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Connor Neuhoff
Brian Morris
ENG 113
September 27, 2016
Winter Dreams
F. Scott Fitzgeralds story Winter Dreams requires more than one read through to
understand the deeper meaning of his text. Fitzgerald uses a wide array of tools to display the
theme, different symbols, and various tones in his story Winter Dreams. I am going to give an indepth explanation about the literary analysis of this story. I will analyze the various devices
Fitzgerald used to create the rich story that is Winter Dreams.
In the story Winter Dreams, Fitzgerald uses seasons to symbolize a deeper understanding
in regards to the dynamics of Dexter and Judy throughout the story. In the first few paragraphs of
Fitzgeralds story he uses the theme of Winter to display flaws in Dexters expectations of the
future. The fourth paragraph reads, "October filled him with hope which November raised to a
sort of ecstatic triumph" (1; ch. 1). Fitzgerald suggests that Dexters ambitions appearing during
the gloomy and dark season of Winter already anticipates that Dexter will not achieve what he is
ultimately in search of. This gives the reader insight into the absence of Dexters happiness in the
storys conclusion. In the second section of the story the narrator describes a scene in which
Dexter is enjoying a peaceful moment on the raft listening to the songs of last summer and of
summers before that (3; ch. 2). In this moment of blessedness Dexter reflects back to his
humble beginnings and the time that has passed. In this segment Fitzgerald suggests that the
passing of summers will represent the lapsing of time and the transforming of Dexters
disposition.

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Fitzgerald employs the characters of Winter Dreams to depict his own interpretation of
society. This is evident in the fact that the narrator is speaking to the reader directly over the
course of the story. The author notes, But the part of his story that concerns us goes back to the
days when he was making his first big success (2; ch. 2). Fitzgerald uses the first-person plural
us to remove the reader from the story for a brief moment to connect with the narrator on a
more parallel level as if they were looking in on the lives of Dexter and Judy. This suggests that
the narrator is using Dexter and Judy more than just characters in the story but as tools to
represent his concept of society. In Winter Dreams, both characters Dexter and Judy live
unsatisfied lives while searching for self-definition misidentified as fortune and tangible success.
The narrator proclaims We are almost done with them and with him now (8; ch. 6). Again,
Fitzgerald is speaking to the reader using first-person plural. In this fragment Fitzgerald uses a
tone to propose the idea of concluding Dexters story to denote his own agenda of the
problematic search for identity and meaning. Winter Dreams includes many tactics used by
Fitzgerald to set a tone of the story suggesting to the reader that the story is more than fiction, but
instead a personal view of society.
Dexter symbolizes the classic contradiction of the American dream. In other words, the
belief that achieving high levels of success will bring happiness. The idea that Americans will go
to great lengths to achieve high levels of success, but eventually will be vulnerable to the
possibility of disappointment. The humble beginnings of Dexters early life consist of fantasizing
of great fortune and success eventually sending him on an unrelenting journey to achieve these
things. Like most, Dexter believes that great fortune and success will lead him on a life full of
happiness and self-worth. Later, Dexter self-proclaims I'm probably making more money than
any man my age in the Northwest. (5; ch.3), becoming all the things he dreamed of. Achieving

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the level of success that Dexter has, he assumed he would find his self-worth but instead he is a
lost in the search of his self-worth as he was in his early years. It is not until Dexter discovers
that Judy is a married woman and that she is out of his grasp that he realizes everything he has
strived for has accomplished nothing in his pursuit of self-definition. Dexter is the perfect
example as to the contradiction of the American dream, in that no matter how hard he worked
there was still that void in his life.
At first read, you discover a story about a man who longs for a life of success and love
who ultimately ends up dissatisfied. If you take a closer look and analyze the deeper meaning of
the story you will realize the hidden themes and subtle tones Fitzgerald uses to manipulate the
reader. I gave an in-depth look at the symbolic setting of the seasons the narrator uses to depict
time passing and melancholy as well as his use of the characters to portray his own opinion.
Fitzgerald uses many strategies to give his story a rich significance that employs the reader to
think critically.

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Works Cited
Fitzgerald, Scott F. Winter Dreams. New York: Scribner's, 1989. p. 217