In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby shares his past with Nick Carraway during one of their conversations. Gatsby tells Nick that he is the son of wealthy parents who are now dead, and that he was educated at Oxford, went to the West, and was a war hero. He also claims to have inherited a vast fortune, which he lost during the war.
However, as the story unfolds, it becomes evident that many of Gatsby’s assertions about his background are not entirely accurate. In reality, Gatsby was born James Gatz to a poor farming family in North Dakota. He reinvents himself after meeting the wealthy Dan Cody, who becomes his mentor. This backstory reveals that Gatsby’s claims of wealth and aristocratic lineage are embellished, as he is actually a self-made man who has crafted a false identity to gain acceptance and win back Daisy Buchanan, the love of his life.
Therefore, while Gatsby’s story contains elements of truth—such as his time at war and his connection to Cody—the version he presents to Nick is largely a fabrication designed to fit the image he wishes to portray. This underscores one of the central themes of the novel: the idea of the American Dream and the lengths to which individuals will go to redefine themselves and achieve success.