Winter Dreams

“Winter Dreams” unfolds from a male perspective. Although we hear and understand Dexter’s motivations and thoughts, we do not have access to the thoughts of any of the female characters—namely, Judy Jones or Irene Scheerer. The story was published and is set in the 1920s, a time when women were regarded as extensions of their husbands. Women generally lacked opportunities beyond becoming housewives and mothers; despite the freedom and independence associated with the “flapper” lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties, most of these women eventually married and had children, satisfying societal expectations.

From the nanny’s reference to Judy’s mother by her husband’s name (i.e., calling her “Mrs. Mortimer Jones”) to the disarticulated images of both Judy and Irene (e.g., the passage that depicts Judy only as a head and voice), it is clear that Dexter is concerned more with pieces of women than with women as complete persons. Dexter seeks to “own” Judy rather than connect with her on a personal level, as (the 1922 version of the story states) it “excite[s]” Dexter to know of Judy’s past admirers because it raises “her value.” These women appear almost ghostlike; Irene lacks any voice at all, while Judy’s voice is fragmented and one-sided. Her true thoughts and feelings are unknowable within the scope of the text.

This points to the fact that women in “Winter Dreams” are fated not only to become pawns of their husbands but to lack ownership of their own stories. They are subordinate to the male narrative, which is inseparable from the male gaze. The 19th-century “angel in the house” and “madwoman in the attic” tropes resonate throughout the story, with Irene representing the former and Judy the latter. In fact, despite her arresting beauty, Judy Jones appears largely in a negative light. From the beginning of the story, Judy is painted as a beautiful person who is careless and lacks empathy for others. She seems self-absorbed, narcissistic, and perhaps as obsessed with her own beauty and attractiveness as men are. Dexter also paints her as godlike and transcendent, holding her to unrealistic standards that overwrite her subjectivity and humanity.

Ultimately, readers can only make inferences about Judy’s perspective—for example, that because Judy understands her fate as a woman, she clings to whatever temporary control she can before becoming a wife and mother. Judy’s ironic, artificial smile hints at an inner life of unhappiness and suggests that what appear to be careless actions are desperate attempt to defer her fate of becoming “angel in the house.” Like Dexter, Judy wants to be admired and respected, but as a woman, her physical beauty is her only avenue, and it is only available until she is absorbed into the social roles of a wife and mother.