Essay On Jordan Baker In The Great Gatsby

In focusing on the purposeful development of Jordan Baker in ‘The Great Gatsby,’ we can understand the purposeful progression of her characterization and apply it in it’s relation to the novel’s overall literary theme in compliance with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s narrative intent.

One of the most important parts of understanding a character is understanding their character and personality. The Merrill and Reid personality types display such personalities. In viewing a character’s (in this case Jordan Baker’s) response to conflict, we can understand which of the four personalities they have the most tendencies for. At the end of chapter 7, a conflict emerges between Jordan and Nick Carraway, the novel’s narrator. Nick is exhausted from a long

It is implied that Jordan once had a strong sense of biblical hope. In chapter 7, while discussing a guest at the Buchanon wedding that had passed out from the heat, she remembers that the man had been taken to her family’s house to recover “because (the Baker family) lived just two doors from the church.” The close proximity that Jordan had to the church growing up serves as a stark contrast to her characterization now. At the beginning of chapter 4, while church bells ring, many of Gatsby’s party guests ignore them. Though she herself is not seen upon Gatsby’s lawn, she was a guest herself. This could be a reflection of Jordan’s growth away from the church she grew up in, thus meaning that she, as an adult, holds little to no biblical hope. Jordan’s hope is shrouded in much the same ways she shrouds her own character. It is not often within the text that we see Jordan wish for a certain future outright. However, in her disappointment during her conversation with Nick in chapter 9, it can be understood that she was hoping for Nick to be a more long-term lover than those of her past. The only alternative ‘love’ for Jordan throughout the novel is her escort during Gatsby’s party, who she abandons before the evening truly begins. We can use this knowledge to interpret Jordan's hope for a future with a happy, stable man as a

And, though she lives day by day, going to various parties and living a fast-paced life, her characterization does not stay firmly rooted enough to envelop the implied metaphors of the earth and world. Her charade for publicity, in her stead beliefs, she has no rooted sense of self. There is no firmness to her character other than that which she allows to flow out of her mouth that would leave her rooted and cool-headed enough to be representative of the