Ceilie's Essay #3

Ceilie Moore
Mr. Salsich
English 9
18 October 2008

Losing A Battle, Winning A War:

An Essay On Losing Everything and Gaining It All Back

       Loses and gains are a simple part of life. They are like a balancing scale: you win some and you lose some (repetition). In the stories “Sonny’s Blues”, by James Baldwin, and “Winter Dreams”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there are two protagonists who have a lot of experience with losing an immense (FAST) amount in their lives. In some cases these characters gain back something greater than what they lost, while others are left to wallow in their misery, wondering what could have been.
       In the short story, “Winter Dreams”, the main character is Dexter Green, a man who goes on an emotional rollercoaster ride with a beautiful girl named Judy Jones. Throughout the book, Judy and Dexter have affectionate feelings for each other, but the timing for their budding relationship is never right and in the end, Dexter loses all hope for Judy’s love. In the book, there is a section in which Dexter hasn’t seen Judy in seven years and one day a client mentions he knows a girl, Judy, who got married to a careless drunk and she now stays at home with her children. Dexter realizes his client is talking about Judy Jones and he falls into great despair and has to “accept[ ]…the fact that he could never have her” (Burhans 1) because she has fully committed herself to another man. Another thing Dexter loses is not only Judy’s love, but all opportunity to be with her. Within those seven years, he and Judy could’ve finally worked things out and started a life together. Instead, Dexter fled to the other side of the country, leaving Judy behind to settle for a man who is no good for her. Throughout this tragic experience, Dexter has gained one thing-a different perspective. He learned from his mistakes that he should’ve taken charge and told Judy from the start how he truly felt, instead of tip-toeing around his feelings like thin ice he didn’t dare step on. Now that Judy is finally out of reach forever, I think Dexter learned the lesson that he should cherish what he is given because you never know when it can disappear. Dexter is a smart young man, but because of his hesitant attitude and terrible timing (purposeful repetition), he could never find out what could’ve been with Miss Judy Jones,
       In the book, “Sonny’s Blues”, Sonny is a young man living in Harlem, struggling to get by in life and losing a lot on his journey to success. First off, he loses a relationship with his brother. Sonny and his older brother were once very close, but after his brother grows old, gets a job and starts a family, Sonny is abandoned, walking the concrete streets of the city alone. After being left in the dust, Sonny turns to a world of drugs, which eventually gets him into a significant (FAST) amount of trouble, causing his brother to come to the rescue and be more disappointed in Sonny than ever. As opposed to the many loses that Dexter Green faced in “Winter Dreams”, Sonny gains back more than he had originally lost. One thing Sonny gained was a passion. Sonny has a passion for music, especially blues, and although some laughed when he told them how he wanted to be a musician, he ignored them and gained something that kept him going, even when times were rough. Another thing Sonny gained was a new relationship with his brother. After Sonny made headlines with a drug bust, his brother came to help Sonny. At first, the reunion of the brothers was rocky, but once Sonny took his brother to listen to him play music at a club, the brothers saw each other in new ways. At one point, Sonny lost respect from his peers and relatives, he lost money to pay for food and rent, and he lost sight of what really mattered in life, but he made up for that when he got up on that stage and soulfully crooned with his blues band, because he and his brother had never been so connected.
       Dexter Green and Sonny both went down bad paths in life, not realizing what really mattered, love and family. But what differentiates these stories is the outcome. Dexter loses everything, while Sonny gains it all back. It goes to show how much you can lose in life, and how you can bounce back from it with just a little time, patience, and the support from a loved one at your side.

Works Cited
Burhans Clinton S. Jr. "Winter Dreams: ‘‘Magnificently Attune
       To Life’’: The Value of ‘‘Winter Dreams’’." Short Stories for Students. Ed. MarieRose                    Napierkowski. Vol. 15. Detroit: Gale, 1998. eNotes.com. January 2006. 7 October 2008.