Character: Jordan Baker

Jordan’s Role in the Novel

Jordan Baker is a professional golfer and one of the main characters in The Great Gatsby.
She acts as the connection between Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, and also forms part of the bridge between the world of the wealthy, represented by Daisy Buchanan, and the modest world of Nick.
In addition, Jordan offers insight into the lifestyle of the wealthy and immoral society of the 1920s, commonly referred to as the Roaring Twenties.

Character Traits

Jordan is distinguished by her unique blend of modernism and traditionalism, epitomizing the distinctive features of the era, characterised by material success, superficiality and cynicism.
She personifies the new woman of the 1920s. Independent, ambitious, and somewhat aloof, Jordan embodies the changing roles of women in the society of the time.
Her cheating incident in golf suggest a lack of moral integrity, reflecting the overall ethical decay of society.

Jordan’s Relationship with Nick

Jordan develops a romantic relationship with Nick. The relationship adds complexity to both their characters, revealing both their fallible human sides.
Their relationship ends due to Nick’s disapproval of her dishonesty, highlighting the conflict between traditional moral values and the immoral lifestyle of the elites in the 1920s.

Significance of Jordan’s Character

Jordan Baker functions as more than just a character. She is a symbol of the modern woman and the moral decay of society at the time.
Her character uncovers the corruption beneath the glamorous facade of the Roaring Twenties, forcing readers to question the reality of the American Dream.

Summary

Jordan Baker, as an embodiment of the social and moral contradictions of the era, provides insight into the decadent world of The Great Gatsby. Understanding Jordan’s character offers an enriched comprehension of the novel’s critique of the American Dream, and the complex social currents of the Roaring Twenties.