Who is Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby?

Jordan is a professional golfer and an old friend of Daisy Buchanan. She is the one who tells Nick the story of Gatsby and Daisy.

Does Nick marry Jordan?

No. Nick and Jordan spend time together during the summer, but they part ways in the autumn. Nick says he is too old to lie to himself.

Why does Gatsby need Jordan?

Gatsby asks Jordan to talk to Nick, because he wants Nick to invite Daisy to tea. That way Gatsby can see Daisy again without it seeming planned.

From The Great Gatsby

Jordan Baker

Tournament golf champion

Daisy’s cool, confident friend, a golf champion who seems to know everyone’s business.

Who is Jordan Baker?

Jordan Baker is Daisy’s friend and a famous golf champion who sits up as straight as a flagpole. She is calm, cool and curious, and she always seems to know everyone’s business. Jordan keeps Nick company at Gatsby’s parties, and over a cup of tea she tells him the secret story of Gatsby and Daisy.

Jordan Baker is a character in The Great Gatsby, the 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.

What is Jordan Baker like?

Calm
Curious
Poised

Jordan Baker’s story

Jordan Baker is a young golf champion who has been friends with Daisy since their Louisville days. She is stylish and straight-backed, and she looks at the world with calm, cool interest. Nick first meets her at the Buchanans’ dinner, then sees her at Gatsby’s party, where the two of them spend an evening together.

Jordan is the character who explains what Gatsby wants. She tells Nick how Daisy and Gatsby met in Louisville long ago and how Gatsby bought his mansion to be near Daisy. Her own part in the plan is small, but important: she asks Nick to invite Daisy to tea. Jordan also has a flaw that Nick notices. She is not always honest, and she once got in trouble for a golf tournament scandal about a moved ball.

By autumn, Nick and Jordan have been seeing each other, but they drift apart. In their last scene, Jordan says she had thought Nick was an honest, straightforward person. Nick answers that he is thirty and too old to lie to himself. Jordan then leaves the story, and Nick goes back to the Midwest.

“I hate careless people. That’s why I like you.”

Jordan Baker, talking with Nick about careful driving. From the original 1925 novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

A moment to remember

In a sunny hotel tea room, Jordan leans across the table and tells Nick why Gatsby bought the giant house right across the bay from Daisy.

Daisy Buchanan: old friend from Louisville
Nick Carraway: friend and summer companion
Jay Gatsby: the man whose story she tells
Tom Buchanan: friend’s husband

Talk about it

Jordan knows lots of other people’s secrets. When is it kind to keep a secret, and when should you tell a grown-up?

Questions about Jordan Baker

Who is Jordan Baker in The Great Gatsby?: Jordan is a professional golfer and an old friend of Daisy Buchanan. She is the one who tells Nick the story of Gatsby and Daisy.
Does Nick marry Jordan?: No. Nick and Jordan spend time together during the summer, but they part ways in the autumn. Nick says he is too old to lie to himself.
Why does Gatsby need Jordan?: Gatsby asks Jordan to talk to Nick, because he wants Nick to invite Daisy to tea. That way Gatsby can see Daisy again without it seeming planned.