Topic > The New Woman of the 1920s in 'Winter Dreams' by F. Scott Fitzgerald

One of the main ideas that pulsates in "Winter Dreams" is women's liberation, which, throughout history, has often been associated to the Roaring Twenties. Although the concept and title of The New Woman was first coined in the late 19th century, it actually began to spread nationwide, and across all classes, in the 1920s. In this era, women won the right to vote, wore lighter clothes and partied with their male colleagues late into the night. Old conventions were broken and gradually abandoned, along with morals and ethics that both men and women abandoned for the gain of individual freedom. It was a time of recklessness, of living to the fullest and of letting go of inhibitions. Fitzgerald illustrated the wildness and rebellion of women in particular in this story through the beautiful yet heartbreaking character of Judy Jones. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original EssayJudy Jones, daughter of the wealthy Mr. Mortimer Jones, is introduced as a "beautifully ugly" eleven-year-old girl, who is "destined" to grow up "to be unspeakably beautiful and bring endless misery to great numbers of men" . It is no surprise that the protagonist, Dexter Green, is destined to be one of these miserable men. The term “beautifully ugly” can be perceived in various ways; however, one such opinion is that the term reflects the fashion or trend of the time. Judy's clothing may have given her the appearance of a rich girl, with her "five new little golf clubs in a white canvas bag," the items she is definitely the one to use but a nurse has to bring for her. Furthermore, the arrogance he displays through his bad temper; asking for a caddy when none is available and attempting to beat his nurse with a golf club only helps to justify his spoiled, rich temperament. It is possible that Judy's obvious wealth is what makes her seem "beautiful" despite the ugliness of her age and her uncouth ways. Furthermore, Judy possesses a "radiant" but "patently artificial" smile - one that Dexter finds "absurd" and "absurd", but seems "convincing" to him. He seems to hate it – the smile – but what he really rebukes is the power that he has on him. This smile is constantly mentioned throughout the story. Fitzgerald highlights its affectation, thus shedding light on the fact that Judy's smile is also the result of a fashion or trend, because she smiles in a way. that "his lips curl at the corners" and later as a young man this smile would be described as: “…less a smile than an invitation to kiss”. somewhere and had imitated it. Judy doesn't smile because she really wants to, but because that's what women did at the time – so this particular smile of hers is often “insincere” is evidently the result of hers Affluent upbringing. On top of that, she grew up in an era of liberation for women. In the 1920s, women eagerly and successfully did things they couldn't do in the past. They achieved a kind of independence, thus dramatically shifting the role of the New Woman from one who was originally considered merely eligible for higher degrees of knowledge such as earning a PhD, to a New Woman who could participate in various male-dominated activities . The era was significantly more sophisticated, and in this sophisticated era, Judy Jones grows up watching women live as they please, especially men..