A Dream to Remember
Dreams prove as a powerful, motivating force, propelling an individual forward into real achievements in life. Conversely, dreams can transpire as blatantly artificial. F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Winter Dreams" depicts the story of Dexter Green, a young man who dreams of achievements and works hard in a real, non-illusionary world to win them. His work in this plain, unromantic world brings him ever closer to the dream world he so desperately wants, while at the same time the dreams show themselves as decaying or empty. Unfortunately, this does not cure him of dreaming and does not push him to abandon his dreams in favor of a healthier attitude. When Dexter embodies all of his dreams in the beautiful Judy Jones, her fickle attitude and the inevitability of her aging destroys Dexter's dream world and dries up the source of his achievements. The author, using paradoxes, shows Judy Jones differently through Dexter's eyes, and reinforces the theme of illusion versus reality. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses paradoxes frequently in "Winter Dreams," thus endowing characters such as Judy Jones with a deeper meaning. When Fitzgerald introduces Judy Jones, a young obnoxious girl, he describes her appearance as pretty yet two-folded: "Beautif
Dexter pictures Judy Jones differently. When Dexter, a golf caddy, first meets Judy Jones he sees her as stunning, "There was a general ungodliness in the way her lips twisted down at the corners when she smiled, and in the --Heaven help us! -- In the almost passionate quality of her eyes" (588). Later in his life, Dexter sees her another way. As she abruptly hits a fellow golfer with her ball, he observes, "The quality of exaggeration, of thinness, which had made her passionate eyes and downturn mouth absurd at eleven, was gone now" (591). Next, Dexter has dinner with Judy and feels very strongly towards her. Prompted by these feelings, "It did not take him many hours to decide that he had wanted Judy Jones ever since he was a proud, devious little boy" (593). Additionally, after she leaves for Florida and throws Dexter aside, Judy returns to jump back into his life, just when he begins to forget. Fitzgerald expresses Dexter's reaction saying, "A breeze of warmth and light blew through the room. His hands in the pockets of his dinner-jacket tightened spasmodically. He was filled with a sudden excitement" (597). Finally, after seven years of silence, Dexter hears news of Judy and his image of her greatly changes. Fitzgerald illustrates Dexter's stunning response saying, "A sort of dullness settled down upon Dexter.... but he knew that he had just lost something more, as surely as if he had married
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Approximate Word count = 953
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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