“Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behavior, activities and attributes that a given society at a given time and place considers appropriate for men and women, and boys and girls and the relationships between them” (Educate a Child). In many areas of the world, gender equality is becoming a widely debated topic and many transformations have been made as a result of the awakening of both men and women of the new generation. As more women begin to get an education, get a job outside of home, and achieve independence and power, the lines between the roles of men and women become blurred. As this happens, people have started to reexamine the illustration of gender identities in classic literature. One of America’s greatest novels, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, is in fact, an anti-novel of its time because of the contemporary portrayal of gender roles. He manifests this through the characterization and actions of the character Jordan Baker.

Fitzgerald purposely created Jordan to be an ambiguously gendered character by giving her masculine traits.  First of all, her name is one usually used by men. Nick also described Jordan as “small-breasted” (Fitzgerald 14) and has “slender muscles in her arms” (Fitzgerald 21). It is worth noting that Jordan and Daisy have contrasting appearances. Jordan is blonde, tan, angular, and even has some muscle, while Daisy is described as dark-haired, pale, has a delicate figure and a musical voice.

Despite the way Fitzgerald imagined Jordan and Daisy, “interestingly enough, most film adaptations of The Great Gatsby feature a dark-haired Jordan and a blonde Daisy” (Edwards). One possibility is that some interpret Jordan to be queer so the directors feel that a neutral hair color would create a more androgynous look. To think that Jordan is possibly a lesbian furthers Fitzgerald’s modern views on gender roles. It can spark discussions about whether or not a woman actually needs a man in her life to guide, to discipline, and to restrict. Nick continued to describe Jordan as having a very confident aura that Nick was “almost surprised into murmuring an apology for having disturbed her for coming in” (Fitzgerald 11).

Under Fitzgerald’s pen, Jordan is able to do certain things that women in ancient times and in the 1920s find hard or impossible to do. For instance, during the Song Dynasty, women’s feet were cruelly bound, they had to wear clothes up to their neck so skin doesn’t show, and even the upper class women were domesticated like a golden canary in a cage (Sun).  Even though in early America, women sustained significantly more rights than women in ancient China, women’s “holy duty” was still limited to bearing children and taking care of the household. A woman was expected to listen to her father before her marriage, her husband after her marriage, and her son after her husband died (ZhangSun).

During WWI, many women entered the workforce demonstrating that their skills and knowledge is not just limited to chores in the house. This greatly contributed to the decision of the United States granting women suffrage on a federal level in 1919. After the war, though, many women were pressured to go back home to take care of the family creating a setback in the women rights movement (Anthony).

Jordan in The Great Gatsby is an exceptional case: “‘Hello!’ they cried together. ‘Sorry you didn’t win.’ That was for the golf tournament. She had lost in the finals the week before. ‘You’ve dyed your hair since then,’ remarked Jordan” (Fitzgerald 47). Instead of marrying, Jordan plays golf professionally and goes on casual dates. After seeing this, Tom comments that her family “shouldn’t let her run around the country in this way” (Fitzgerald 134). During the setting of the novel, not only Tom, but a lot of people, both men and women, are uncomfortable with a woman participating in competitive sport especially since golf is also meant to be a form of entertainment. In ancient China, for example, both male and female roles in a play were casted as men since a woman performing for a crowd was totally unacceptable. Although after the Progressive Age, there was a rise of flappers and famed Hollywood actresses, women were often not as respected for their work and many attributed their success solely to their looks. Some even speculated the only reason they succeeded in the industry is because they used their bodies. They also definitely didn’t get paid as much as male artists even if the quality of work is in the same class.

Referring back to the quote, Jordan also exhibits the traits of the “new generation female” by showing no indication of discontent after being reminded of her loss in the  last golf tournament. This contrasts the popular view of the time that can be summarized in a Chinese proverb: “Women are made of water.” Figuratively, this proverb expects women to be very gentle and nurturing; literally, it means women are made of tears.   

Fitzgerald really distinguished his magnum opus from other novels of the 20th century by its contemporary representations of gender. “The image of women in American novels has been a limited one. Though there seems to be a large variety of roles, the vast majority of them live lives that revolve around men. The unfortunate effect of this characterization is that it establishes women as either saint or sinner; virgin or w****; for man or against him” (Woertendyke). Fortunately, as time progresses, there is surge in female protagonists and female role models in literature. With the continuous efforts of both men and women, both domestically and abroad, gender equality seems inevitable. In Nick’s words, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…” (Fitzgerald 180).

Bibliography:

Edwards, Halle. “Best Character Analysis: Jordan Baker- The Great Gatsby .” PrepScholar, PrepScholar, 16 Nov. 2017, 2:00:00 PM.
“Gender.” Educate a Child, Unicef, GCN, Brac, MercyCorps, ARC, n.d..
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald- Scribner- 2004

“The Status of Women in the Song and Tang Dynasties.” Edited by Xi Sun, Historical Changes in Chinese Women, Women of China, 27 Mar. 2013.

Empress ZhangSun. 女则 . Vol. 10.
Anthony, Susan B. “Women's Suffrage.” History , 2018, A&E Television Networks, LLC.

Woertendyke, Ruis. "Review of Abingdon Square." Contemporary Literary Criticism, edited by Roger Matuz and Cathy Falk, vol. 61, Gale, 1990. Literature Criticism Online.Accessed 19 Mar. 2018.

Originally published in Theatre Journal, vol. 40, no. 2, May 1988, pp. 264-266.