What evidence is there to support the notion that Gatsby loved an ideal rather than the actual person of Daisy?Gatsby professes to love Daisy, but...

I think that while Gatsby was probably capable of feeling
and experiencing love, he did become more enamored with the idyll of love in his pursuit
of Daisy.  There is much to indicate this throughout the novel, but the most compelling
piece of evidence for this would be that there is little between both of them that could
constitute a real and solid foundation for an authentic relationship.  Perhaps, this is
something that Fitzgerald might be saying about the time period, in general.  Yet, the
superficiality and opaque nature of emotional contact with all of the people in the
social sphere depicted in the novel is one that precludes any real sense of
understanding and true reciprocity of emotions.  Gatsby believes that he can "win" Daisy
through elaborate parties and excessive spending of money.  The moment with the shirts
would help to indicate this.  At some point, Daisy becomes a part of Gatsby's vision to
not be Gatz, but rather part of the allure of Jay Gatsby.  In this light, Daisy is not
seen as a person, but rather objectified as a thing or another accessory to completing
Gatsby's own vision of self.