Character: Jordan Baker (Leaving Cert English): Revision Notes
Character: Jordan Baker
Overview
Jordan Baker represents the modern "New Woman" of the 1920s in Fitzgerald's novel. She serves as a professional golfer, confident socialite, and Nick Carraway's romantic interest throughout the story. As Daisy Buchanan's old friend from their shared "white girlhoods" in Louisville, Kentucky, Jordan comes from old money and upper-class society.
Fitzgerald presents Jordan as simultaneously fascinating and troubling to Nick. While initially attracted to her glamorous and self-assured nature, Nick gradually recognises her fundamental dishonesty and moral carelessness. Jordan functions both as a romantic subplot and as a symbol of the wealthy East Coast society that Nick comes to reject by the novel's end.
Jordan Baker serves multiple narrative functions - she's simultaneously a character in her own right, a romantic interest for Nick, and a symbol of the broader themes Fitzgerald explores about wealth, morality, and gender in 1920s America.
Historical context: gender and the 1920s
The changing role of women
The 1920s marked a significant shift in women's social position following the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted white women voting rights. However, societal expectations still largely confined women to domestic roles as wives and mothers.
The "roaring twenties" and the flapper
This era became known as the "Roaring Twenties" - characterised by jazz music, economic prosperity, Prohibition (though alcohol was widely consumed illegally), and the emergence of the flapper. Flappers were typically young women who challenged traditional feminine behaviour through their appearance (bobbed hair, painted lips) and actions (drinking, smoking, dancing the Charleston, and engaging with multiple men romantically).
These behaviours represented a direct rebellion against Victorian ideals of feminine purity and domesticity. Jordan exemplifies this new type of woman - she remains unmarried, pursues a professional career, enjoys parties and social freedom, and shows no interest in traditional domestic life.
Key characteristics
Physical attractiveness and masculine qualities
Fitzgerald emphasises Jordan's physical appeal throughout the novel, but notably describes her using traditionally masculine terms. Nick observes her "erect" posture and describes her as resembling a "young cadet" and having "slender muscles." This masculine imagery suggests Jordan's rejection of conventional feminine softness.
Key descriptive quotes include:
- "I enjoyed looking at her. She was a slender, small-breasted girl, with an erect carriage" (Chapter 1)
- "She looked like a good illustration, her chin raised a little jauntily, her hair the colour of an autumn leaf, her face the same brown tint as the fingerless glove on her knee" (Chapter 9)
The repeated imagery of golden/brown colouring connects Jordan to wealth and prosperity, while her athletic build reflects her active, independent lifestyle.
Confidence and self-assurance
Jordan displays remarkable confidence in social situations, which Fitzgerald emphasises through repeated use of the word "jaunty" to describe her manner and movements. This confidence allows her to speak freely in social situations where other women might remain passive.
Demonstration of Jordan's Social Confidence:
When Tom makes inappropriate comments about Gatsby, Jordan directly challenges him: "Listen, Tom. If you're such a snob, why did you invite him to lunch?" (Chapter 7). This directness was unusual for women of the era and demonstrates Jordan's willingness to assert herself socially.
However, Nick suggests this confidence might be performative - a protective mechanism rather than genuine self-assurance.
Fundamental dishonesty
Nick identifies dishonesty as Jordan's defining characteristic. This trait manifests most clearly in the golf tournament scandal, where Jordan was suspected of cheating by moving her ball during a crucial match. Though the accusation was later retracted, Nick believes the incident reveals her true character.
Nick explains: "Jordan Baker instinctively avoided clever, shrewd men, and now I saw that this was because she felt safer on a plane where any divergence from a code would be thought impossible. She was incurably dishonest" (Chapter 3).
This dishonesty serves as protection - Jordan lies to avoid consequences and maintain her privileged position. Nick recognises this as both a survival strategy and a moral failing.
Gossiping and social networking
Jordan serves a crucial narrative function by sharing information that advances the plot. At Gatsby's party, she reveals Tom's affair and later shares the story of Daisy and Gatsby's past romance. Her gossip isn't merely entertainment - it's how information circulates within this wealthy social circle.
Her statement "Don't talk. I want to hear what happens" demonstrates her appetite for drama and scandal, while her knowledge of everyone's secrets shows her central position in East Egg society.
Carelessness and privilege
Jordan embodies the moral carelessness that Nick comes to despise in the wealthy characters. Her reckless driving serves as a metaphor for this broader carelessness - she can afford to be irresponsible because her wealth and status protect her from consequences.
When Nick criticises her driving, Jordan responds: "They'll keep out of my way... It takes two to make an accident" and "I hate careless people. That's why I like you" (Chapter 3). This exchange reveals her assumption that others will accommodate her recklessness, while ironically claiming to dislike the very trait she embodies.
The driving metaphor becomes particularly significant in light of the novel's climactic car accident. Jordan's casual attitude towards dangerous driving foreshadows the tragic consequences of the wealthy characters' general carelessness.
Relationship with Nick
Initial attraction and development
Nick feels immediately drawn to Jordan's confidence and attractiveness when they first meet at the Buchanans' dinner party. Her self-sufficiency particularly appeals to him, as he notes: "Almost any exhibition of complete self-sufficiency draws a stunned tribute from me" (Chapter 1).
Their relationship develops throughout the summer, with Nick enjoying Jordan's celebrity status as a golf champion and her social connections. However, their romance lacks the passionate intensity of Gatsby and Daisy's relationship.
Growing disillusionment
As Nick spends more time in East Egg society, he becomes increasingly critical of Jordan's dishonesty and moral carelessness. The car accident involving Myrtle's death serves as a turning point - Jordan's indifferent response to the tragedy disgusts Nick and represents everything he has come to hate about the wealthy East Coast elite.
Final confrontation
In their last conversation, Jordan accuses Nick of dishonesty, calling him "a bad driver" and claiming he led her on romantically. This role reversal - where Jordan criticises Nick's character - highlights how their relationship reflects broader themes about moral judgement and self-deception in the novel.
Critical interpretations
The lesbian theory
Some literary critics argue that Jordan may be gay, pointing to her masculine appearance, her avoidance of traditional female roles, and her apparent discomfort with genuine romantic attachment. This interpretation suggests her dishonesty might stem from the need to conceal her sexuality in an oppressive social environment.
The mixed-race theory
Other scholars propose that Jordan might be "passing" as white - using light skin to access white society despite having African American heritage. This theory draws on the 1920s context of racial passing and suggests another reason for Jordan's careful self-presentation and strategic dishonesty.
Both alternative interpretations suggest that Jordan's dishonesty and careful self-presentation might stem from the need to hide fundamental aspects of her identity in a restrictive social environment, adding layers of complexity to her character.
Relationship to other female characters
Similarities with Daisy
Both Jordan and Daisy come from privileged backgrounds and embody the carelessness of their class. They appear as "silver idols" in Nick's description - attractive but ultimately hollow and morally corrupt.
Differences from Daisy
Unlike Daisy, Jordan remains unmarried and professionally active. She represents a more modern version of femininity, though she shares Daisy's fundamental detachment from moral consequences.
Contrast with Myrtle
While Myrtle Wilson desperately seeks upward mobility, Jordan was born into privilege. This difference highlights how class shapes the female characters' options and behaviours throughout the novel.
Key Points to Remember:
- Jordan represents the "New Woman" of the 1920s - professionally active, socially confident, and rejecting traditional feminine roles
- Her dishonesty serves as both character flaw and survival strategy - she lies to protect her privileged position in society
- The relationship with Nick mirrors his broader disillusionment with East Coast wealth - initial attraction gives way to moral disgust
- Her carelessness symbolises the moral bankruptcy of the wealthy elite - she can afford to be irresponsible because others bear the consequences
- Fitzgerald uses masculine imagery to describe her appearance and behaviour - challenging conventional gender expectations while critiquing the limits of women's liberation in the 1920s