All is fair in love and war...

Many critics believe that Gatsby never loves Daisy and that he merely turns her into a symbol. She is the “green light” of his ambition to become rich, successful, and powerful. In other words, she is the embodiment of his American Dream. What do you think? After finishing Chapter VII, do you believe Gatsby truly loves Daisy? Is she more than a symbol to him? Use examples from the novel in your response.
As much as I hate to say it, I have to go with the critics on this one -- there's no proof, in the text, that Gatsby is sincerely in love with Daisy, but rather the idea of the perfection that comes with having money; coincidentally, this typically includes some sort of romantic interest.

Before they all leave to head into town, Gatsby turns to Nick and says, "I can't say anything in his house, Old Sport." Perhaps -- perhaps -- I could let the statement pass as him not having the nerve to blatantly break up a marriage in the face of the couple's daughter, in front of Tom, but the next line out of his mouth really does it in, for me: "Her voice is full of money." It doesn't take Nick long to internalize what was just said, the meaning behind the observation, and phrases, beautifully, for the reader, what exactly attracts Gatsby to the woman -- "[Her voice] was full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it. . . . high in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl. . . ."

She's been associated with such high status, there's no way to see her as anything, really, but as a symbol. Gatsby has used her as motivation, from the very beginning, to live a life of all sorts of wonderful and fabulous. Instead of viewing her as a lover, I have found that he sees, instead, that last remaining puzzle piece to his picture-perfect life. I can understand where the misconception has come from, he's done so much for her (to make their relationship socially acceptable), it seems logical that he'd love her, but when you truly love someone, you want what's best for them -- their affair is anything but beneficial for her. In the end, maybe Daisy can't necessarily be considered a symbol, but she certainly is nothing more than a catalyst and trophy for/of wealth.