Jordan Baker In The Great Gatsby

3) Jordan Baker plays a dominant role in chapter three, as she spends much time with Nick at Mr. Gatsby party. Jordan is described as boyish, self-centered, yet beautiful. She is related to the novel, for which she is Daisey friend. Some of Jordan Baker's best qualities include

In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, we see that the character of Jordan Baker is quite different from other women of her time. She has beliefs and values that are radically different from everybody else's. Through her actions, it is clear that she represents the emergence of a different type of woman -- one who is self sufficient -- in the 1920's. Fitzgerald uses this individual to symbolize the changing ways of life in America.

Society’s expectations of women now and in the past cause a huge controversy and conflict amongst women. The main three female characters of the novel The Great Gatsby have many conflicts with society and what is expected of them as a female in the 1920s. They are expected to be the server of man and to not be their own person, but this was a conflict with them. Although Myrtle, Daisy, and Jordan show case their conflict with society, they negotiate that conflict with their personality and their mannerisms.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, an unfortunate and rather tragic love story is told. The narrator, Nick Carraway, plays quite a big role in the novel. He ends up knowing quite a bit of vital information about nearly every character in the book, and what he chose to do with that information greatly affected the tragic ending of this book. Throughout the novel, Nick is trusted with several secrets and choses to keep all of them to himself. He doesn’t once cross or wrong anyone. Although this is usually considered a good thing, if Nick decided to share this vital information, the tragedy at the end could have been avoided, or at the very least been less extreme.

Feminism is the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays women in a light that does not follow this ideology. The characters contain viewpoints that showcase how during that era women were thought to be lesser than men. Throughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, the job and attitudes of women were determined by men not the women themselves. We see this in the several different aspects. These aspects include: Daisy's hopes and wishes for her daughter, Myrtle's death and cadaver, and the stereotypes that surrounded Jordan Baker's career and physical appearance.

Fitzgerald puts Jordan of as a character who expects others to take responsibilities of her actions. Other people have to watch out while driving because she does not have to. Jordan does not care if someone else get in a rec because of her absurdity because whatever the problem is it is the other person's fault. Jordan talks about others without care . If people know what Jordan says about them she won't care. Talking about others won't affect the way people see her so it's okay. Jordan is a wealthy braggart who thinks she is better than everyone else. She deserves anything she asks for no matter what it is.

Fitzgerald underscores Baker’s affection of “whiteness” throughout the novel, encapsulates the conflation of all the while developing discourses on race, sex, and gender (Froehlich 83). Nick’s usage of masculine language describing Jordan’s body as “hard”, “muscular”, “a young cadet”, and his admiration of her other manly attributes suggest that Jordan has no erotic interest in men. Normally Nick’s relationship with her is assumed as his attraction to her, in the physical sense, as a result of his own sexuality. Froehlich states, yet the author’s illustration of Baker draws from the common discourse of sexual inversion— including that of the “mannish woman”, the “invert”, and the “third sex”— of nineteenth-century sexologists such as Kraft-Ebing and Havelock Ellis, as well as the developing narrative of the “threatening lesbian” (83). It is noted that the character of the lesbian figure of the early-twentieth century illuminates Fitzgerald’s representation of Jordan:

A page of The Great Gatsby cannot be read without a form of figurative language hidden within the text. The literary devices used in the passage on page 78 of this novel significantly contributes to the overall message, giving readers a better visual of Nick’s growing image of Jay Gatsby and how his conversation with Jordan Baker changed greatly. The imagery specifically adds to the setting and surroundings of the passage; therefore, this gives an idea of what the mood of the conversation should be. “…the clear voices of little girls, already gathered like crickets on the grass, rose through the hot twilight…” (Fitzgerald 78). An image is given of young girls playing at dusk and enjoying the simplicity of their youth. The reader is also presented with a somewhat longing from Nick, of missing the simpler days. Fitzgerald provides the reader with vivid visuals that have deeper meanings.

It's wrong to go by status instead of character like they do in The Great Gatsby. In the book it Jordan says “He wants her to see his

Women today have many opportunities the women of the 1920’s did not have; although many still mary, they tend to not marry for the sole reason of having someone to support them. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, he writes about several female characters who are clearly displayed to us. Although the story revolves around a man chasing a dream, the female characters stand out. Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson and Jordan Baker. They all have different wants and needs in their lives and the restrictions of the times affect them all differently.

Women were not equal to men during the era of the 1920’s. In “The Great Gatsby,” Fitzgerald represents a negative, misogynistic, stereotypical view of the various types of women during the era of the 1920’s. During the that time, women were not portrayed in a positive light., By writing a book centered around that time period, it causes one to wonder the message Fitzgerald was trying to illustrate about women and what he was saying about society as a whole. Fitzgerald represents the view of women within the 20’s by depicting each character as a representation of the many stereotypes occurring within that era. The main characters Daisy, Myrtle, and Jordan each display pertinent roles within the story representing how women’s roles were

As opposed to the other women in the novel, Jordan Baker is treated a little bit differently by the author, as she has certain masculine characteristics. She is a professional golfer who cheated her way to the top. She has masculine habits of drinking and smoking. She does not marry and is not yet willing to devote herself to a man, unlike the other female characters. She is self sufficient and is actively involved in her own interests. Jordan is harsh, cynical, and represents a new type of woman in the 1920's. The name "Jordan" also happens to be a unisex name. Jordan has made it to the elite status and will do whatever she has to in order to stay there, including lying. "She was incurably dishonest" (Fitzgerald 63). In this way, she does have similarities to Daisy and Myrtle. She is selfish and isn't concerned about anyone besides herself. Nick observes this as he watches the way Jordan drives. "'You're a rotten driver... suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself.' 'I hope I never will. I hate careless people.'" (Fitzgerald 63). In this quote, the reader can see how Jordan is extremely selfish and indifferent. She likes to drive fast and she doesn’t care about the repercussions to other drivers. Jordan is very haughty, arrogant, and condescending, and looks down upon others who she considers to be below her. "'You live in West Egg,' she remarked contemptuously." (Fitzgerald 15). In this quote, the reader can see that Jordan is judging Nick for living on

The Great Gatsby was written in 1925 to depict the American Dream. During this time, there was an ideal lifestyle for men and women. Ideally, women were meant to be housewives and men were meant to be the providers. Characters such as Daisy, Myrtle , and Jordan all represent different lifestyles and ways of obtaining the American dream. Daisy Buchanan, who uses her beauty to get what she wants. Myrtle Wilson is the mistress of Tom Buchanan, who is at rich man and she is poor ,but she was still able to use his money. Jordan Baker represents the “new woman” who does not live dependent upon a man and begins to dress in a different style.

James attempts to explain this lack of inhibition by constructing for her a simplistic vernacular and almost oblivious approach to life that would prove her innocence. Without knowledge, any faux pas are assumed inexperience, not immorality. This inexperience with more cultured society is also apparent in her vernacular. Daisy says things like "ever so" (56) that give her away as an "uncultivated person" (121). Her name, and the fact that it is her chosen, not given one, is also very significant. Miller suggests her family's humble history and Daisy, a "common flower...is also simple and unpretentious. The fact that it opens up in the sun also suggests [Daisy's] life-loving qualities" (121). That she chose this name also supports a view that Daisy had no qualms about living the way she does as a simple, life-loving creature. James also provides some subtle symbolism to support once again Daisy's innocence. In one scene, Daisy sits alone with Giovanelli and a painting of "Innocence X by Velazquez" (105) hangs above them to remind the

Looking at F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby through a feminist perspective, it’s apparent the text supports and challenges the assumptions of a patriarchal society. Interrogating this text with a critical feminist viewpoint reveals the men and women appear to be victims of social and cultural norms of the 1920s, which were firmly entrenched. However, some of the characters attempt to redefine these, especially the women in order to renegotiate the gender norms. Jordan resists social pressure to conform to feminine expectations and, despite Daisy and Myrtle living more traditionally, they are both willing to have affairs. The female characters approach feminism in a multitude of ways, representing different layers of narrative voices through a time of a feminist movement.