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Irony
Definition of Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor can be stated explicitly, as... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other. The comparison in a metaphor... read full definition
A metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things by saying that one thing is the other... read full definition
Section 2
Explanation and Analysis—Judy's Cow Eyes:
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.
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Section 4
Explanation and Analysis—Judy and Irene:
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):
Unlock with LitCharts A+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.
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Explanation and Analysis—Judy at the Club:
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:
Unlock with LitCharts A+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.
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Explanation and Analysis—Judy the Opiate:
When describing Dexter’s first six months with Judy, the narrator uses a metaphor:
Unlock with LitCharts A+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.
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