Winter Dreams

"Winter Dreams" is a modernist text in that it advances a radically subjective view of the world through the actions of Judy and Dexter. As a literary movement, modernism arose out of the aftermath...

Dexter's dreams in "Winter Dreams" are dreams of having a better life and rising above the station that he was born into. He dreams of being a golf champion, stepping from an expensive automobile...

Dexter's real reason for quitting his caddying job is that he's deeply affected by his first encounter with the young Judy, and he has to do something about these strong feelings right away: But...

For Dexter, Judy Jones is the epitome of the "glittering things and glittering people" of the world of wealth that he covets. It is around her that Dexter creates his "winter dreams." When he first...

F. Scott Fitzgerald uses figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and symbolism in Winter Dreams. As we read, we can make note of the figurative language. Similes and metaphors are both...

The disillusionment featured in the short story revolves around Dexter's belief that happiness can be attained through gain and want, without some type of moral foundation that serves as a bedrock...

"Winter Dreams" is, in part, about the illusory nature of beauty and the difference between beauty and reality. It's set primarily at a Sherry Island country club and in the nearby town of Black...

In “Winter Dreams,” each of the four seasons symbolizes a different stage and aspect of Dexter’s aspirations to wealth and an upper class status. The cyclical seasonal calendar parallels the...

We first hear about these fantastical "winter dreams" early in the story: October filled him with hope which November raised to a sort of ecstatic triumph, and in this mood the fleeting brilliant...

In "Winter Dreams," Dexter longs to obtain the favor of a girl named Judy Jones. But in every meeting and every opportunity with her, she seems to draw him just close enough—and then run in a...

When Devlin first mentions that Judy's looks, at twenty-seven, are "all right," Dexter finds his assessment ludicrous, protesting that "she was a great beauty." He already knows that she has been...

Ambition is one prevalent theme in "Winter Dreams" by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Dexter Green dreams of breaking free of his humble origins and becoming a part of the society of those who frequent the...

For Dexter, Judy represents all that glitters. That is, she is the embodiment of ambition and success, money, and beauty. That's what Dexter wants, and that's why he never sees her as she truly is....

Dexter has grown up in close proximity to wealth and the access it provides, but he is the son of a small grocery store owner, serving as a caddy for the wealthy men in town. He can witness...

Judy is less a person for Dexter than a kind of ideal, a thing or way of being that he desires to attain. It is her stubborn subjectivity, however—the fact of her living her own life, independent...

While the narration in "Winter Dreams" is a standard third-person omniscient point-of-view, an unusual aspect is the way the narrator takes an active role in the telling, rather than the normal...

In the first episode, we are told that teenager Dexter Green is known as one of the best caddies at the Sherry Island Golf Club. From this, we can infer that he spends his days in the company of...

According to Trent Lorcher in his article "Lesson Plans: Modernism in Literature: Modernism is marked by a strong and intentional break with tradition. This break includes a strong reaction...

At the beginning of Part II of Fitzgerald's short story, the narrator suggests that Dexter Green has "winter dreams" of not just achieving financial success, but he dreams most of all of "the...

Dexter Green, the protagonist of "Winter Dreams" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, has incredible dreams during the winter about his life plans. While he is young, he works as a caddy, and, during the...

The second time Dexter meets Judy Jones, she happens across his golf foursome after hitting one of his group in the stomach with her golf ball. Dexter recognizes her immediately, but she doesn't...

Dexter Green is infatuated with Judy Jones from the very first time he sees her on the golf course when he is fourteen and she is eleven in F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Winter Dreams." She is...

Black Bear, Dexter's actual hometown, symbolizes all the things he tries to distance himself from in adulthood. It is a "footstool," used by the wealthy for its resources, but not fashionable...

The winter in Minnesota is bleak for Dexter; he describes living in it as "a feeling of profound melancholy." Nonetheless, it offers him time and solitude to reflect on the direction he wants his...

Dexter is a dynamic character, meaning he changes in a significant way by the time the story ends. Most main characters in a story are dynamic, because most stories involve meeting challenges,...

When Dexter Green first sees Judy Jones, she is only eleven; however, he is struck by the beauty of this girl and "winter dreams" of attainable beauty and of being rich begin to dictate his life....

It is important that the reader mainly sees Judy through Dexter Green's eyes, which admire Judy less for who she is than for what she represents: the upper class to which Dexter wishes to belong....

Dexter has already been in love with the beautiful and mercurial Judy Jones when he dates Irene Scheerer. He is very close to becoming engaged to Irene—not because he truly loves her, but because...

Dexter Green changes in several very significant ways in the story. As a boy, he lives a working-class life in a working-class community, one that provides services for the wealthy people who live...

The ultimate destruction of Dexter's dreams occurs in the final section of this brilliant story when he hears news of Judy Jones, the glittering golden girl that has formed a central part of his...

In the short story "Winter Dreams" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the protagonist Dexter Green comes from a middle-class background but aspires to rise in society. The story tells of Dexter's business...

Dexter has grown up around people with more money and higher social status than his family, who were grocers. The years that Dexter spent caddying at the golf club brought him into contact with...

For Dexter, the initial kiss he shares with Judy is representative of a culmination of his dreams. From the first moment he saw Judy, there was something alluring about her. Dexter's love of Judy...

I love that word "entanglement" as a description of Judy and Dexter's relationship. It's perfect for them: Judy keeps drawing Dexter in with her charms and beauty, filling his head with thoughts of...

Dexter's characterization throughout the story largely depends on his thoughts and emotions, not on his physical appearance. But we know for certain that he dresses well, and we can infer that he's...

You could write a thesis statement which argues that the pursuit of the American Dream is a fool's errand when it is based on external notions of success. In Dexter Green's case, he believes that...

Dexter thinks of himself as a practical person whose ambition and hard work will enable him to achieve his goals. Deep inside, however, he is also a dreamer. Dexter sets reasonable goals such as...

The previous Educator has explained the fickle and shallow nature of Dexter Green's obsession with Judy Jones. I refrain from calling it love, despite their engagement, because Dexter never really...

Fitzgerald's stories often portray young men in love with women who are beautiful, unusual, and unattainable. They are not unattainable because they are not interested in romance; in fact the...

He is "successful" in making money. Evidence: "He made money." He is successful because he wants to impress people.When he first meets Judy, he is "confident. Evidence:...

I'm not sure Judy ever took their engagement seriously. She flirts with other men and frequently goes off alone with them. After more than a year of watching this kind of behavior, Dexter finally...

The classic short story "Winter Dreams" by F. Scott Fitzgerald tells of a golf caddy who overcomes his humble origins and becomes rich through a chain of laundries he owns. He meets a spoiled rich...

The story problematizes whatever it is we mean by the phrase “American dream.” In a conventional sense, Dexter’s story, of rising from the son of immigrants to the wealthy owner of a string of...

Authors accomplish direct characterization when they closely describe characters's looks and traits. Sometimes it is the narrator who provides it, or it can be the words of another character in the...

It is clear that when we consider the hopes that both Dexter Fletcher and his creator, F. Scott Fitzgerald, have for their children, their is a significant difference in the kind of lives they want...

Another irony about Dexter thinking of Judy as his own is that he may have suspected he would never win her love. He says one thing but knows that the truth is diametrically opposed to the words he...