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Anni Sandra Varblane
Text Analysis 1
Pille Põiklik
October 8, 2013
She Set a Path for a Modern-Day Woman
Jordan Baker did not play a primary character in The Great Gatsby and she definitely did not start out as the most likeable one, yet oddly enough, she ended up being my favourite . The reason for that is simple: she portrayed a present-day woman who might have been vain, and at times , careless but she was also fairly independent and knew how to take care of herself in a world where women were thought of as nothing more than merely housewives. I truly respect the qualities she possessed, even though they were not always admirable and considerate of others. The number one trait I liked about Jordan as a character was her independence and the fact that she was not reliant on men, which cannot be said about Daisy and Myrtle. All the female characters were in their twenties but Jordan was the only one who still had not got married nor had a child . She had her own ideals and goals , and she stood for them without hesitation. However , by the end of the novel , she did get engaged, which can be seen from a conversation between Nick and Jordan as Nick says that “ there were several she could have married at a nod of her head /…/” ( Fitzgerald 1993: 160), which means that for a long time, Jordan chose not to marry , ignoring society’s pressure and its prototypical image of the 1920s women. When it came to her personality, Jordan was portrayed to be quite arrogant and restless, and she somehow thought herself to be better than others, especially, when it concerned the people who lived in West Egg. For example, the first time she spoke to Nick “she remarked contemptuously, that he lived in West Egg” (Fitzgerald 1993: 27). West Egg represented people, who had become rich on their own hard work, also known as “new money ”, whereas East Egg symbolized ageing and established aristocracy, “old money”. Nick himself pointed out that “the less fashionable of the two /…/” (Fitzgerald 1993: 22) was West Egg. Jordan constantly had an attitude about her, which showed like she did not care for much or for anyone , for that matter. She was depicted as being unhappy and moody , without a clear purpose in life, despite the fact that she had a successful golf career and an active social life.
As mentioned before , Jordan Baker had qualities that were often unlikeable and disagreeable. She was profiled as being “incurably dishonest” (Fitzgerald 1993: 65). Nick said that Jordan could not “ endure being at a disadvantage” and she learned the deceitful way of life from an early age (Fitzgerald 1993: 65). For example, there was a suggestion that at her first big golf tournament, Jordan moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round (Fitzgerald 1993: 64). Also, it was shown, how carelessly she treated other people’s property and then was untruthful about it. For instance , “she left a borrowed car out in the rain with the top down, and then lied about it…” (Fitzgerald 1993: 64). All those actions show her carelessness with which she lived with, and that it seemed to be the only way she knew how to look out for herself. All in all, it is clear that Jordan had a pretty aloof attitude towards life in general, however, due to her personality, she characterised the Jazz Age perfectly with its recklessness, hastiness and confusion. Nevertheless, she also showed what it meant to have your own values and priorities. She led the way for contemporary women with her independence and self-sufficiency.
Used Material :
Fitzgerald, F. S. (1993). The Great Gatsby. Ware : Wordsworth Classics.
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