Give up what you are?
"That's because you can't give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate into the breeze, and it can take you across," said the desert.
"Give up what I am now? No! No!" The little stream could not accept this idea.

I find "give up what you are" a bit wrong. Should it be "give up on what you are" or "you can't stop being what you are"?

Please shed light on it. Thank you very much.

Question

Give up what you are?
"That's because you can't give up what you are. Let yourself evaporate into the breeze, and it can take you across," said the desert.
"Give up what I am now? No! No!" The little stream could not accept this idea.

I find "give up what you are" a bit wrong. Should it be "give up on what you are" or "you can't stop being what you are"?

Please shed light on it. Thank you very much.

Answer

'Give up what you are' makes sense.

If you give up what you are, you are giving up your identity. The little stream is being asked to renounce his essential 'streamness' (!) , and he couldn't accept this.

If you 'give up on' something, it means that you stop trying because you realise that it's pointless. This would not be the right phrase to use here. "You can't stop being what you are" would work, though.