Since the beginning of time, humans have always had dreams. Dreams are beautiful, and they brighten one’s tomorrow. Almost all of us have dreamt of a better future before. However, they do not become reality like magic; they often come with a cost. Not only does fulfilling them require hard work and determination, the journey may also demand sacrifice. In examining The Great Gatsby, one can see that Jay Gatsby's American Dream forces him to exchange his identity for the passage upward in status and class. 

Jay Gatsby is born as James Gatz in North Dakota to a poor family of farmers. However, Gatz never accepts his fate as a member of the lower class and dreams of escaping his upbringing. Eventually, his destiny turns around when he meets Dan Cody, a wealthy miner who takes Gatz under his care. With Cody, Gatz sees his dream of leading a rich lifestyle in sight and views Cody's success as the ultimate American Dream. To hide his background from Cody, Gatz changes his name to Jay Gatsby, and  reinventing his identity as "his Platonic conception of himself" (Fitzgerald 104). The Platonic form of an object means the perfect form of that object. Therefore, the passage may imply that Gatsby recreates himself according to his own ideals of perfection. These ideals range from money to power to success, encompassing his views of the American Dream. Indeed, as a seventeen-year-old, Gatz pictures himself becoming a significant and wealthy man. He strives to bring his imaginations to life, despite the obstacles. He no longer wants to exist as the son of a penniless farmer. So, to start anew for his American Dream with Cody, Gatz leaves behind his old identity, exchanging it for a new name.   

As Gatsby's life continues, his American Dream also shifts. Upon meeting Daisy, a wealthy and attractive young lady in Louisville, Gatsby is instantly enthralled. During the war, however, Gatsby receives the message that Daisy has married a prominent man named Tom Buchanan. Distraught but determined, Gatsby begins pursuing status and class to flatter Daisy. Obtaining Daisy becomes Gatsby's new American Dream. However, this goal, again, forces Gatsby to sacrifice a part of his identity – his honesty. It is hinted throughout the novel that he engages in bootlegging with his business associate Meyer Wolfsheim. Moreover, in Chapter 9, narrator Nick Carraway receives the following phone call after Gatsby's death: "'Young Parke's in trouble,' [Slagle] said rapidly. 'They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter. They got a circular from New York giving ’em the numbers just five minutes before. What d’you know about that, hey? You never can tell in these hick towns ——'" (Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, p. 166). The use of colloquialism, such as "'em," "d'you," and "hick," is present throughout the call. These informal words not only convey a rushed and panicky mood but also imply that Gatsby's business associates may not be well-educated. Because uneducated people at that time were unlikely to obtain wealth, the legitimacy of Gatsby and his partners falls into question. Furthermore, the context of the call suggests that Gatsby is likely involved in questionable activities that alarm the authorities. It this case, Gatsby's partners may be selling counterfeit bonds. Thus, one might infer that Gatsby may have also committed other crimes to achieve his American Dream. In an attempt to impress Daisy, Gatsby covers his former identity with material wealth. However, during the process, the desire to fulfill his American Dream compels him to sacrifice his integrity for illegal activities. 

However, some may argue that Gatz never exchanges his identity, because he has grown up as Jay Gatsby ever since his youth. As a boy on a poor rural farm in North Dakota, Gatz lacks any access to money or education. Despite his circumstances, Gatz has a plan to escape his predicament and make a name for himself. Despite the challenges, Gatz is not afraid to work gradually to improve his knowledge and wealth. Gatz believes that by working hard and having discipline, he may eventually ascend the social ladder. From this perspective, Gatz's upward pursuit of status and wealth is not a passage about giving up identity. Instead, it is a journey of accumulating identity. As he pursues the American Dream, Gatz acquires wisdom, tenacity, and eventually fortune and class. Perhaps it is more of a growth process than a sacrifice. 

As we look at the world around us, we may find that Jay Gatsby is not the only man who sacrifices his identity for his dreams. A famous example is the life story of James Hogue, whose American Dream is an upward pursuit in education. By forging documents and revamping his past, Hogue gets into Princeton University. However, like Gatsby, he betrays his identity during the passage. In school, Hogue reshapes himself into a track prodigy. Taking up the name "Alexi Indris-Santana," Hogue illegally crafts a new life that is unfaithful to his true self. Hogue is eventually arrested and sentenced to prison for theft and forgery. Similar to Gatsby, Hogue gives up his honesty in the process of the American Dream. Both Gatsby and Hogue focus too much on the end goal that they lose themselves along the way. However, they do not realize that there is no end. For instance, in The Great Gatsby, even if Gatsby captures Daisy's heart, his idealization of his American Dream will continue. Therefore, the real Daisy may never live up to Gatsby's imagination of her.  

Humans have dreamed since the dawn of time in the pursuit of perfection. This mindset has led to remarkable achievement and discoveries. Indeed, the Platonic conception of society is likely to advance the human race. But at the same time, it may also slowly destroy each and every identity that constitutes humanity. Rather than an exchange for identity, perhaps American Dream is a bottomless pit that exhausts a person in an endless cycle to satisfy new needs without ever achieving fulfillment.