Winter Dreams Fitzgerald Analysis
The story I chose to read was “Winter Dreams” by Fitzgerald. Addressing the first part of the question, Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams” depicts the transformation of traditional American culture to a materialistic, joy-seeking society. Fitzgerald’s short story is unique in comparison to other modernist works as he takes a longer timeframe to express his message. The story begins with Dexter as a young teenager and ends with him being in his late twenties to early thirties. Nonetheless, the story underlines the struggles of individuals finding fulfillment in an evolving culture. The major characters, Dexter and Judy, never quite grow up because they never truly understand what they want to achieve out of their lives. Judy has this belief that her
external beauty will lead to her achieving satisfaction and fulfillment. On the other hand, Dexter believes achieving materialistic success will lead ultimate gratification. However, just as other modernist authors show characters struggling to adapt to changing cultural conditions, Fitzgerald does the same. What Dexter and Judy thought constituted happiness, in the end, ultimately was a tragedy. This is made evident when Judy marries an abusive man and Dexter realizes through deep introspection the foolishness of his actions by pursuing wealth as a means of inner fulfillment, in the end he realized how asinine and the only thing he could do was to attempt to move on. While both adapted to the changing culture they overlooked the aspects of life that offered authentic happiness. As boom made way to bust in the jazz age, so did Dexter and Judy. In conclusion, just as the decadence of the Jazz Age was unsustainable, so was Dexter and Judy’s desire to obtain authentic happiness through indulging in materialistic excesses or frequent love affairs. Side-thought: After reading this short story, I now understood why Fitzgerald left the United States. He and many other writers were in disgust with the widespread belief in having low moral standards and pursuing materialistic wealth. Possibly he is reflecting back on his life and regretting indulging in excesses, while overlooking authentic happiness.
external beauty will lead to her achieving satisfaction and fulfillment. On the other hand, Dexter believes achieving materialistic success will lead ultimate gratification. However, just as other modernist authors show characters struggling to adapt to changing cultural conditions, Fitzgerald does the same. What Dexter and Judy thought constituted happiness, in the end, ultimately was a tragedy. This is made evident when Judy marries an abusive man and Dexter realizes through deep introspection the foolishness of his actions by pursuing wealth as a means of inner fulfillment, in the end he realized how asinine and the only thing he could do was to attempt to move on. While both adapted to the changing culture they overlooked the aspects of life that offered authentic happiness. As boom made way to bust in the jazz age, so did Dexter and Judy. In conclusion, just as the decadence of the Jazz Age was unsustainable, so was Dexter and Judy’s desire to obtain authentic happiness through indulging in materialistic excesses or frequent love affairs. Side-thought: After reading this short story, I now understood why Fitzgerald left the United States. He and many other writers were in disgust with the widespread belief in having low moral standards and pursuing materialistic wealth. Possibly he is reflecting back on his life and regretting indulging in excesses, while overlooking authentic happiness.