Money can’t buy love, so they say, and the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy is just one example. In a world separated by social class, living space, corrupt systems, love, pain and confusion, love has everything to do with it. Is Gatsby in love with Daisy, or is he in love with the infatuation by the idea of her--the question will forever linger.
There has always been a misconception of “love” and “infatuation”. In fact many people cannot decipher the actual difference, but there is actually a huge difference which makes people wonder if Gatsby was truly in love, or if he was just infatuated with Daisy. Infatuation is a word that describes a strong liking and/or admiring of someone, blind to their flaws the overall idea of thinking they are nothing but perfect, although not to get confused with love. Love is having deep emotional attachment to someone seeing their flaws and also accepting it. "Although Gatsby professed to love Daisy, there is a sense that he was not in love with her as much as he was in love with the idea of her”(89). That idea was the past, and the past being memories of Jay Gatsby and Daisy, and how Gatsby wanted things to go back the way it was when they were both two young teenagers. Gatsby was infatuated with Daisy, infatuated with the past, infatuated with the “American Dream,” which made many assume that he was in love with Daisy, which is primarily not the case. The love that Jay Gatsby shared for Daisy Buchanan was extremely misguided and misinterpreted. Gatsby wanted his life to be idealistic, to be the visual interpretation of the American Dream. When Gatsby became wealthy, he assumed that by showing off his wealth to the people that his name would be brought up in day to day conversations.
  Gatsby also threw many fancy parties in his home with expectations that Daisy would show up. In the packet there is a quote that symbolizes Gatsby’s hope that Daisy would hear of Gatsby and show up to one of his luxury parties. Then he goes to one of Gatsby’s legendary parties, which are, he eventually learns, nothing more than shimmering nets thrown out in the hopes of snaring Gatsby’s long-lost love, Daisy (89). When Daisy arrives Gatsby decided to tour Daisy around his house, Daisy is impressed by all of the shirts."They're such beautiful shirts, she sobbed, her muffled in the folds. It makes me sad because I've never seen such beautiful shirts” (118). Not only does this quote symbolize how materialistic Daisy is but it also shows how Gatsby is simply trying to buy her love. It’s not until after that Gatsby realizes that his money cannot buy Daisy’s love but in fact it’s Gatsby's infatuation with his past, the love they had for each other back then that makes reality a reality. The idea that things can’t go back how it was that life is current, time keeps passing and day by day emotions change. Gatsby’s desperate need for love and affection makes him want to express love with someone he even knows would not meet his level.  “I saw the expression of bewilderment had come back into Gatsby’s face, as though a faint doubt had occurred to him as to the quality of his present happiness” (97). This symbolizes how you could see right through Gatsby. The look on his face was faint when he realizes that the person who he has waited for, for many years does not meet up to his standards. Gatsby knew that Daisy didn’t met his desired expectations but he had hope. Hope that maybe just maybe Daisy would decide to leave her husband so they would be able to be together. When part of Gatsby’s goal came true, which was when Daisy agreed to divorce Tom he was in hopes that the the rest of his dream would follow. Unfortunately realizing that his dream of this image he had for Daisy fell short.
“But this time his hands tremble not with longing for a lost love, but with excitement and joy recovering her (Sutton 94). Gatsby built an image of Daisy of such high expectation until he is let down when he realizes that she doesn't meet that level. It is in fact the infatuation and obsession of love and belonging that makes Gatsby question whether or not Daisy is the woman that he dreams of, or if it's the infatuation of the image he created for her. It’s the shock that Gatsby realizes that during all this time of seeing her as this “image,” she in fact does not fit. It’s Gatsby’s obsession for his past life with him and Daisy that pushes and motivates Gatsby to keep trying. Nick warns Gatsby that he cannot repeat the past and Gatsby sees no issue with testing the limits. “I wouldn’t ask too much of her..you can’t repeat the past”. Gatsby is incredulous. “Can’t repeat the past?...Why of course you can!”(111). Gatsby just wants to be loved by the person he once shared love for, until he then realizes it may not turn out as planned.
The literary criticism states that, “on the most banal level, The Great Gatsby documents the truism that money can’t buy you love, or at least not the tainted money Gatsby acquires in his campaign to take Daisy away from her husband” (100). So in reality the question is was Gatsby infatuated or in love, and the answer to that is both. The infatuation and longing for the past love made Gatsby obsessed with the idea of trying to get the present to be the past. To get Gatsby and Daisy back how things were before they got older. IN which Gatsby feels by showing off his wealth that would buy Daisy’s love. Though Daisy comes from a rich family, so even Daisy is aware that money can’t buy happiness. “Her voice is full of money” (120). Gatsby has always had the dream of becoming wealthy so when Daisy were to speak, he would think nothing more but money. That’s where the infatuation comes in, the infatuation for belonging. Gatsby now feels comfortable that they’re both at similar social classes, but money can’t buy love and Gatsby unfortunately realizes that too late.
In the Great Gatsby the infatuation of past love has everything to do with it, it was only a matter of time that Gatsby realizes that imagination and reality are two completely different things.