What are the motifs in Winter Dreams by F. Scott Fitzgerald?

Failure is a recurring idea in the story. At one point, Judy glimpses the hollowness of her existence when she admits, "I'm more beautiful than anybody else. . . . Why can't I be happy?" Her and Dexter's failure to achieve happiness illustrates Fitzgerald's fundamental criticism of the American dream. At the heart of the dream is an illusory world of glitter and glamour that ultimately contains no substance. While Dexter could have found happiness through a satisfying relationship with Judy, she does not have the strength of character to commit herself to him.