Throughout Fitzgerald's novel, Jordan Baker has been my favorite character. It was the same back when I read the book and watched the movie for the first time in high school.
I can't quite explain it, but somehow she seems like the most genuine character in the whole story. When Tom and Gatsby are preparing to butt heads, for instance, she is the one who chastises Tom directly for his behavior; this, to me, proves that she is a kind and thoughtful person at heart, because it shows her common-sense compassion for both Daisy and Gatsby.
Likewise, Jordan is one of the few characters who seems to earn her money through use of talent and skill (playing golf) instead of inheriting it from family or acquiring it through illegal connections. She doesn't exhibit any particular fondness for wealth, either.
Oh, and of course, she is "wise," as Nick describes her, because she understands how love works better than any of the other characters. She doesn't throw herself into a whirlwind of passion as Daisy and Gatsby attempt to do, nor does she seek love from people who are already attached, as Tom does.
Matt mentioned on Brenda's blog that he thinks Jordan is dishonest -- which could be proven true, if there were enough evidence -- but the reader never really finds out for sure if her golf scandal was real (at least, not to my knowledge).
Overall, Jordan is the character I most related to, and I am always a little disappointed that she didn't play a larger role in the story. But perhaps that is precisely why I like her: she doesn't get mixed up in the mess like all the others.
Posted by ChrisU at February 28, 2006 07:47 AM | TrackBack