Many people are aware of the theory that money cannot buy happiness, but how many people really believe this? In the short story, “Winter Dreams”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dexter Green and Judy Jones are utilized to address this concept. In “Winter Dreams”, the author acknowledges the unrealistic idealization of the American dream and through Dexter’s constant pining for Judy, underlines the perception that greed and obsession over material goods will inevitably lead to personal destruction; however, Fitzgerald most effectively presents the idea that money and success are not the epitome of personal happiness.
In “Winter Dreams”, Fitzgerald utilizes Judy Jones to symbolize many peoples goal of succeeding through the American dream and to juxtapose
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Throughout the short story, the author reveals Judy Jones as a symbol for the unrealistic idealization of the American Dream through her unfair treatment of Dexter Green. The connotation behind the American Dream is one that Dexter has been yearning for his whole life, however he is largely disappointed as to what it brings him. Judy represents everything that Dexter believes is good in life, including wealth, and status. This goodness is what he hopes to reach through the American Dream. At first, Dexter receives what he thinks will bring him eternal happiness, “She [Judy Jones] treated him with interest…. She had brought him ecstatic happiness…” (Fitzgerald 6). However, this feeling of happiness is juxtaposed when he realizes that the American Dream, symbolized by Judy Jones, “treated him with…indifference, with contempt. She inflicted on him the innumerable little slights and indignities possible in such a case…. She had brought him… intolerable agony of spirit” (Fitzgerald 6). This sudden change in treatment allowed Dexter to eventually realize his mistakes in placing his idolatry of money above all else, and the more …show more content…
However, in “Winter Dreams”, F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes diction, juxtaposition, defeated language, and symbolism to inform his readers that though many yearn for the benefits that the American dreams supposedly brings, the idealization of it is unrealistic. He also works to inform the readers that greed and obsession of material things will only lead to personal destruction, and most importantly, he best emphasizes the fact that wealth and success are not the epitome of personal
The imagined American dream came up frequently in the novel, but the imagined dream was just imaginary. During the industrial revolution America was filled with corruption and was not exactly the free country that was imagined. The immigrants became like slaves to the corporate men who ran the companies.’ One point that stood out to me was how Jurgis was always willing to work even the toughest jobs. The American dream was just not created, it was earned by people like Jurgis who are willing to put in the effort and luckily, he did reap the benefits
Paul Glader, a modern writer, says the American dream is now all about money. Money is our future and all any individual thinks about. Money is what will give us the perfect life, regardless what one does to achieve that money. When comparing Fitzgerald’s and Glader’s ideas on the American
1. The American Dream is what everyone was striving for in the novel was about gaining wealth and material possessions to find happiness. 2.
Sometimes we as humans think all we need is this specific thing in our life to make us happy, but sometimes down the road we realize what we thought was really gonna make us happy, is something we wouldn 't of thought of. This is where we find our true happiness. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the story “Winter Dreams”. The main character in this story is Dexter Green. This young boy works at a golf course as a caddy and as he is working he came across this eleven year old girl who is very demanding and rich.
The concept of an American Dream has been around for a long time. The way people live their lives should be based on their passions, but many times people form false passions around objects and money. In The Professor’s House, by Willa Cather, a situation is given of a man who lives in a society built up by a 1920s American chase for money and success. This way of life eventually leads the Professor to become dissatisfied with his life despite achieving the perceived elements of success in 1920 America. Cather provides a solution to the problem the Professor faces inside the character Tom Outland.
Three people from different races all have different aspects of the American Dream. The young boy named David Ignatow from Europe is living the life while his father is drowning in the poor working life for just a simple piece of food so his family can have the best life. Ms. Wheatley is from West Africa, where she was kidnapped and became a slave, but quickly realized that she loved the lord and can actually write fluently. However, there is also Mr. Bruchac who wrote about traveling to Ellis Island and trying to get aboard the boat to get closer to the green lady, but had to work the rest of his life and can’t really live the American life he wanted. Every single one of these poets have lived 3 different ways in America; living off of someone else money, becoming better in life and realizing what you actually want to do in life, and having to work every day in your life like most of the citizens today.
The American Dream Doesn’t Equal Happiness If the phrase “money can’t buy happiness” was written into a full story, that story would be The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and has countless examples of the phrase “money can’t buy happiness” suggesting that the American dream and loads of money doesn’t suddenly make your life perfect and all your problems are gone, in fact, the story suggests the complete opposite. In the story, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows that every character who has money or character that is around the people that have money end up in more trouble and having more problems than the average person.
Judith Ortiz Cofer, the author, uses symbolism, setting, and imagery to show the lifestyle of living the American Dream. Cofer creates symbolism through the little girl’s point of view towards her dreams and with her mother at the end of the story. Her dream was about wanting to fly, “So I would stay in my bed recalling my dreams of flight, perhaps planning my next flight” (Cofer 197). The flying in her dreams resembles her urge to wanting to be free and live the American Dream. While the daughter is asleep, the mother and father have time together before they wake her.
America has always lured people with an unfulfilling promise of more; people come to America with nothing to try and gain something that’s unobtainable; Unfortunately, what they find is far from what they wanted to gain. F. Scott Fitzgerald expressed just how much of a lie the American dream was in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald lived as a captive of the dream 's unlawful grip that promised so much but gave so little. He was born middle class and tried his hardest to become more than what his father was, but as ambitious as he was he never gained the wealth and elite status that he desired. The Great Gatsby was his way of stating the way that things were at the time, and he writes about how the American dream is unobtainable through symbolism.
A lingering question to many of the less fortunate in America pertains to the existence of the so-called “American dream.” Does this American dream exist and is it attainable? The American dream inspires many immigrants move to America, hoping to better their lives and those of their families. However, in the novel, Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich’s attempt achieve the American dream deems it not possibly attainable. Likewise, today, in the twenty-first century, the American dream is still not attainable.
The narrator of this novel, Nick Carraway, shows that the original intention of the American Dream as explained by Adams is no longer in existence, thus displaying the death of the Original American Dream and all that it stood
“Winter Dreams” was written in 1926, several years before and after World War I. Fitzgerald is most known for his novel The Great Gatsby, which ‘Winter Dreams” was originally supposed to be included in to give a background of the characters in The Great Gatsby. The common theme in Fitzgerald’s work is the idea of the American dream. He also likes to write about the poor boy falling in love with the rich girl that he cannot have. The short story “Winter Dreams” is about a young man named Dexter Green who falls in love with Judy Jones, and takes many years to realize he was not in love with her, but more her looks. Fitzgerald uses characterization to portray his characters as corrupt people who only care about their own wellbeing.
“Winter Dreams” was published in 1926. Francis Scott Fitzgerald is most well-known for his novel “The Great Gatsby”. A common theme he is known for is the American dream and how it is corrupt. Fitzgerald enjoys writing about the poor boy chasing after the rich girl. This story is about a man named Dexter Green trying to achieve the American dream by obtaining the girl he adores.
The American Dream of wanting less material goods in order to live a more fulfilling life that is indulged in the natural beauty of the world was the American Dream that McCandless was seeking. Christopher McCandless rejected the American Dream, as it’s traditionally defined in pursuit of a more emotionally and spiritually fulfilling existence free from the social pressures of our materialistic society in the Alaskan wilderness. The irony of McCandless's rejection of the traditional American dream is that he lived such a perfect life. a life many would want to live and achieve as a part of their own American Dream and yet he wanted to remove himself from society's standards. An important part of the traditional American dream is the “perfect American family” which is essentially the family that McCandless grew up in.
Everybody has their own dreams to fulfill, whether it is to become rich, famous, or chancing a loved one. But does everyone get to live their dreams? The short story, Winter Dreams demonstrated the tragic love story between Dexter and Judy. At first, Dexter’s dream was to become wealthy. However, when he met Judy at the age of fourteen, he fell in love with her and started to follow his “winter dreams” in order to fit into Judy’s world.