The glory of wealth and success, seemingly enchanting, masks the darkness hidden within the American Dream—the lack of emotion brought on by the prospects of wealth exposes the true hollowness of a life full of indulgence. Material wealth and success are both components of the American Dream, a dream so many sought to capture during the early 1900’s. Through the story of Dexter Green, “Winter Dreams” is able to draw a parallel between the dream so many in America sought and the dream Green sought for himself. In the short story “Winter Dreams”, F. Scott Fitzgerald seeks to reveal the discrepancy between the appearance of the American Dream and the reality hidden in the prospects of wealth and an extravagant lifestyle by employing the use of
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Judy represents the American Dream and because of this, is seen more as an object to Dexter, than a person who can truly be loved. He believes “she was a not a girl who could be won” and because of his own desire to have “glittering things”, he renown’s her as someone to keep pursuing in order to have true success (Fitzgerald 2& 5). Although not intended, the evident historical bias against women is demonstrated and the reader is given insight on the social divisions and restraints in society at the time the piece was written. This can also explain why Judy is criticized multiple times for being insincere or disappointed. Lihau Zhang and Liying Cui, in their criticism of the “Winter Dreams”, allege that Fitzgerald’s selection of only adopting Dexter Green’s narrative perspective in the short story reflects the indisputable sexism ingrained in American society in the 1920’s. They argue that everything Judy feels, and everything she embodies, is “all interpreted by the male [protagonist]”, which can attribute to Dexter’s overall disillusionment towards the end of the novel (Zhang& Cui
Judy represents the American Dream and because of this, is seen more as an object to Dexter, than a person who can truly be loved. He believes “she was a not a girl who could be won” and because of his own desire to have “glittering things”, he renown’s her as someone to keep pursuing in order to have true success (Fitzgerald 2& 5). Although not intended, the evident historical bias against women is demonstrated and the reader is given insight on the social divisions and restraints in society at the time the piece was written. This can also explain why Judy is criticized multiple times for being insincere or disappointed. Lihau Zhang and Liying Cui, in their criticism of the “Winter Dreams”, allege that Fitzgerald’s selection of only adopting Dexter Green’s narrative perspective in the short story reflects the indisputable sexism ingrained in American society in the 1920’s. They argue that everything Judy feels, and everything she embodies, is “all interpreted by the male [protagonist]”, which can attribute to Dexter’s overall disillusionment towards the end of the novel (Zhang& Cui