Dreams are childish! Children like to invent complex fairy tales to fill their mundane life with excitement and animation. But an essential part of growing up is being able to let go of those childish fantasies. However, many are not able to detach themselves from their foolish aspirations which leads them to death and misery. In fact, “Winter Dreams” and The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates that when people are obsessed with their dreams, they cannot acknowledge their reality and find satisfaction with what is at their disposal, which leads to negative outcomes.
To begin with, the use of foreshadowing in both stories highlight that when individuals are engrossed by their goals, it impairs their perspective on reality
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In The Great Gatsby, fall represents the season of truth and is when Gatsby realizes that he is alone, without friends, family, or his true love. Fitzgerald mentions: “The night had made a sharp difference in the weather and there was an autumn flavor in the air” (The Great Gatsby 169). This quote highlights how Gatsby’s extravagant parties, business ventures and conquest to charm Daisy take place during the summer, yet his story ends in the fall. His aspirations of becoming a nouveau riche and having a relationship with Daisy Buchanan go from glowing and prospering in the summer to becoming cold and dead in autumn. The change in season is significant because Gatsby stopped being blinded by the sun, or in other words, with his obsession of wanting to achieve his goals and realised that he never enjoyed his life and is now all alone. Similarly, autumn represents the season of awareness for Dexter Green. The gloomy, cold atmosphere of fall made it clear to Dexter Green that he was just a pawn in Judy's life and that she had no real intention of marrying him. Fitzgerald states: “When Autumn had come and gone again it occurred to him that he could not have Judy Jones. He had to beat this into his mind but he convinced himself at last. […] He told himself the trouble and the pain she had caused him, he enumerated her glaring deficiencies as a wife” (“Winter Dreams” 75). This passage emphasizes Dexter’s realization that his dream is not working out and that he’s facing solitude. Dexter Green lost his chance at a stable, comfortable, and happy marriage with Irene Scheerer because he associated Judy Jones to a goal that he needed to accomplish to be a successful man. Like the cold autumn wind, reality strikes him, he recognizes that he is now