"Nevertheless you did throw me over," said Jordan suddenly. "You threw me over on the telephone. I don't give a damn about you now, but it was a new experience for me, and I felt a little dizzy for a while."
Chapter 9 · Jordan Baker
Context
In their final meeting before Nick leaves for the Midwest, Jordan confronts him about ending their relationship by phone on the day of Gatsby's death. She claims indifference now but acknowledges being thrown off balance by the rejection—a rare admission of vulnerability from a character defined by her poise.
Analysis
Jordan's admission that being rejected 'was a new experience' reveals that her entire self-presentation—the athletic balance, the cool detachment—has been maintained by always being the one who controls relationships rather than being controlled by them. Her claim to 'not give a damn' while simultaneously bringing it up enacts the same contradiction she embodies throughout the novel: performing indifference while actually being affected, maintaining surfaces while feelings leak through—making her a smaller-scale version of the novel's central theme of appearance versus reality.
How to Use in Essay
Suitable for essays on how Jordan functions as a foil to Daisy—both perform invulnerability but respond differently to being hurt—or for analyzing how Nick's treatment of Jordan mirrors the carelessness he condemns in others.