invited her to “come for tea … and don't bring Tom” [88]. This small act of independent is offset by Tom’s eventual “perturbation at Daisy’s running around alone”[110]. In this scene, Tom’s grasp on Daisy’s life is tightened once more as if she was an expensive piece of jewelry, with the miniscule possibility of being stolen. However, on the other hand, much of Daisy’s wealth does come from Tom, giving a great deal of control to him in their relationship to the point where Tom does not hide the fact he has a mistress. “You mean to say you don’t know? … I thought everybody knew”[19]. With the way Jordan says this, one can infer that even Daisy knew and she basically had no say in the matter. Furthermore, when Tom’s mistress continues to call during tea and Jordan whispers, “The rumor is that that’s Tom’s girl on the telephone”, it shows the amount of control that Tom has over Daisy and Myrtle [122]. This part also shows the impact of societal norms, which had made it seem acceptable for Tom to have a mistress while if Daisy was having an affair it would be more looked down upon.
When they were married, they “spent a year in France for no particular reason” while Nick used the family wealth wisely and lived humbly. Daisy is aware that Tom is cheating on her when the phone rings and he answers because she mentions to Nick she hopes her daughter grows up to be a “beautiful little fool” (21) because ignorance is bliss. In The Great Gatsby, kids are not a significant part of the story; just like in Henrik Ibsen’s “A Dolls House”, they are simply just shown off and played with by the parents and later sent away to be taken care of while the adults did their normal activities. While Tom cheats on her with Myrtle Wilson, she does the same to him with Gatsby. When Gatsby was at the Buchanan house for drinks, as Tom left the room, Daisy grabs Gatsby and starts kissing him, proclaiming “I don't care!” (122) . She said this because she tried to show her love for Gatsby, this is not only a lie she told the others,but herself as well. Later on in the story, when she and Gatsby were driving, they ran over Myrtle Wilson and killed her but showed no signs of remorse later. Jordan Baker, a young golf player who is just as immoral as the other lavish rich people in her company , asks to see Nick after Myrtle Wilson was killed but he refuses because he is overcome with shock by the
When first introduced, Daisy is described as having “bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth...a singing compulsion...a promise that she had done, gay exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour” (Fitzgerald 9). Through her face, eyes, and mouth, she is perceived to be flowing with energy. Miss Baker, however, as previously mentioned, is described as being opposingly uninterested and spiritless. Unlike Daisy’s bright eyes, Jordan’s are “gray” and “sun-strained” and at dinner she “sits down at the table as if she were getting into bed” (Fitzgerald 11). Fitzgerald cleverly creates Jordan as a foil to Daisy. Every action of Daisy’s is bright and energetic, while all of Jordan’s statements and movements seem to be lifeless and languid, and Carraway, while uninterested in Jordan, is entranced by Daisy’s compelling voice and glowing
After finally realizing the situation, Tom agrees with Daisy's suggestion that they should all go to New York together. Nick rides with Jordan and Tom in Gatsby's car; Gatsby and Daisy ride together in Tom's car. Stopping for gas at Wilson's garage, Nick, Tom, and Jordan learn that Wilson has discovered his wife's affair and plans to move her to the West. Nick perceives that Tom and Wilson are in the same position. Tom begins his confrontation with Gatsby by mocking his habit and the fact that he claimed he went to Oxford.
Jordan Baker tells Nick the heartbreaking story of Daisy and Gatsby 's young love that was forbidden by her parents due to the difference of their social classes. Daisy was not allowed to be with him because he was not wealthy enough to properly provide nor was being a soldier a suitable career title; however, Gatsby would not let this stop him from having the one girl that he truly loved. Later in the chapter, Jordan explains all of Gatsby 's bold yet vain attempts to win back his loved one. Jordan tells Nick that he "half expected her to wander into one of the parties, some night" (79). He aimed to use his fortune as a way to win back Daisy by throwing the most extravagant of all parties to get her attention. She also tells Nick that Gatsby does not want Jordan to arrange a meeting between both him and Daisy because "he wants her to see his house" (79). Even though his love for Daisy is unbearable, at the end of the day, he focuses more on his wealth to win her over. Gatsby "had waited five years and bought a mansion" (78) across the bay from her and her husband in hope that she would recognize his endeavor and all of the money he had obtained and come back to be with him for that sole purpose. In his mind, if Daisy knows how much he is worth, she will have no reason to reject him a second
After being exposed to the affair, Nick is later lectured by Tom about a particular book he 's been reading up on, “The idea is if we don’t look out, the white race will – will be utterly submerged!” Albeit this was written and situated in the 1920s, Nick himself does not express an opinion on the subject, while Tom is strident about his misguided contingency. Despite Tom, Nick endures through the dinner and sticks around for information about Daisy 's child. However, Daisy appears to not show much interest for her own daughter, instead expressing believable bitterness towards life and everything, leading here, “Her eyes flashed around her in a defiant way, rather like Tom 's, and she laughed with thrilling scorn. 'Sophisticated – God I’m sophisticated! '" Nick realizes the insincerity in her act it was once he actually reads into her lines, but isn 't sure of what to comment on. Daisy winds up extending the conversation into the room Tom and Jordan are lingering in, leaving Nick in an uncomfortable position. Fast forward to after Nick makes his realization on Jordan, the two of them are riding along in a car debating Jordan 's driving skills or whether she should be more careful, and she eventually admits, “I hate careless people. That’s why I like you." Although Nick and Jordan are in a relationship, neither of them truly cares for one another, as Nick blatantly dislikes nearly all of Jordan 's traits yet still finds himself gripped to her solely on his fascination for the careless 1920s living style. Jordan most likely couldn 't care less of what Nick thought about her, seemingly dating him for almost no reason whatsoever besides a simple shrug. Presently, nearly all of Nick 's acquaintances are
The quote that best describes Jordan Baker is, “Let’s get out…this is much too polite for me” (45). The bad qualities of Jordan Baker are she is deceitful, derisive, and contemptuous. Jordan’s good qualities are she is a strong and supportive woman. Fitzgerald developed Jordan Baker throughout The Great Gatsby because she is an example of how people prey on other people for money. In addition, Jordan Baker is important because she represents a new type of woman in her time.
To begin with, after the party from the city returns to Tom’s home, Jordan invites him inside, but he responds, “‘No, thanks…’ I’d be damned if I’s go in; I’d had enough of all of them for one day, and suddenly that included Jordan too” (142). By refusing to enter Tom’s house, he symbolically declines the acceptance of the upper class; something he, Gatsby, and Myrtle all avidly desired and worked towards up to this point. Rather than value those material characteristics that had appealed to him before, he chooses his moral principles instead. His relationship with Jordan perfectly symbolizes his primary choice . Later on, after Gatsby’s death, Nick “found himself on Gatsby’s side, and alone…it grew upon me that I was responsible [for Gatsby’s funeral], because… [Gatsby deserved] that intense personal interest to which every one has some vague right at the end” (164). Once again, Nick favors his personal beliefs over following societal expectations. He stands by the mysterious figure of Gatsby, who possessed “an extraordinary gift for hope”(2) that Nick admired, while everyone else keeps a safe distance and watches, as onlookers in a zoo does to the animals. By admitting his part in the events that took place, primarily Gatsby’s downfall, Nick shows he is not the same careless person as Tom and Daisy who leave their mistakes for others to fix . Whether Nick’s belief that everyone should have a living person stand by h im/her after death is a universal truth or not, he follows his heart rather than the crowd. Finally, before he leaves to the Midwest, Nick “wanted to leave things in order and not just trust that obliging and indifferent sea to sweep my refuse away” (177). Particularly, Nick wanted to end his relationship with Jordan, supporting his original belief that a person should only have one
To start off, Nick Carraway is responsible for the death of Gatsby. During the harmonious relationship with Jordan Baker, Nick displays tolerance of Jordan Baker’s dishonest behavior and considers her dishonesty as incurable. Nick expresses his thought to Jordan by saying, “It made no difference to me. Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply ” (58). However, Nick’s forbearance of woman’s dishonesty develops, and his tolerance of dishonesty reaches an apex. Nick soon covers and hides the origin truth of Myrtle Wilson’s death, and he lets Gatsby assume the responsibility of Myrtle’s death. The next day, Nick sees the abandoned corpse of Jay Gatsby at his pool. After the death of Jay, Nick hides the secret of Myrtle’s death from Tom, but displays his disappointment toward Tom. If Nick had told anyone that Daisy was driving the car, George would not have shot Gatsby. Nick Carraway’s wrong decision that was not to tell anyone Daisy ran over Myrtle has led the Gatsby’s death. Moreover, Carraway’s wide tolerance has not prevented the death, but caused it. He is respo...
... Nick makes a small funeral for Gatsby and Daisy does not attend it. He took the blame for her, and he is dead all because of her, he sacrificed for her. She and Tom decide to travel and take off. Also Nick breaks up with Jordan, and he moves back to Midwest because he has had enough of these people, and hates the people that were close to Gatsby and for bareness, emptiness, and cold heart they have of the life in the middle of the wealthy on the East Coast. Nick realizes, and reveals that Gatsby’s dream of Daisy was ruined by money and un-loyalty, dishonestly. Daisy all she cared about is wealth, she chased after the men that have a lot of money. Even though Gatsby has control, influence, and authority to change his dreams into making it into real life for him this is what Nicks says makes him a good man. Now both Gatsby’s dream and the American Dream are over.
Jordan Baker is used by Nick for both her fame and wealth, acting as Nick’s own temporary love affair to fulfill his own needs. Moreover, Nick Carraway seems to be always caught up or involved either directly or indirectly in all the corruption that occurs. Nick as the narrator is aware of the lying, corruption and deceit that takes place, and seems unfazed by it. Nick also defends Gatsby even though he very well knows of all Gatsby's criminal activity and liquor smuggling. Finally, Nick is the character who sets up two of the main characters, Daisy Buchanan, his cousin and Jay Gatsby, to have an affair.
She lies, cheats, and somehow gets away with it all, perpetuating her sense of entitlement. The incident that helps Nick to see who she really is, as stated in the book, is as follows: “[Jordan] left a borrowed car out in the rain with the top down, and… lied about it-and suddenly I remembered… At her first big golf tournament… she had moved the ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round” (58). While these two coinciding events introduce her questionable morals, Nick fails to see this until later in the book. Nick overlooks this trait of hers, and goes to show how even when presented with direct evidence of wrongdoing, she can get away with whatever she wants. She believes that she deserves to get her way no matter what the expense may be, even if it may put others in danger. A dangerous situation the Jordan gets herself into because of this sense of entitlement through deception is when she is taking a drive with Nick. In the novel, Jordan states, “‘[other drivers] will keep out of my way… It takes two to make an accident’... ‘I hate careless people. That’s why I like you”
Daisy was Nick’s second cousin once removed, and Tom Buchanan was Daisy’s hulking brute of a husband and classmate of Nick’s from college. Jordan Baker, a prominent tennis player of the time, was staying with Daisy and Tom. As they sat down and chatted, it was Jordan who mentioned Gatsby, saying that she had been to one of his extravagant parties that he held every weekend. The four sat down to dinner when Tom received a phone call, which Daisy suspected to be from Tom’s mistress. Afterwards, Daisy and Nick talked and Jordan and Tom went out to walk about the grounds. Daisy talked about her little daughter and how when she was born Tom was not even there and she had wished out loud that she would be a fool, for that was the only way she could ever be happy. The four met again at the house and then Jordan went to bed and Nick went home.