Winter Dreams Character Analysis

Hailey Bell
Mrs. Lucente
English 11 AP
29 September 2015
“Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald Lit Circle Theme Thinker
Wealth can cause more problems than joy In the text Dexter dreams about all the happiness and how he can achieve this goal because of his wealth. Dexter associates money with wealth and while he is a caddy falls in love with this. He works so hard to be wealthy and with that Dexter’s ability to love another goes away.
“For the first time in years the tears were streaming down his face. But they were for himself now. He did not care about mouth and eyes and moving hands. He wanted to care, and he could not care. For he had gone away and he could never go back any more. The gates were closed, the sun was gone down, and
there was no beauty but the gray beauty of steel that withstands all time. Even the grief he could have borne was left behind in the country of illusion, of youth, of the richness of life, where his winter dreams had flourished.”
Fitzgerald shows another problem with wealth when he uses Judy Jones to show how people are dehumanized in a society fantasizing over wealth. In the text when all the men and Dexter see Judy they accentuate her superficially and only talk about her physical beauty with one another. The men only get surface deep when describing Judy.
“She was arrestingly beautiful. The color in her cheeks was centered like the color in a picture— it was not a “high” color, but sorry of fluctuating and feverish warmth, so shaded that it seemed at any moment it would recede and disappear. This color and the mobility of her mouth gave a continual impression of flux, of intense life, of passionate vitality— balanced only partially by rage sad luxury of her eyes.”
Fitzgerald is trying to convey the message that you should not worry too much about wealth because it is a materialistic item and there are things far more important than money. This quote contributes to the meaning of the text because it shares the reason why wealth can bring more problems than joy and this theme is very important and prominent message in the text.

Not all dreams will become a reality
Dexter is never able to meet the expectations he had in his dreams.
Dexter only channeling to Judy Jones and only focus on his romanticism with Judy provides Dexter to see her as almost the perfect person for him. Dexter never truly sees all of Judy, but rather sees what he wants. When Judy was upset while with Dexter because she was chasing after a man that was not wealthy Dexter basically tuned out this newfound and important information about Judy. He does not accept the true view of Judy because it shows who Judy really is as a person. Dexter knows all about Judy and how she is able to charm multiple men at the same time. Throughout the text he contemplates with reality and what he finds to be perfect. Dexter tries to erase Judy, but never does it successfully because she returns later in the text. His dream does not become a reality because he was too emotionally attached and could not see a person who seems to be perfect, imperfectly.

“It did not take hime many hours to decide that he had wanted Judy Jones ever since he was a proud, desirous little boy.”
“As so frequently would be the case in the future, Dexter was unconsciously dictated by his winter dreams”
“Succeeding Dexter’s first exhilaration cam restlessness and dissatisfaction. The helpless ecstasy of loosing himself in her was opiate rather than tonic.”
This theme contributes to the meaning of the text because it allows the reader to see the inner workings of Dexter’s mind and lets the reader know the reason
why he was so head over heels in love with Judy.