Dexter Green

Briefly, Dexter is a gullible young man who falls for the charms of and lively personality of the wrong woman. He is loyal and patient, but he does eventually realize that Judy is only playing with his affections. Judy is the classic femme fatale, the girl whom every man desires.

The “winter dreams” of the story refer to the American Dream that Dexter comes to embody, but success brings a high cost, and social mobility restricts Dexter’s capacity for happiness. Dexter is from humble origins: his mother was an immigrant who constantly struggled with the language of her adopted homeland.

Judy is just human, but Dexter sees her as perfect, as the key to his happiness. She isn’t, and Dexter’s bubble is burst at the end of the story when he finally realizes this. Let’s take a look at some evidence for this idea that Judy represents all that is desirable to Dexter: beauty, riches, and success.

Judy represents the uninhibited drama of youth. She is the epitome of carefree, selfish indulgence, and as a result Dexter is more in love with the image of Judy than her real self. Judy raises a passion within him, which forces him to break off his engagement for a wild liaison when they meet again as adults.

In the end, all we really know about Judy is that her endless search for satisfaction seems to burn itself out by the end of the story. She marries a businessman from Detroit, Lud Simms. She has lost her looks and devoted herself to her children. Her husband drinks too much and sleeps around.

Lud Simms

Fitzgerald explains that Judy only found enjoyment when she gratified her desires by charming others.

Dexter sees success as something that is both internal and external. The “glittering things” that Dexter covets helps to fuel his drive. It is this desire that feeds his desire for Judy Jones, someone he considers to embody the very best in all aspects of being.

Dexter Green is an ambitious person who wishes to one day golf with the wealthy individuals he caddies for as a young man. He is attracted to wealth and also becomes infatuated with Judy as a teenager.

Dexter gets that being part of the upper class is about more than having money: after all, he insists on attending an elite college and dressing perfectly for his first dinner date with Judy.

Does he deserve sympathy, criticism, or both? Using examples from the text, describe Dexter’s traits and the motivations for his actions and feelings. – He is an ambitious man and smart in many ways. He deserves criticism because his obsession with Judy prompts him to behave badly towards Irene and her parents.