The Great Gatsby False Identity Analysis

Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, as we hear Gatsby speak about his past, it is evident that he views it with a changing variety of feelings. This range of emotions, from reverence to bitterness, that Gatsby feels in relation to his past not only develop him as a character, but also develop one of the main themes of the novel: an inability to let go of the past inhibiting one’s ability to live in the present.
One example of this involves Gatsby’s false identity. Nick does not learn about this until he has known Gatsby for quite some time and it is not something that Gatsby is willing to admit easily. Jay Gatsby is actually James Gatz, who was rescued from poverty by millionaire Dan Cody. Cody hired him and then left him a small inheritance.