How could the “great” Gatsby really be that great when his name is not actually Gatsby? Throughout the novel, James Gatz, better known as Jay Gatsby, tells a series of lies and deceits. At times, he even seems to have himself convinced of his own false identity. Several factors play part in the role of his want to be someone he is not. To begin, Gatsby is embarrassed of his very own family. His parents were poor farmers from North Dakota, yet this is not what he told Nick. Instead, he says that his parents were wealthy people from the Midwest but were dead now. Curious as from where, Nick questions what part. When he is told San Francisco, which is obviously not in the Midwest, suspicions begin to arise with every, now unbelievable,
