Character Of Jordan Baker example essay topic

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. Jordan Baker, Daisy's friend, is portrayed by Fitzgerald as a masculine figure.

One of the first things we find out about this woman is the fact that she is a professional golf player. Nowadays, we don't find anything unusual about this, but, in the twenties, it was quite unusual to find a woman playing golf. When we first meet this character, she is described as a 'slender, small breasted girl with an erect carriage which she accentuated by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet. ' ; Small breasts are usually symbolic of a masculine figure, as would being a 'young cadet. ' ; Later on, we see her reading the Saturday Evening Post, and turning the pages with a 'flutter of slender muscles in her arms. ' ; Reading a newspaper would be an unlikely action of a woman of that time, and even her muscles reveal her masculine features.

Fitzgerald's masculine depiction of Miss Baker in this fashion shows the reader the coming of a self sufficient woman into our times. In addition to Jordan's physical features, her beliefs and values show that she is far from a typical woman of the time. At her first big golf tournament, there had been speculation concerning Jordan moving her ball from a bad lie, indicating her defiance of the rules of the game as well as her habits of being dishonest and being a cheater. Many women of this time would not find the need to cheat and be dishonest, and therefore it just shows Miss Baker's ability to free herself from conformity, to do what she believes and feels is right -- whatever is needed to be successful in the world.

Another important scene is when, at the end of the story, Jordan tells Nick she is engaged to another man, showing her ability to make her own decisions. She figures out that Nick is having second thoughts, tries to forget about him, and stops wasting her time with him, saying, 'I don't give a damn about you now. ' ; She has the ability to think for herself -- a quality many women from her time lacked. One of the most interesting components of Jordan's character is her carelessness, in driving, as well as in life. She states, 'It takes two to make an accident,' ; implying that she can be careless herself. The way she says this statement makes it seem as if she were saying, 'I can do whatever I want -- other people have to watch out for me.

' ; She has quite a sense of self-confidence, as well as pride in herself and in her actions. She is not afraid to speak her mind, and also puts herself above others. All of these elements composing her personality are indicative of the emergence of this new type of woman that Fitzgerald greatly emphasizes. Fitzgerald's purpose with the character of Jordan Baker is to represent the changing times of the 1920's. During this period, women began to have different views on the world, leading them to become stronger people.

Possibly the inferiority that women have long experienced and contained within themselves finally allowed them to reach above this feeling -- they now consider themselves self-confident and self-reliant. Jordan Baker is the symbol of this goal.