Question

Read the following excerpt from The Great Gatsby:

I suppose he'd had the name ready for a long time, even then. His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people-his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all. The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his platonic conception of himself.
Which theme does this excerpt best convey?

Answer 1

In America, one need not to be limited by the circumstances of ones birth.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

Answer: Gatsby pretends to be a different person than he truly is.

Step-by-step explanation:

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The main character, Jay Gatsby, lives in a luxurious house and throws parties, hoping that his ex-girlfriend, Daisy, will pay attention to him.

In this excerpt from Chapter 6, Gatsby's neighbor, Nick, addresses one of the most important issues in the novel. Gatsby pretends to be someone that he is not, only to prove his love to Daisy. In order to win her over, Gatsby transformed himself into an individual that he imagined, a 'platonic conception of himself' - a youngster rolling in wealth that throws parties. His only dream is to be with Daisy, and, in order to achieve that, he has changed so much that he completely rejects his past. As Nick mentions, Gatsby is ashamed of his parents, because they do not fit in the picture of himself that he projected.