It would seem, from Jordan's story, that Gatsby was born in an instant. It was as if Gatsby had no past, no childhood. Gatsby had re-created himself in the years following the war.He became a new man, a re-invention of himself. It's like he tossed how roots away. Nick also sees Nick's existence as "purposeless", like most of the lives in East Egg. Yet, there is a "splendour" about Gatsby's lifestyle that is attractive at the same time."I think Gatsby largely lives in the world of illusion that he desperately tries to make into reality.