Winter Dreams Research Paper

The 1920’s. Also known as the “Roaring 20’s”, was a time of economic prosperity, ambition, and the pursuit of the American Dream. The American Dream is the idea of working hard and achieving self-made wealth. However, during the 20’s, the definition of this idea was corrupted and people began to associate happiness with the wealth and believed luxury would satisfy their lives. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story,”Winter Dreams,” Fitzgerald unveils the illusion of the American Dream by revealing that economic success is not packaged with love and happiness. To begin with, Fitzgerald uses the main character’s success and romantic failures to show that materialistic fortune does not always equal happiness. The main character, Dexter Green,

Judy was from a rich family who grew up with a silver spoon in her mouth. Her beauty caught the attention of every man in town and she strung along every man into believing they were in love with her. But one day, after reuniting with Dexter, she wonders “Why can’t [she] be happy” even though she is “more beautiful than anybody else”(Fitzgerald 8). Judy has money and looks, but she is never satisfied with her life. Judy and Dexter’s failure with love and happiness represents Fitzgerald’s criticism of the American Dream. According to the literary criticism, “Winter Dreams”, the “[American Dream] is an illusory world of glitter and glamour and ultimately contains no substance”(“Winter Dreams” 5). In the end, Judy becomes married to a rich and abusive alcoholic and becomes a victim to an unhappy marriage to live out the rest of her days as a boring housewife. From the outside, the upper class seems to be enjoying their lives of riches but in reality, they are filled with misery to the core. In conclusion, Judy seems to be born into the perfect life but the one element she lacks is necessary to such a life;