In ‘The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald conveys the message that everyone has secrets and the ability to be dishonest, so a person can only really trust themselves. The first, and perhaps the example that stands out the most this, is Jay Gatsby’s alter ego: James Gatz. Gatz came from a poor family, and wanted to create a new identity to represent himself with. So, main character Nick Carraway says that Gatz “invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old would be likely to invent…” (Fitzgerald 98). Gatsby lies about his name and hides his past as James Gatz, and in the end proves himself to be untrustworthy. In fact, he doesn’t even seem to care when he is caught lying. After Tom reveals him for selling alcohol over the counter,