Conclusion

Was Gerber a self-made man? His autobiography leaves the answer to that question unclear. While he made the transition from growing up without any money to a Hollywood lawyer, his family connections, as well as the high value placed on education by his family lead to questions about the essence of Gerber’s self-making. If he was not poor in the traditional sense of the term, that is, if his only hindrance was a lack of money, then did he experience the transformation necessary to be considered self-made?

A family visit in California, 1962

The scope of Gerber’s self-making also comes into question when we examine the difference between the impression of wealth and success he created with the specific details of his situation. The inconsistent impressions of self-making reflect a fundamental part of how Gerber perceived himself and the world around him.

The contradictions, perceptions, and impressions around identity, money, and success combine to paint a portrait of Gerber that illuminates the complexity of self-making as we seek to test the limits of what constitutes self-making. His story creates an impression of self-making, and yet does not appear to hold up to any of the criteria that define a self-made individual. While he had nothing growing up, he was not “truly” poor; while he achieved wealth, we are uncertain of the degree of his wealth; while he achieved some recognition, he did not become famous.

We are left to wonder what is really real: the essence of his story, or the words that tell that story. Our desire for an answer that proves reality to be one or the other may blind us to the fact that the answer may very well be “both.”