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Essay / ""Winter Dreams" by Scott Fitzgerald: Chasing Dreams
F. "Winter Dreams" by Scott Fitzgerald tells the story of Dexter Green and his pursuit of Judy Jones. Dexter wants Judy not to be touched by time, and his dream is that of being with her Fitzgerald, through his writings, endorses the idea of dreams and the pursuit of dreams, but he does not seem to fully believe in them. Dreams are necessary to keep people, especially Dexter, going, because they give something to believe in and hope for. However, such dreams are also impossible because they can never be definitively or satisfactorily fulfilled. to plagiarism Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIn the story, Judy Jones is the dream that Dexter Green is chasing, and although it is impossible, it is. is what keeps him thriving. Judy Jones is portrayed as nothing more than something, rather than someone. She's held to an unattainable standard and she's cooled down by the way she's treated like some sort of trophy. Dexter sees vitality in her. He sees something he wants to possess. Dexter describes her: “The color of her cheeks…. And the mobility of his mouth gave a continual impression of flow, of intense life, of passionate vitality – offset only in part by the sad luxury of his eyes” (968). Vitality is what gives continuity to life. Dexter sees vitality in her because she is his dream. His dream is what gives him something worth living for, since he already has plenty. At one point in the story, Dexter has almost everything he could want; “Dexter was twenty-four years old and he found himself increasingly able to do what he wanted…. He could have gone out socially as much as he liked – he was now an eligible young man…” (974). Since Dexter has so much, he clings to one thing he can hope for: Judy. He clarified that his aspirations were now focused solely around her: “His avowed devotion to Judy Jones had rather solidified his position…. He wanted to take Judy Jones with him. No amount of disillusionment about the world in which she had grown up could cure her illusion about its desirability” (974). Regardless, Dexter wanted Judy Jones. He didn't care about anything else. Her presence, and the fact that she wasn't with him, gave him something to strive for. Dexter's dream of having Judy Jones is important because it makes him look forward to something. Pursuing his dream creates vitality in him and in what he sees in it, and that is why the dream is important. Dexter's pursuit of his dream is important, but its actual realization, or ending, provokes his desire. the fantasy of falling apart, supporting the idea that dreams are impossible. Since the pursuit of the dream is the source of vitality, when the pursuit is ended or interrupted, the vitality disappears. Dreams are impossible because they focus on the past and never leave room for reality. Dexter lives in his dream. He's been chasing Judy Jones for years and expects her to be exactly the same as when he first met her. He wants her to remain untouched by time. Dexter's dream, as long as it follows it, blinds him from the reality of things. Eighteen months after meeting Judy, Dexter is engaged to another woman. However, he ruins the engagement and the relationship because he cannot let go of what gives him vitality; “When autumn came again, it occurred to him that he could not have Judy Jones. He had to put this into his head but he finally convinced himself…. Then he said to himself that he loved her…” (975). Even with his life.