3/11/09
Wilson B3
Honor Bound
Vitality of a Woman:
An Analysis of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
No two people are the same in the world we live. Some are different shapes and sizes; others maintain a narrow minded perspective. There are many things that differentiate human beings from one other, but Jordan Baker stands out the most. She a major character throughout the novel, and contributes to the story in the highest degree. She embodies the shallowness and arrogance of people during the 1920’s. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Jordan Baker portrays her showy and arrogant attitude through several incidents, and gives the reader a visual of the life of people during the 1920’s. Fitzgerald …show more content…
In the beginning of the book, he views her as a cool woman with much underneath the surface. He begins to admire her for her athleticism, her looks, and her personality, which Nick learns is not the personality for him. Towards the end of the book, Nick is confronted by Jordan after they had broken up and she tells him that she is engaged with another man, which Nick doubts. He doubts this because of Jordan’s ability to toy with the feelings of others, especially other single men. She plays with the feelings of men, while having no intention of getting involved in a relationship. This is confirmed when Nick sees her and describes her as having “her chin raised a little jauntily”, which again symbolizes her arrogance (177). Nick views her as a self centered person with a peculiar sense about her, for example when he first sees her wearing a white dress indoors for what seemed like a long time. Finally, Nick finds the errors of his ways and breaks it off with Jordan, ending the damaging toll the relationship had upon Nick’s mental well being. Nick does not recognize her arrogant personality, something he can’t handle, nor does he want to attempt to handle. Early in the story Nick is captured and somewhat intimidated by Jordan but as he begins to understand her true personality, he sees how different she actually