The Great Gatsby Chapter 3 p39-59

Summary

The chapter opens up with Nick describing a huge party at the Gatsby mansion, one of which he was invited to, unlike other guests who invite themselves just for the party. While at the mansion, Nick tries to find Gatsby, and while he searches, a couple things come up: Jordan Baker happened to be at the party as well, and both hear a rumor that Gatsby killed a man. From there, a random man follows them around, and he recognizes Nick from being in the war; this man turned out to be Gatsby. After Gatsby introduces the Jazz History of the World, he asks Jordan to talk with him alone, leaving Nick alone to see a particular woman in the chorus crying. Another woman who was in the audience told her that the woman in the chorus had a fight with a man who says he’s her husband, and Nick started to notice woman having fights with their “husbands”. After the party, right before Nick left, he noticed a crashed car in a ditch near the mansion with two men in the car. Jordan and Nick criticize the two men for crashing the car. Jordan mentions not liking careless people, which led her to saying that she likes him for that reason; this reason kept buzzing around in Nick’s head.

Jordan Baker

“‘Let’s get out,’ whispered Jordan, after a somehow wasteful and inappropriate half-hour; ‘this is too much polite for me.’” (45)

Jordan Baker is a woman who is very well known, independent, and a gifted athlete. She loves to gossip about things and likes to have fun. She’s a lot smarter than other women in the novel. From the text, Jordan is incurably dishonest and doesn’t like to be at a disadvantage. Jordan also does not like people who are careless. She likes to spend time with Nick.

Jordan has a possibility of being Nick’s love interest. In the chapter, they hold hands and Jordan mentions to Nick that she likes him because he’s not careless, which Nick keeps thinking about. Jordan is way different than other women in the last few chapters; she’s smart, independent, and successful on her own, unlike other women who depend on men for their success.

“I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.”

I feel like this is a true description of Nick. We see in the novel people who are cheating, dishonest, and unhappy. Only Nick has ever been a true person. The descriptions he tells about other people are so descriptive, and this is just what he sees.  He takes a simple person and notices every little thing about this person. I think I see him as a person that appreciates every little aspect in life.