What three points show that the theme of the American Dream is found in The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman?

The American Dream, and its destruction, are primary
themes in both works.

1. Jay Gatsby and Willie Loman are
both dreamers who work to succeed and thereby shape the futures they dream for
themselves. When he was young, Gatsby (as Jimmy Gatz) worked hard, stayed true to some
core American values, and tried to better himself through study. Willie Loman worked
hard and honestly as a salesman as he and Linda made a home for their two
sons.

2. Gatsby and Loman become corrupt in pursuit of
their dreams. Gatsby works for Meyer Wolfsheim, a gangster, to build a fortune. Loman
lies and cheats, first to get ahead and then simply to survive in the increasingly
competitive world of sales.

3. American society as
presented in each work is entirely materialistic and money-driven, suggesting the
destruction of the American Dream. Fitzgerald's 1920s and Miller's 1950s are presented
as American eras in which the desire for wealth and material possessions has corrupted
the beauty of the American Dream as it was first held by immigrants--an idealistic dream
of freedom. Also, the promise of hard work leading to great financial success is dead.
In The Great Gatsby fortunes are not earned by hard work; they are
inherited, stolen, or acquired by good luck. In Death of a
Salesman, no matter how hard Willie Loman works, he lacks the skills and the
education to succeed in the modern marketplace of the 1950s.