Patrick KaneEnglish 11RMs. Skolnik26/02/14 “Money, they say, is today the root of all evil. » - Pink Floyd, “Money” Money rules the world. Sometimes the influence of money can be detrimental. Without accountability, the power of money can be abused, and this abuse can lead to corruption. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the character Tom Buchanan is a good example of how money corrupts, as he never has to face the consequences of his bad decisions and actions since his money lets get away with anything.Throughout the book we see Tom getting away with various terrible and immoral things because people overlook his immorality because of his wealth. Tom does not take his marriage seriously until it is threatened, as Daisy never challenged his infidelities nor left him because of their rich and comfortable life. Tom even cheated on Daisy on their honeymoon. Jordan confided to Nick: “A week after I left Santa Barbara, Tom hit a wagon on the road to Ventura one night and tore a front wheel off his car. The girl who accompanied him also made headlines because her arm was broken: she was one of the chambermaids at the Santa Barbara (Fitzgerald) Hotel. Tom is a brutal and indifferent man, lacking any sense of decency and responsibility. He has no true love for his wife and almost openly cheats on her (Gillespie and Naden). He feels that his money gives him the power to run around with other women, and Daisy seems to care more about his money than him, so he feels he has permission. Tom's money also leads him to think that he is better than everyone else and is therefore indifferent to what happens to little people like George and Myrtle Wilson, and is dismissive of those who try to win.... .. middle of paper...... Tom's money also corrupts him because he feels superior to others and justified for his bad actions because of this feeling of superiority arising from his inherited wealth. His final act of corruption, his negligence in destroying the lives of Wilson and Gatsby. Tom's natural brutality was able to fully manifest because of the protection of his wealth - Tom Buchanan was able to afford to be reckless because his money protected him from having to worry about it. Works Cited Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner paperback Fiction, 1925. Print. Gillespie, John T. and Corinne J. Naden. “Preview: The Great Gatsby.” Characters in young adult literature. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Information Resource Center. Internet. March 2, 2014 Ramos, Christine. “Tom Buchanan: The Ruthless Protector”, reading.cornell.edu/reading-project06/Gatsby/documents/Ramos pdf