How The Great Gatsby Explores Identity and Self-Invention

Abstract

In The Great Gatsby (1925), F. Scott Fitzgerald reveals identity and self-invention as core themes that inform character motivation, narrative structure, symbolism, and the critique of the American Dream. This research essay explores how Fitzgerald constructs identity: the ways characters create or reinvent themselves, the social pressures and cultural forces that shape these identities, the relationship between identity and illusion, and the ultimately tragic consequences of self-invention in a society grounded in rigid class, moral ambiguity, and materialism. By examining characters such as Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, and others, and by analyzing settings and symbols (e.g. the green light, the Valley of Ashes), this paper argues that The Great Gatsby presents identity not as fixed but as fluid, fragile, and often illusory.

Introduction

The notion of identity—who we are, who we want to be—and self-invention—the process by which one produces an identity, sometimes reinventing or masking the past—is central to understanding The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald brings to life the Jazz Age, Prohibition era America, a time of economic boom, social change, and great inequality. Against this backdrop, characters attempt to construct identities for themselves that align with their desires, social aspirations, or illusions. But identity in The Great Gatsby is paradoxical: it promises possibility but is constrained by history, class, and moral consequences.

This paper will address how The Great Gatsby explores identity and self-invention through: (1) Jay Gatsby’s transformation and reinvention; (2) the tension between public persona and private reality; (3) identity as constructed by social milieu and class; (4) symbolism and setting in identity formation; (5) the role of the narrator in shaping identity; (6) the costs and limits of self-invention. The paper draws on scholarly sources to provide in-text citations and reference a literature base. This exploration is intended to deepen understanding of identity in Fitzgerald’s novel and its wider relevance, while maximizing search engine optimization through usage of keywords such as “self-invention,” “identity,” “Jay Gatsby,” “American Dream,” “illusion,” “class,” “public persona,” “private reality,” “symbolism.”

Background: Identity, Self-Invention, and the American Dream

To situate The Great Gatsby’s exploration of identity, one must understand early 20th-century American culture. The “American Dream” is foundational: the belief that through personal effort, ambition, and reinvention, one can rise socially or economically, transcend one’s origins. However, many scholars have noted that the 1920s also cultivated illusions—wealth, glamour, display—and moral ambiguity. Social stratification, inherited privilege, and the growing significance of appearance shaped what it meant to be “successful” or “somebody.” Identity thus becomes something to be claimed or invented rather than inherent.ORDER NOW

In critical literature, self-invention is often tied to the modernist period’s themes of alienation, fragmentation, and the tensions between past and present (Decker 1994; “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere” thesis, Smail 2018). Fitzgerald uses identity not only to show individual characters’ struggles, but as a lens to critique the larger dreams and illusions of American society (Jeanpierre 2013). Identity in The Great Gatsby thus becomes a site of conflict: between who one was, who one wants others to believe one is, and who one actually is.

Self-Invention and Jay Gatsby: The Re-Creation of a Past

Jay Gatsby is perhaps the most prominent example of self-invention in Fitzgerald’s novel. Born James Gatz, to poor farming parents, he rejects his past, reinvents himself via education (through Dan Cody), accumulation of wealth, and construction of an image (the lavish mansion, grand parties). Gatsby’s identity is not static; it is a project—something he pursues deliberately. He changes his name; he changes his associations; he constructs a story of himself. The transformation is driven by love (for Daisy Buchanan), by the dream of being accepted into the world of old money, and by his own ideal of what he wants to be.ORDER NOW

Yet Gatsby’s reinvention is also built upon illusion, deceit, and persistent longing. Though he creates the trappings of success, he cannot fully erase the past. Scholars note that Gatsby’s self-determination is existential (cf. the article “Self-determination of Gatsby’s character in F. S Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby,” which applies Jean-Paul Sartre’s concept of existential freedom and anguish to Gatsby’s life). This study shows Gatsby’s existence is marked by longing, by choosing to construct identity even though that identity may fail. E-Journal Universitas Negeri Surabaya

Furthermore, Gatsby’s identity project is also temporal: he tries to recapture the past, especially his youthful romance with Daisy. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes this: Gatsby stretches toward a future that is intertwined with a past he idealizes. Identity here is caught in time—past, present, and future—and Gatsby’s self-invention is an attempt to harmonize them. But Fitzgerald implies this is a doomed effort. The gap between the identity Gatsby seeks and the reality of Daisy, of social elite, of moral compromise, is wide.

Public Persona Versus Private Reality

Another key aspect of identity in The Great Gatsby is the tension between the persona a character presents to the world and his or her inner, private reality. Most characters in the novel perform some kind of public self-presentation that often masks insecurity, guilt, or contradictions.

Gatsby, again, is central: his parties, his wealth, his demeanor, even rumors about his background, all construct an external persona. He wants people to believe certain things about him—e.g., that he has always been wealthy, that he is cultured, that he belongs among the social elite. Privately, however, he is anxious, lonely, even morally compromised (in how he earned his wealth). He is still haunted by his origin, by the belief that Daisy is something she isn’t, or that if he amasses enough money and image he can re-enter a world that excludes his past.ORDER NOW

Daisy Buchanan is another example. On the surface, she embodies grace, beauty, wealth, social ease. But in private reality, her identity is fragmented: she is torn between love and security; between what she feels and what society expects; between morality and convenience. She seems to perform the role of the beautiful wealthy socialite, but this identity cost her authenticity. Tom Buchanan, likewise, performs dominance, entitlement, masculinity; but his private reality is revealed in arrogance, infidelity, hypocrisy.

These tensions show that identity is not simple or singular. Self-invention is inherently bound up with performance and deception. Fitzgerald shows how the attempt to sustain a public persona can exhaust, distort, or even destroy the inner self.

Social Milieu, Class, and Identity Construction

Identity in The Great Gatsby is deeply shaped by social environment and class. Characters’ identities are judged, constrained, or validated by others; class background provides power, social codes, and access (or lack thereof) to legitimacy.ORDER NOW

Gatsby’s reinvention is aimed toward social acceptance. He amasses wealth to compete with, or at least approach, the social elite. But he experiences constant reminders that he does not belong to old money. The socially constructed barriers—birth, lineage, manners—are not fully eroded by wealth alone. The importance of class in shaping identity is evident in how characters treat one another: snobbery, contempt, gossip, and implicit discrimination distinguish those who are “from somewhere” and those who are “nobodies.”

Nick Carraway occupies an intermediate identity: educated, reasonably well off, but outside the inner circle; his role is as observer, participant, moral commentator. His identity is shaped partly by his Midwestern roots, partly by his move to New York and proximity to wealth. Nick’s judgments and reflections give insight into how identity is socially constructed: he admires Gatsby, is repelled by Tom and Daisy, and yet is still drawn into their world.

The social milieu also includes ethnicity, background, race, and moral class beyond just economic class. Recent scholarship “Exploring Identity and Ethnicity in The Great Gatsby: A Reflection of 1920s Societal Dynamics” shows that Fitzgerald subtly engages with questions of racial and ethnic identity, acceptance, and prejudice as components of identity construction. journals.bilpubgroup.com

Thus, identity and self-invention in The Great Gatsby are never purely individual affairs: they are always relational, relative, socially inherited, and socially evaluated.ORDER NOW

Symbolism, Setting, and Identity

Fitzgerald uses symbols and settings not merely as décor but as essential means by which identity is both expressed and contested. Identity is deeply located in place—mansion, party, dock, the green light, the Valley of Ashes.

• The Green Light: As noted above, it symbolizes Gatsby’s desire, his dreams, and his yearning for an identity tied to Daisy, tied to the past. The light is both a promise and a reminder of distance. Identity is projected into the symbol; Gatsby’s self-invention is linked to an object, a spatial marker, a future anchored in idealized memory.

• Valley of Ashes: This setting represents what lies beneath the glamour: decay, morality lost, those left behind. It is where identity is stripped of illusion; it shows that not all lives are afforded the luxury of reinvention. Myrtle Wilson’s identity and fate are tightly bound to the Valley: she aspires to more, to be part of a glamorous identity, but is constrained and ultimately destroyed.

• East Egg vs West Egg: These two communities are geographic symbols of identity and class. West Egg, where Gatsby lives, represents new money, reinvention, ostentation. East Egg represents inherited status, old identity. Despite wealth, Gatsby is always West Egg: always the symbol of new identity striving for acceptance in East Egg social circles. The spatial divide is an identity divide.ORDER NOW

• New York City: The city is a place of possibility, anonymity, temptation. It allows characters to invent, to lose themselves, to perform. It also reveals hypocrisy, indulgence, moral compromise, and the fragility of crafted identities under pressure.

Through these symbols and settings, Fitzgerald shows how identity is not free-floating but anchored in place, memory, visible performance, and the tensions between public spaces and private yearnings.

The Narrator’s Role: Nick Carraway and Identity Mediation

Narration matters in The Great Gatsby because identity is not only self-invented by characters, but also shaped by how others see them—and by how the narrator presents them. Nick Carraway functions both as participant and observer; his perspective colors our understanding of identity and self-invention in the text.

Nick’s Midwestern background, his own sense of moral values, his ambivalence about the East, and his role as an insider/outsider give him a unique vantage. He admires Gatsby’s hope and ambition, yet he also recognizes Gatsby’s illusions and the moral corruption around him. In so doing, Nick mediates between illusion and reality. We see Gatsby as a carefully crafted self-invention, but also as a tragic figure via Nick’s reflections.

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Moreover, Nick’s own identity is somewhat invented: he presents himself as honest, tolerant, educated; yet he is willing to be complicit, to participate in the East’s extravagances, to be drawn into its scandals. His narration reminds the reader that identity is relational: how we see ourselves, how others see us, and how stories are told matter in defining identity.

Narrative structure also enhances identity themes: Gatsby’s past is mysterious at first; rumors; delayed revelation; layering of myth vs fact. Identity is revealed gradually, often as much in what’s hidden as what’s shown.

Costs and Limits of Self-Invention

While The Great Gatsby shows identity and self-invention as alluring, it also reveals their costs and limits. Fitzgerald suggests that reinvention may bring success but also alienation, disillusionment, moral compromise, and tragedy.

• Alienation and Loneliness: Gatsby is deeply lonely. Even at his opulent parties, he often stands apart, isolated. His identity construction distances him from his roots but does not bring him true belonging among those whose class he seeks.

• Illusion vs Reality: The more Gatsby invents himself, the more precarious his identity becomes. The illusions he maintains—about Daisy, about his ability to reverse time, about how people view him—are fragile. When reality intrudes (Tom Buchanan’s revelations, Daisy’s limitations, social prejudices), the identity collapses.

• Moral Compromise: Self-invention often requires bending moral rules—associating with criminal elements, lying, omission. Gatsby’s wealth comes from dubious sources; his persona requires questions that cannot be fully answered truthfully. In attempting to reinvent himself, he must accept illusions and self-deception as part of the process. These compromises corrode identity from inside.

• Tragedy of the Dream: Ultimately, Gatsby’s reinvention does not lead to lasting happiness, to true acceptance, nor to the fulfillment of the dream. Death, betrayal, misunderstanding mark the limits of Gatsby’s project. Fitzgerald seems to argue that self-invention in a society rigid in class and moral code is fraught; many dreams will be deferred or destroyed.

Critical Scholarship and Interpretations

Scholars have explored identity, self-invention, and the American Dream in The Great Gatsby from multiple angles.

• “Exploring Identity and Ethnicity in The Great Gatsby: A Reflection of 1920s Societal Dynamics” (Alfawearh & Alkouri, 2025) examines how identity and ethnicity interact, including how characters’ cultural and social contexts shape both their aspirations and how society receives them. journals.bilpubgroup.com

• The study “Self-determination of Gatsby’s character in F. S Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby” applies Sartre’s existentialist framework to Gatsby, arguing that Gatsby possesses a strong desire to define himself, to shape his fate. Identity is therefore a choice, though one with heavy burdens. E-Journal Universitas Negeri Surabaya

• Jeanpierre’s 2013 work “The Great Gatsby and the Struggle for Wealth, Purity, and the …” argues many characters in the novel are trying to become or be seen in a certain way; identity is not stable, and there is a constant battle between how one views oneself and how society labels one. ScholarWorks

• Other criticism (e.g. “A Reality Check on the American Dream in The Great Gatsby,” 2024) links identity and self-invention to sociological strain, showing that societal expectations, psychological aspirations, and material pressures push characters into reinventing themselves or constructing identities that may not be sustainable. IJELS

These interpretations reinforce that Fitzgerald’s treatment of identity and self-invention is complex: while it seems to offer possibility, it also warns of illusion, moral cost, and disillusion.

Relevance: Identity and Self-Invention in Contemporary Perspective

Though The Great Gatsby is set in the 1920s, its exploration of identity and self-invention remains highly relevant in 21st-century culture. In social media, branding, personal narratives, “authenticity,” people still seek to craft persona, to reinvent themselves, to project idealized images. The tension between private self and public performance is arguably stronger now.

Themes like identity masquerade, illusions, aspiration vs reality, background vs image, continue to resonate in contexts of class, race, ethnicity, migration, globalization. Many people today are in similarly hybrid or liminal identities: between origins and aspirations; trying to navigate social expectations, familial legacies, networked images. The cost of self-invention remains: mental strain, ethical dilemmas, the risk of living in a facade.

Thus Fitzgerald’s novel continues to be useful for thinking about how people construct identities, how society rewards or punishes certain identities, how illusions can persist and how they can hurt. Understanding The Great Gatsby’s portrayal of identity and self-invention offers insight into contemporary debates about identity politics, self-branding, authenticity, and the meaning of success.

Conclusion

The Great Gatsby offers a finely wrought exploration of identity and self-invention: the ways individuals attempt to remake themselves, the social and moral pressures that shape identity, and the high stakes—illusion, failure, disillusionment—that accompany reinvention. Through Jay Gatsby’s transformation, the contrast between public persona and private reality, class and social milieu, symbolism and setting, and the narrator’s mediation, Fitzgerald shows identity as fluid, constructed, and fragile. Gatsby’s own dream of identity is admirable yet tragic, promising much but ultimately unable to override the constraints of class, morality, and history.

As a study of self-invention, The Great Gatsby suggests that identity is never wholly under our control; it is shaped by others, by place, by time, by moral order. The novel thus provides both a celebration of human aspiration and a cautionary tale about what we may sacrifice when we attempt to become the persons we wish to be rather than those we are, or those society allows us to be.

References

• Alfawearh, Abdalaziz Jomah, & Alkouri, Ahmad Mohd. (2025). “Exploring Identity and Ethnicity in The Great Gatsby: A Reflection of 1920s Societal Dynamics.” Forum for Linguistic Studies, 7(2), 717–726. journals.bilpubgroup.com

• Decker, J. L. (1994). “Gatsby’s Pristine Dream: The Diminishment of the Self-Identity Representation by Fitzgerald through the figure of Gatsby.” JSTOR. JSTOR

• Jeanpierre, S. (2013). “The Great Gatsby and the Struggle for Wealth, Purity, and the Identity Others Assigned.” California State University thesis. ScholarWorks

• “Self-determination of Gatsby’s character in F. S Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.” (n.d.). Litera & Kultura journal. E-Journal Universitas Negeri Surabaya

• “A Reality Check on the American Dream in The Great Gatsby.” (2024). IJELS Article. IJELS

• Other general sources: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925.