The Great Compromise
Published in 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald closely followed the first wave
of the American feminist revolution, which reached its climax in 1920 with the granting of women’s
suffrage. By 1925, more and more women were beginning to break the mold of mistresses, wives, and
mothers, standing up for their individual rights and demanding the respect and equality they deserved.
In his novel, Fitzgerald uses the female golf champion Jordan Baker to represent this growing feminist
population.
The other women in The Great Gatsby seem to be somewhat behind the times. They are
always referred to as “girls” and are content to ride around on the arm of a powerful older man,
masking their intelligence with flirtatious charm. At the first “Gatsby party” that Nick attends, he notes
the behavior of the young women, some laughing mindlessly, others “putting their heads on men’s
shoulders in a puppyish, convivial way” and “Swooning backward playfully into men’s arms, even into
groups knowing that someone would arrest their falls” (55). They know that their vulnerability is
pleasing to the men, and they go out of their way to accentuate it.
Then, Nick’s eye falls upon Jordan Baker. Her jaunty yet graceful masculinity is intriguing to
him, and he admits earlier in the novel that he “enjoyed looking at her,” “a slender, small breasted girl
with an erect carriage which she accentuated by throwing her shoulders backwards like a young cadet”
(15). Now she stands alone on the stairs, “leaning a little backward and looking with contemptuous
interest down into the garden” (46) wearing her evening dress “like sports clothes” “as if she had first
learned to walk upon golf courses on clean, crisp mornings” (55). She is a picture of independence and
self reliance.
Her escort, a young undergraduate who is prone to the use of “violent innuendo” and confident
that sooner or later Jordan will “yield him up her person…” (49), is treated as an accessory, the way
most of the young mistresses are accessories to older men. Jordan is not one to be held in a vulnerable
position as the victim of her escort’s profanity, so she quickly abandons him, and sets off with Nick to
find Gatsby.
From the very moment that Nick Carraway meets Jordan Baker, he senses that she is a
formidable character. Her chin is tilted upwards with a certain aloofness and arrogance that is in sharp
contrast with the vapid and flirtatious Daisy. Taken aback by her strong presence, and feeling rather
vulnerable, Nick admits that he was “almost surprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed
her for coming in” (13). He adds that “Almost any exhibition of complete self sufficiency draws a
stunned tribute” from him, noting his respect for Miss Baker, but also suggesting that he is not used to
and perhaps a little uncomfortable with keeping company with powerful women.
Fitzgerald illustrates that though Jordan works hard to gain and maintain respect as a woman,
her feminism comes at a terrible price. Ms. Baker’s desire for equality and recognition compels her to
lie and cheat to mask her own shortcomings. Nick observes that “She wasn’t able to endure being at a
disadvantage, and given this unwillingness I suppose she had begun dealing in subterfuges when she
was very young in order to keep that cool insolent smile turned to the world and yet satisfy the
demands of her hard jaunty body” (63).
Though there is no doubt that she is talented, Jordan Baker’s fame as a golf pro is tainted by
accusations of cheating in the championship. Nick remembers that “At her first big golf tournament
there was… a suggestion that she had moved her ball from a bad lie in the semi-final round,” and that
“The thing approached the proportions of a scandal- then died away” (62). Though the reader is not
sure if the accusations are true, he is left with the feeling that Jordan would stop at nothing to gain a
competitive advantage.
Nick notes her dishonest behavior at other times during the novel. “When we were on a house
party together up in Warwick,” he says “she left a borrowed car out in the rain with the top down and
then lied about it” (62). Again, the dishonesty is an attempt to avoid the admission of a mistake.
Throughout the novel, there is a certain romantic tension between Nick and Jordan. He finds
her both attractive and intimidating. At one point Nick says “for a moment, I thought I loved her”
(64). Eventually, decides that it is time to break off whatever relationship he still has with Jordan and
when he does, she informs him “without comment that she was engaged to another man” (185).
We
are left feeling that this is another fib when Jordan admits that she was “a little dizzy for a while” when
he “threw her over” (185-186). This statement is our first glimpse of vulnerability in Jordan, and
perhaps represents some recognition on her part that the achievement of her ambitions has come at
great personal cost.
Though the 1920s are known for extravagance and affluence, they were also a time of change
for the women in American society. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the infancy of
modern feminism through the character of Jordan Baker. She is an accomplished and powerful woman
who is starkly contrasted with other female characters in the book, but her desire for equality causes
her to lose touch with her feminine side. This makes it nearly impossible for her to show weakness or
even affection. Though she gains the respect she demands, her personal life suffers. Fitzgerald seems
to be offering a word of caution to the feminists of America: Be careful what you wish for.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 1953.