Jordan Baker

Jordan Baker is a professional golfer, a friend of Daisy Buchanan, and the romantic interest of Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby. She is characterized by her cynical, dishonest, and self-sufficient nature, serving as a detached observer and a foil to the more emotionally driven characters in the novel. Her presence in the story is crucial, as she is the one who reveals the history between Jay Gatsby and Daisy, and her relationship with Nick provides a contrasting, more modern romance that ultimately fails.

Identity and Introduction

Jordan Baker is first introduced at the Buchanan mansion in East Egg, where she is described as a slender, small-breasted girl with an erect carriage, which she accentuates by throwing her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet. Her gray sun-strained eyes look back at Nick Carraway with polite reciprocal curiosity out of a wan, charming, discontented face. She is a golf champion, a fact that Nick recognizes from rotogravure pictures of the sporting life at Asheville, Hot Springs, and Palm Beach. Nick also recalls having heard a critical, unpleasant story about her, which he had forgotten. Her initial demeanor is one of complete self-sufficiency, a quality that draws a stunned tribute from Nick. She is a close friend of Daisy Buchanan, having spent their "white girlhood" together in Louisville.

Life and Plot Trajectory

Jordan's life is intertwined with the central drama of the novel. She is present at the Buchanans' for dinner when Nick first visits, and she is the one who informs him that Tom Buchanan has a mistress in New York. Later, at Gatsby's first party, she is the person Gatsby's butler summons for a private conversation. It is during this meeting that Gatsby asks her to arrange a reunion with Daisy. Jordan subsequently tells Nick the entire story of Gatsby and Daisy's romance in Louisville in 1917, including Daisy's drunken pre-wedding crisis and her eventual marriage to Tom. She explains that Gatsby bought his mansion in West Egg specifically to be across the bay from Daisy. Jordan acts as the intermediary, asking Nick to invite Daisy to his house for tea so Gatsby can "come over." She is also present at the climactic confrontation at the Plaza Hotel, where Gatsby and Tom argue over Daisy. After Myrtle Wilson's death, Jordan leaves Daisy's house and goes to Hempstead, planning to go to Southampton. She calls Nick at his office, but their conversation is strained, marking the beginning of the end of their relationship.

Key Actions and Objectives

Jordan's primary action in the plot is to facilitate Gatsby's reunion with Daisy. She does this by acting as a go-between, first agreeing to Gatsby's request and then persuading Nick to help. Her objective is not driven by deep emotion but by a kind of detached curiosity and a willingness to be involved in the drama. She is a "sportswoman" who "would never do anything that wasn't all right," as Gatsby describes her. She also reveals the key backstory of Gatsby and Daisy's relationship, providing the reader with the necessary context to understand Gatsby's motivations. Her own personal objective seems to be maintaining her cool, independent lifestyle, moving between hotels, clubs, and private houses, and playing golf.

Relationships and Conflict

Jordan's relationship with Nick Carraway is a central subplot. They begin a romantic relationship after Gatsby's first party, and Nick finds himself drawn to her despite her dishonesty. He notes that she is "incurably dishonest," having once moved her ball from a bad lie in a golf tournament and lied about leaving a borrowed car out in the rain. Nick, who prides himself on being honest, is aware of this flaw but is initially willing to overlook it. Their relationship is marked by a casual, modern quality, with Nick putting his arm around her and asking her to dinner. However, the relationship sours after the death of Myrtle Wilson. Nick feels sick and wants to be alone, and he rejects Jordan's attempt to draw him back in. Their final break comes in a telephone conversation where Nick is curt and dismissive. Later, when Nick confronts her in person, she tells him she is engaged to another man, but she also accuses him of throwing her over, saying it was a new experience for her. Their conflict is rooted in Nick's growing disillusionment with the careless, wealthy world of the East, a world that Jordan embodies. She is also connected to Daisy Buchanan, whom she has known since childhood, and she serves as a confidante and witness to Daisy's life.

Change and Ending

Jordan Baker undergoes little internal change throughout the novel. She remains a cynical, self-contained figure who navigates the social world with a practiced ease. Her ending is one of continued detachment. After the tragedy, she leaves Daisy's house and attempts to maintain her relationship with Nick, but he rejects her. She ultimately tells Nick she is engaged to another man, a claim he doubts but pretends to believe. Her final appearance is in a conversation with Nick, where she lies perfectly still in a big chair, dressed to play golf, and delivers a cool, analytical assessment of their failed relationship. She accuses Nick of being a bad driver, a metaphor for his dishonesty in their relationship, and says she thought he was an honest, straightforward person. Nick, in turn, feels angry, half in love with her, and tremendously sorry, but he turns away. Jordan's story ends not with a dramatic change but with a quiet, resigned acceptance of the end of her affair with Nick, returning to her independent, uncommitted life.

Narrative Role and Evaluation

Jordan Baker serves a crucial narrative role as a secondary narrator and a source of key information. She is the one who reveals the history of Gatsby and Daisy, providing the backstory that transforms Gatsby from a mysterious millionaire into a romantic figure. Her detached, cynical perspective provides a counterpoint to Nick's more emotionally involved narration. She is also a symbol of the modern, independent woman of the 1920s, a "new woman" who is athletic, self-sufficient, and unburdened by traditional morality. However, her dishonesty and carelessness also place her among the "rotten crowd" that Nick ultimately condemns. She is a flat character in the sense that she is built around a single idea of cool, cynical self-sufficiency, and she never surprises the reader. Her function is to advance the plot and to provide a contrast to the more passionate and tragic figures of Gatsby and Daisy.