On the minds of men While we read "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scot Fitzgerald we can undoubtedly notice the criticisms he made of wealth and the American dream. It has made us wonder and speculate whether or not the pursuit of wealth is an entirely noble aspect of life and that we should consider our values ​​before diving into the waters of greed. Strange as it may seem, Fitzgerald criticizes elements of his own life to expose the destructive influence of money on the individual and the corruption it causes in the minds of men. To begin, we need to consider how money corrupted individuals in “The Great Gatsby.” Toms is said to have been a handsome and athletic football player during his college years, and has now grown into a portly old man with thinning hair and, at times, displays a sinister personality. "Tom Buchannan's wealth has made him cruel, arrogant and immoral; he is driven entirely by power." (Lathbury 62) This reveals to us that Tom is a cruel and immoral individual due to wealth, and that he has undoubtedly been persuaded and corrupted by the greed of money. On the other hand, Gatsby is not a boy scout as we are allowed to believe. Gatsby's newly established wealth, which has no basis in any legitimate business, is depicted throughout the book as a mystery. “Although this Gatsby is as obsessed with the girl of his dreams as Nick believes, he also appears to be someone more self-centered and more manipulative than Nick can understand. This Gatsby is both more sinister and more believably unbelievable, a true product of criminal conditions of prohibition." (Pauli). This shows us that Gatsby's involvement in bootlegging and other illegal activities causes him to become overwhelmed by greed and power which distracts him from his main goal of winning Daisy back. All this shows us that wealth can change and corrupt individuals and disenchant them, regardless of where they come from or why they want to obtain it. In the end Fitzgerald says that obtaining wealth is a part of life that can change and more often than not destroy man's moral dignity and give him a selfish and corrupt view of the world as if wealth were a disease in the minds of men..