Student Question

In "Winter Dreams," why is Judy's smile, lacking "root in mirth" or amusement, paradoxical?

Quick answer:

The paradox in Judy's smile lies in its lack of genuine emotion, as smiles typically express pleasure or amusement. Instead, Judy's smile is used strategically to attract people, particularly men, without any real mirth or amusement behind it. This makes her smile a superficial tool, akin to makeup, to enhance her attractiveness, highlighting a contrast between its appearance and its emotional emptiness.

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The Guide to Literary Terms defines "paradox" as "a statement that is apparently self-contradictory or absurd but really contains a possible truth."

Ordinarily, when someone smiles it is because that person feels pleasure or has heard something funny or is being amused. Judy Jones's smile, however, doesn't result from any emotion other than the need to attract people (especially men) to her. The paradox is that her smile has no emotion behind it; it amounts to nothing more than another layer of makeup added to enhance her beauty.

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