presentation of Jordan great gatsby
How is Jordan presented in The Great Gatsby?
Jordan is used to represent change and the new and independent ‘modern woman’ of the time. Although she adopts the common flapper physique of American women in the 20s, “slender, small breasted girl” she is somewhat different to the other women in the book. While Daisy personifies the superficial and materialistic woman of the time and Myrtle portrays a working class woman seeking a higher position in society, Jordan depicts a more rebellious modern woman.
Even her name hints that she doesn’t conform to feminine expectations, again contrasting to Daisy whose name elicits more feminine and elegant connotations. The masculinity to her name is supported by the unusual career of a professional golfer. During the 20s this profession would have been dominated by men, again suggesting her actions are different to other woman of the time. Nick’s description of her appearance, ‘small breasts’ and ‘hard, jaunty body’ which we would usually associate with a less feminine figure also implies her lack of conforming to the typical gender stereotypes. ‘She wore her evening dress, all her dresses, like sports clothes’, again seeing that she is different from the ordinary woman.
Nick admits that he “enjoyed looking at her”, describing the “erect carriage” she made by thrusting “her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet”. Nick notices her body first before getting to know her, suggesting how men saw woman as objects. Tom is used as another example to show how woman were treated. To him, Daisy is just a trophy; rich and lovely, who stands by him regardless of his adultery actions. However Jordan has more independence and rather than being treated as a sex object, she reverses the typical gender roles and mistreats men such as Nick.
Her independence is important, being the only woman in the book not controlled by men. ‘She was a golf champion and everyone knew her name’. This suggests she’s famous in her own right in
Jordan is used to represent change and the new and independent ‘modern woman’ of the time. Although she adopts the common flapper physique of American women in the 20s, “slender, small breasted girl” she is somewhat different to the other women in the book. While Daisy personifies the superficial and materialistic woman of the time and Myrtle portrays a working class woman seeking a higher position in society, Jordan depicts a more rebellious modern woman.
Even her name hints that she doesn’t conform to feminine expectations, again contrasting to Daisy whose name elicits more feminine and elegant connotations. The masculinity to her name is supported by the unusual career of a professional golfer. During the 20s this profession would have been dominated by men, again suggesting her actions are different to other woman of the time. Nick’s description of her appearance, ‘small breasts’ and ‘hard, jaunty body’ which we would usually associate with a less feminine figure also implies her lack of conforming to the typical gender stereotypes. ‘She wore her evening dress, all her dresses, like sports clothes’, again seeing that she is different from the ordinary woman.
Nick admits that he “enjoyed looking at her”, describing the “erect carriage” she made by thrusting “her body backward at the shoulders like a young cadet”. Nick notices her body first before getting to know her, suggesting how men saw woman as objects. Tom is used as another example to show how woman were treated. To him, Daisy is just a trophy; rich and lovely, who stands by him regardless of his adultery actions. However Jordan has more independence and rather than being treated as a sex object, she reverses the typical gender roles and mistreats men such as Nick.
Her independence is important, being the only woman in the book not controlled by men. ‘She was a golf champion and everyone knew her name’. This suggests she’s famous in her own right in