F Scott Fitzgerald

Winter Dreams annotated F Scott Fitzgerald

"Winter Dreams" is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald that was first published in Metropolitan magazine in December 1922 and later collected in All the Sad Young Men in 1926. Dexter Green is a middle-class young man born in rural Minnesota who aspires to be part of the "old money" elite of the American Midwest. His father owns the second most profitable grocery store in the town. After eighteen months, while Judy is vacationing in Florida, Dexter becomes engaged to Irene Scheerer, a kind-hearted but ordinary-looking girl. When Judy returns, however, she again ensnares Dexter's affections and asks him to marry her. Dexter breaks off his engagement with Irene, only to be unceremoniously dropped again by Judy a month later. Unable to cope with this recurrent heartbreak, Dexter joins the American Expeditionary Forces to fight in the Great War. This news demoralizes Dexter as he still loves Judy. Later Dexter realizes that his dream is gone and that he can never return home.