The Influence Of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Dexter In 'Winter Dreams'

Naomi Aduroja
Mrs. Petix
English 11 - 7
30 January 2017
Wealth’s Influence on Fitzgerald’s Dexter in “Winter Dreams” F. Scott Fitzgerald was an influential, disillusioned author during the 1900s, and his weariness with the American Dream was carried throughout his writings. The predecessor to The Great Gatsby, “Winter Dreams” is about a young man named Dexter Green, and his version of the American Dream portrayed through the young woman, Judy Jones. Dexter exemplifies his dream through Judy starting as a child, but ultimately society’s pressure causes Judy to conform to society’s role, which causes her vitality to die. Although Dexter achieves wealth and success in order to gain Judy’s love he never retains it, and as her gender role in

Dexter’s dreams, the driving force for his achievements, continually shift to expose how much they are truly contingent on Judy Jones. Fitzgerald skillfully uses Judy to portray his disenchantment with “American Dreams” by causing Dexter, “to shatter the illusions he has held so long.” (Wendy). This act of destroying Dexter’s foundation exposes the true dangers of rooting one’s beliefs in one person, and the deep flaws within the American society. Fitzgerald also displays the difference between hope and despair with the use of color symbolism. Before the demise of his dream Dexter could only dream in hues of gold and bright colors to signify the vitality of youth and life he possessed (Wendy). After his dreams were diminished the exuberance he once possessed as a child that carried him all the way to adulthood collapsed never to return. Through the use of Dexter and Judy’s misfortunes Fitzgerald also warns about the hazards of conforming to orthodox gender

Judy is the unobtainable wealthy loose woman throughout the story, and her conversion to the stereotypical wife shows how woman in order to be fully incorporated into society cannot be independent (Zhang and Liying). Through the use of unsuccessful conformation Fitzgerald shows the potential flaws with inequivalent views of women in society by making Judy transform from a beautiful woman who was once independent into a woman who relinquishes her former beauty in exchange for married life; unlike Dexter who can remain independent and have more of an endpoint that is not marriage. At the beginning of “Winter Dreams” Judy can be described as a woman containing abundant liveliness, without having to seek the approval of men because she was an independent woman before it was considered acceptable. Society’s unfair gender roles ultimately leads to Judy to, “play the role of a virtuous wife with this marriage-oriented attitude, even at the cost of her individual happiness” (Zhang and Liying). Since Dexter is a man, he can achieve wealth and success without having the pressure of community make him alter his ambition. Even though Dexter is still allowed to pursue his dreams he still lets it go along with Judy, showing that wealth cannot fulfill one’s emotional dreams. Fitzgerald through the use of Judy and Dexter shows how