Winter Dreams Character Analysis

A great narrative begins with great characters. Most authors work to create a hero who is complicated and worthy of the reader’s attention. They want the reader to connect with the protagonist, to see beyond their transgressions, and to have empathy for the person they will inevitably become. While F. Scott Fitzgerald often created notable heroes in his works, his greatest accomplishments were in the complicated villains he devised. In his short story “Winter Dreams” Fitzgerald penned such a devious and complex character in Judy Jones. She was complicated in such a way that a reader could both respect and despise her. From the beginning it was easy to dislike Judy. One of the key elements to the complexity of her character came from …show more content…
They were toys she kept on a string to play with when the mood struck her. “Judy, as the critics argue, is an unpredictable, flirtatious, and at times rude woman who apparently uses men as playthings in order to escape boredom; she does indeed seem to be the static seduction figure that many critics and the other characters in the story see her as” (Bryer, Margolies, and Prigozy 163-164). Eventually, Dexter realized that he was simply another one of her playthings. He met another woman, Irene Scheerer, whom he courted and eventually proposed to. Sadly, Judy would not be denied. Just as Dexter was ready to announce his engagement to the world, Judy reappeared in his life. Her manipulative nature reemerged. According to Petry, “Though he acted with apparent freedom in his choice of school, his creation of the laundry empire, and his eventual success on Wall Street, Dexter had been manipulated to a startling degree by psychological factors of which he had been unaware” (137). It was all right for Judy to come and go as she pleased, but to lose one of her toys was more than she could bear. She pleaded with him, “I’d like to marry you if you’ll have me, Dexter. I supposed you think I’m not worth having but I’ll be beautiful for you, Dexter” (977). Dexter gave in and broke off his engagement with Irene to be with Judy, however she quickly became unsatisfied and a month later she ended their …show more content…
Truth be told, she was brutally honest. There were never any preconceived notions about who she was as a person. She felt no need in hiding her activities. If she wanted something or someone, she simply took it. Even on their dates, if another man piqued her interest, she would abandon Dexter alone and leave with the other man. Yes, she was evil, but one must respect that for someone so malicious she maintained a certain candor that was