Dexter Green, the protagonist of F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "Winter Dreams," has an obsession with material success. He longs for Judy Jones, a woman of great beauty and wealth, and she serves as a symbol of Dexter’s ambitious dreams; he desires success, riches and a high standing and Judy is a manifestation of these ideas. Judy and the ideas of success and perfection she represents were what Dexter always thought he wanted in life. No matter what new accomplishment he achieved, such as his earnings or his career, he was always driven back to his pursuit of Judy. Her representation of perfection symbolized what Dexter saw as the only true fulfillment to his dreams. She calls herself “more beautiful than anyone else” and “her confidence” is described as “obviously enormous” (8). However, when Judy ends up married to a dull man and her beauty has faded, Dexter feels like the only solution to his everlasting dreams is lost. Judy, this timeless symbol of perfection for Dexter and the motivation for his success, is shattered. Even though he is at the most successful point in his life, his ideal vision of fulfilling his dreams is lost because of how Judy turned out. He says, “The gates were closed, the sun was gone down, and there was no beauty but the gray beauty of steel that withstands all time” (11). Dexter's obsession with Judy morphed into an obsession with the past and his hopes for the future became delusions because despite his wealth, he would not accept his success without a reason to desire Judy, a symbol of perfection.
"Winter Dreams" by
F. Scott Fitzgerald
A short story about delusional young man who persistently longs for the past, like Gatsby.
Read the entire story here.