“Love does not recognize boundaries and it can happen between two people of different social backgrounds (Baym, 2007).” It is on a sad note that love is thought to be bringing joy to the parties concerned but brings misery and heartaches, it hurts that betrayal is often the ghost that haunts it.
While both of these short stories, that is, Flowering Judas by Katherine Ann Porter and Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald seek to revolve around and explain the meaning of love and the mystery surrounding it, both take on it in sweet and bitter contexts as revealed by both authors as both stories unfold (Baym, 2007).
More often than not, love seems to hurt the two parties involved, the aftermath is not always what is anticipated for but all the same, the scars should make memories to help one not make the same mistakes again (Baym, 2007).
In both stories we realize that there is an inclusion of love as both stories unfold. In Flowering Judas, Porter brings to our attention the love that exists between the two main characters, Laura and Braggioni, on the other hand, Fitzgerald, in Winter Dreams brings to us the love between Judy Jones and Dexter Green.
In the latter, Dexter (Baym, 2007) is portrayed as loving Judy Jones regardless of her insatiable appetite for men, there is a string of men following her, whom she does change every other few weeks, but regardless of this, Dexter goes ahead to love her and even after Judy leaves him and comes back, he breaks his engagement to Irene Scheerer just to be with her again.
Dexter is portrayed as a victim of his own fantasies that cannot be a reality at all, seen through the way he searches for love and happiness because he is exclusively focused on his love for Judy Jones but on the other hand Judy Jones in her self serving attitude, is never serious with her love for him, Dexter is merely blinded by her beauty such that he can not fully divorce himself from the attachment he has for her.
In Flowering Judas, Porter brings to our attention the love that exists between the two main characters, Laura and Braggion. Braggioni, the corrupt revolutionary leader’s advances for Laura are seen through conversation and song, but through her thoughts we see Laura’s distaste for Braggioni as well as other men’s attempts to win her love.
We see a sense of betrayal of love in both cases, from Judy Jones side towards Dexter Green and From Laura towards Braggioni. The kind of love that is seen given by the two men in these two stories is therefore not reciprocated, the women are so distance from them both (Baym, 2007).
On the other hand, the point of contrast of the two short stories, is the fact that, in the case of Dexter Green and Judy Jones, their love is based on obsession, Dexter seemingly is so obsessed with Judy Jones, and that these two characters have come a long way because Dexter knew Judy Jones when he was about fourteen years old, but on the other hand, Fitzgerald brings fourth characters who have met in their later years, that the love between the two characters just came up when both of them were grown up (Baym, 2007).
On the other hand, while Fitzgerald puts focus on characters of different social backgrounds, now that Dexter Green came from a kind of middle class family, Judy Jones comes from an extremely rich background, that is as far as their childhood is concerned. In Flowering Judas, we encounter the two characters that are the center of focus, coming from different physical and geographical regions but now meeting in Mexico (Baym, 2007).
Reference
Baym, N. (2007). The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York. W. W. Norton & Company. Volume D. 7th Edition