The first time that Dexter sees Judy as an adult, he is on the golf course with a group of men who are gossiping about her. One of these men (Mr. Hedrick) metaphorically compares her to a lustful cow, as seen in the following passage:
“My God, she’s good-looking!” said Mr. Sandwood, who was just over thirty.
“Good-looking!” cried Mr. Hedrick contemptuously, “she always looks as if she wanted to be kissed! Turning those big cow-eyes on every calf in town!”
It was doubtful if Mr. Hedrick intended a reference to the maternal instinct.
Here, Mr. Hedrick metaphorically compares Judy to a cow who “turn[s] those big cow-eyes on every calf in town.” As the narrator sardonically notes, one way to read this is that Mr. Hedrick is commenting on Judy’s “maternal instinct” (with Judy as the cow and the young men in town as her “calves”). With context in mind, however, it is clear from Mr. Hedrick’s initial description of Judy as “always look[ing] as if she wanted to be kissed” that, with his statement, he is actually criticizing her for being promiscuous.
This is one of the many moments in which men take issue with how Judy juggles suitors, not realizing that, as a woman in a sexist society, romantic relationships are the only way for Judy to assert her agency and power. That Mr. Hedrick condemns Judy’s behavior just after her golf ball hit him in the stomach (due to her excellent swing) shows how his anger toward her likely comes from a personal grudge.
When describing Dexter’s first six months with Judy, the narrator uses a metaphor:
Succeeding Dexter’s first exhilaration came restlessness and dissatisfaction. The helpless ecstasy of losing himself in her was opiate rather than tonic. It was fortunate for his work during the winter that those moments of ecstasy came infrequently.
Here, the narrator metaphorically compares Dexter’s experience of being with Judy to taking opiates, highly addictive pain-killing and ecstasy-inducing drugs. The narrator contrasts this with the experience of consuming a tonic, or a healing medication that addresses underlying issues and helps one to deeply heal. This metaphor therefore communicates that Dexter experiences Judy as a harmful and addictive presence in his life rather than a person who provides him with nourishment or care.
Even though Dexter recognizes that his addiction to Judy negatively affects his work (as seen in the final sentence in this passage), he still cannot give her up. This is because he can't let go of the dream he has of ending up with a wealthy woman like her, therefore completing the picture of him as a successful and wealthy man (the goal at the center of his "winter dreams").
One evening, during his relationship with Irene, Dexter ends up going to a University Club dance alone and running into Judy. The narrator uses imagery and a metaphor in this scene to capture Dexter’s experience of Judy’s beauty and allure:
The familiar voice at his elbow startled him. Judy Jones had left a man and crossed the room to him—Judy Jones, a slender enamelled doll in cloth of gold: gold in a band at her head, gold in two slipper points at her dress’s hem. The fragile glow of her face seemed to blossom as she smiled at him. A breeze of warmth and light blew through the room. His hands in the pockets of his dinner-jacket tightened spasmodically. He was filled with a sudden excitement.
The imagery here includes descriptions like “The fragile glow of her face seemed to blossom as she smiled at him” (which readers can visualize) and “A breeze of warmth and light blew through the room” (which readers can feel). Readers can also feel Dexter’s hands “tighten[ing] spasmodically” as he is “filled with a sudden excitement.” All of this imagistic language helps readers understand how profoundly Judy’s presence affects Dexter.
The metaphor here—in which Judy is compared to “a slender enamelled doll in cloth of gold”—highlights Judy’s beauty in this scene. That said, the language is also somewhat objectifying, as it turns Judy into an inhuman doll that Dexter wants to possess rather than a living, breathing woman. This is somewhat ironic, as Judy has proven to Dexter time and time again that she has the power in their relationship, and yet he cannot let go of the illusion that she will one day be a woman he can tame and turn into his wife.
Judy and Irene act as foils in “Winter Dreams,” meaning that when contrasting the characters with each other, readers gain insight into each of the characters (and the story as a whole). In particular, Fitzgerald intentionally sets Judy up to be the fickle femme fatale in Dexter’s life and Irene to be the stable and reliable romantic partner.
In the following passage, the narrator allows readers a peek inside Dexter’s mind as he compares his current relationship with Irene to his previous relationship with Judy (though he doesn’t mention her by name):
He knew that Irene would be no more than a curtain spread behind him, a hand moving among gleaming tea-cups, a voice calling to children... fire and loveliness were gone, the magic of nights and the wonder of the varying hours and seasons... slender lips, down-turning, dropping to his lips and bearing him up into a heaven of eyes.... The thing was deep in him. He was too strong and alive for it to die lightly.
Here, Dexter metaphorically describes Irene as “a curtain spread behind him,” “a hand moving among gleaming tea-cups,” and “a voice calling to children,” three comparisons that communicate how supportive, proper, and maternal she is. While none of these are overtly negative descriptions, it becomes clear when Dexter thinks back to his times with Judy that Irene lacks passion and sensuality. Unlike Irene, Judy offers him “fire and loveliness” and “slender lips […] dropping to his lips.” In this way, the women act as foils for each other, illuminating what the other lacks (or doesn't).
Not long after this passage in the story, Dexter decides to leave Irene for Judy, who (as expected) ultimately leaves him in return. Despite Irene leaving him time and time again, Dexter refuses to let go of his dream of ending up with her (at least until he learns from Devlin that she has lost her beauty and her passionate energy).
