Reflections on Gatsby

I can not get enough of Jordan Baker, and I can't necessarily put my finger on why. She's mysterious in what I perceive to be a unique and alluring way. From her first introduction-- "Jordan Baker came out of the house and stood at the head of the marble steps, leaning a little backward and looking with contemptuous interest down into the garden" (42) -- she casually drew me in. I immediately began asking myself questions about her. Why didn't she end her sentence when saying " I remembered you lived next door to--?" Is she interested in Nick? Is Nick interested in her? Why does she seem so confident? Why does she seem to be so different from everyone else, yet so included in the events and clearly pretty popular herself? But what is most intriguing about her is her dishonesty.

"The bored haughty face that she turned to the world concealed something-- most affectations conceal something eventually, even though they don't in the beginning-- and one day I found what it was." (58) This is describing the "incurable dishonesty" surrounding Jordan's personality. The reason why I find her dishonesty so intriguing has to do with the fact that Nick describes himself as "one of the few honest people" (59) he’s ever known. (59) It's interesting to think whether her dishonesty is inviting to him, or whether he sees it as an obstacle to overcome. He declares that "dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply," but I wonder if there is more to her dishonesty than casual white lies, and whether or not it can be forgivable. Their relationship in general is also surely a mystery within itself-- "I wasn't actually in love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity." (57) Whatever it is about her, I want to read more, know more, and hear more coming from Jordan Baker.