How Does F Scott Fitzgerald Use Imagery In Winter Dreams

Using Imagery to Characterize Judy Jones In F Scott Fitzgerald's “Winter Dreams”

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald better known as F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American writer during the early 20th century. Fitzgerald wrote in what was known as the modernism era or modernist movement. During this time following World War 1, Western art and literature started to go against past norms and began to create different forms of art to adhere to the changing of society. One of Fitzgerald’s short stories during this time period was “Winter Dreams”. “Winter Dreams” starts out following the main character, Dexter Green, as a child while he works at a golf course as a caddy in Black Bear, Minnesota. Dexter shortly quits after meeting a golfer named Judy

Jones and begins to chase his “winter dreams” or tangible success. Fast forward to when Dexter is in his twenties, he ends up finding success in the laundry business and running into Judy again. They begin to date but Dexter soon finds out that Judy date multiple men at once. After chasing Judy and ruining his chances with other women, Dexter finally gives up and enters the military to clear his head. When he returns from war he find out that Judy has lost all the glamour he once admired leading to Dexter losing his “winter dream”. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams”, Fitzgerald uses imagery to characterize Judy Jones and show what made her so captivating to Dexter.
In “Winter Dreams” F.

Scott Fitzgerald uses imagery when Dexter first meets Judy to emphasis the awe Dexter was in when he saw her. The narrator describes Judy by saying, “The spark, however, was perceptible. 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. Vitality is born early in such women. It was utterly in evidence now, shining through her thin frame in a sort of glow.”(Fitzgerald 980). This excerpt is used to characterize Judy Jones physically and show that Dexter fell in love with Judy at first sight. The idea that men have a great desire for Judy can be backed by Kim Becnel when she says, “The "magic of [Judy's] physical splendor" causes the men to fear that if they drop out of the game, another of their lot will make off with a prize they will forever envy.”(Becnel). The narrator goes in depth to describe Judy’s smile as beautiful for a young child which helps the reader understand how Dexter felt about

her.
In the very next paragraph the narrator uses imagery to show Judy’s sense of elegance and prestige.

Fitzgerald says, “She had come eagerly out onto the course at nine o'clock with a white linen nurse and five small new golf-clubs in a white canvas bag which the nurse was carrying.” (Fitzgerald 981). The fact that Judy has five new golf clubs gives off a sense of wealth and entitlement. Also the use of the color white to describe what the nanny was wearing and the canvas bag gives the reader a sense that Judy is classy and sophisticated. The use of imagery here allows the reader to envision Judy as a proper, classy person while also making her seem slightly

snobbish.
At the end of the story imagery is used as Dexter remembers how judy used to be when the narrator says, “In a sort of panic he pushed the palms of his hands into his eyes and tried to bring up a picture of the waters lapping on Sherry Island and the moonlit veranda, and gingham on the golf-links and the dry sun and the gold color of her neck soft down. And her mouth damp to his kisses and her eyes plaintive with melancholy and her freshness like new fine linen in the morning. ”(998). Describing Judy and her attire with words such as “gold” and “moonlit” makes Judy seem like she is precious and enchanting . Also Dexter descriptively recalling how Judy’s lips and eyes looked when he kissed her also characterizes her. It show that she is so memorable that Dexter can recall specific details.
F. Scott Fitzgerald use of imagery in “Winter Dreams” to characterize Judy Jones allows the reader to paint a picture of her and understand why Dexter chases her. The modernist era in which the short story was written can also be seen because Fitzgerald embraces the movement by emphasizing loss. This occurs after Dexter finds out that Judy Jones has lost her beauty, awe and wealth. This leads to Dexter breaking out in tears but it is not for Judy. He cries for himself because to him Judy represented the wealthy, luxurious life he wanted to live and now that the Judy he new was gone he realized he wasted he his whole life chasing something he never attained and can leave so quickly. Fitzgerald’s use of modernism characteristics was backed by his vivid imagery of Judy Jones which allowed the reader to see how wealthy and elitist she while at the same time being desirable.