These short stories about the American Dream feature characters and families trying to improve their lives, through work, education, business, or home ownership. Many of them pursue stability or upward mobility for themselves or their children, believing effort and ambition will lead to success.
Some stories on this page take place before the phrase “American Dream” came into common use but clearly reflect the same ideals and pressures. Others focus on wealth, glamour, or status, showing how the promise of success can inspire hope, anxiety, or disillusionment. Taken together, these stories explore what the American Dream means, who it serves, and what it costs.
American Dream Short Stories
“By the River” by Joyce Carol Oates
Helen, twenty-two, returns home after months away in the city with another man. As she waits at the bus station for her father, she reflects on why she left, why she’s come back, and how both her husband and father might receive her. (Summary of “By the River”)
“The Semplica Girl Diaries” by George Saunders
A middle-class father keeps a diary while preparing for his daughter’s birthday party. Wanting to impress his neighbors and give her an expensive gift, he documents his growing fixation on status symbols and living beyond his means. (Summary of “The Semplica Girl Diaries”)
“An Hour with Abuelo” by Judith Ortiz Cofer
Reluctant to visit his grandfather in a nursing home, Arturo listens as Abuelo recounts his life of teaching, military service, farming, and devotion to books and learning. The visit changes how Arturo sees him. (Summary & Analysis of “An Hour with Abeulo”)
“The First Seven Years” by Bernard Malamud
Feld is a shoemaker who wants his daughter, Miriam, to marry Max, a young man pursuing his education. After Feld tries to set them up, his assistant, Sobel, quits. (Summary of “The First Seven Years”)
“Nineteen Fifty-Five” by Alice Walker
Two white men in a new convertible visit Gracie Mae. The older man wants one of Gracie Mae’s songs for the younger man, Traynor, to record. He gives her five hundred dollars for the song. He also buys all the recordings of the song for another five hundred. Traynor has a big hit with the song. They stay in contact over the years.
“The Egg” by Sherwood Anderson
A thirty-five year old farmhand gets married, has a child, and decides he should rise in the world. The family raises chickens and opens a restaurant to meet their goals.
This story can be read in the preview of Great Short Short Stories.
“Shiloh” by Bobbie Ann Mason
Leroy has been off work for four months since getting hurt. His wife, Norma Jean, supports them both by working at a drugstore. Leroy is glad to be home with his wife, but he’s worried that she’s drawing away from him—maybe his presence reminds her of their son who died as a baby.
“Borough of Cemeteries” by Irwin Shaw
A group of cab drivers gather at Lammanawitz’s Bar and Grill for a drink before going home. Elias tries to get a beer on credit or get one from his friends. He complains about how long he works and how little he makes. The men talk about how good things were in 1928 during the boom time.
“The Legend of the Rubbish Heap” by Lillian Jackson Braun
Moose County was booming in the mid-nineteenth century. Otto and Carl, fifteen-year-olds, arrived from Germany. They stuck together and worked, learned and tried to rise in the world. In their thirties, they had become very successful.
“An End to Dreams” by Stephen Vincent Benet
James Rimington is under anesthetic for an operation. He dreams of his personal and professional history, including all the stepping stones in his path to success.
“Paul’s Case” by Willa Cather
Paul gets suspended from his Pittsburgh High School. His father wants him to be a responsible wage-earning family man when he grows up, but Paul is drawn to a life of wealth and glamour, so he decides to go to New York. (Read “Paul’s Case”)
“America and I” by Anzia Yezierska
Despite wanting to live a life of creativity and self-expression, an immigrant encounters disappointments and injustice in America.
“The Underground Gardens” by T. Coraghessan Boyle
An Italian immigrant in California struggles to farm poor land and instead builds an elaborate underground home. Through relentless labor and invention, he pursues stability, independence, and eventually marriage.
“This Blessed House” by Jhumpa Lahiri
A newlywed Indian couple has just moved into a new house in America. As they prepare the house, the wife finds many Christian items left by the previous owners. She likes them and wants to keep them, but her husband disapproves.
“Sophistication” by Sherwood Anderson
The Winesburg County Fair is on, bringing many people into town. George doesn’t feel a connection to his fellow townspeople but he is interested in Helen, who wants to escape small-town life, as he does.
“The Patented Gate and the Mean Hamburger” by Robert Warren Penn
The Yorks own their own house and like to go into town on the weekends. On one visit, Mrs. York asks about the cost of buying her favorite hamburger place.
“Falling Off the Empire State Building” by Harry Mazer
Lenny’s father doesn’t seem to be proud of him and they have trouble bonding over stickball, a game Lenny likes to play. When he grows up, Lenny is going to leave his father behind and live the American Dream.
“Two Kinds” by Amy Tan
The mother of a young Chinese American girl believes that people in America can be anything they want. This mother has high hopes for her daughter. One night while watching the Ed Sullivan Show, she figures out what her daughter should do. (Read “Two Kinds”)
“In the American Society” by Gish Jen
Callie Chang’s parents are Chinese immigrants who started a successful pancake restaurant. Her family is adapting to American business standards and society.
“Snapshot, Harvey Cedars: 1948” by Paul Lisicky
A man and woman—young and attractive—are on a vacation at the beach. He is thinking about work and making a name for himself.
“Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Dexter Green is a fourteen-year-old caddy, working for pocket money. He quits one day when Judy Jones, a beautiful eleven-year-old, treats him as an inferior. Years later he goes into business and becomes a success. He has another meeting with Judy Jones.
“The Son from America” by Isaac Bashevis Singer
A Jewish man who went to America when he was fifteen returns to his home village in Poland forty years later. He has become a millionaire and plans on helping his parents and the village.
“Dearly Beloved” by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Beauty Boy and Lilymary get married. They work to better themselves. They have a child and things get tough. (Read “Dearly Beloved”)
“Ace in the Hole” by John Updike
Fred “Ace” Anderson is a married twenty-six-year old. He’s just lost his job. He was a basketball star in high school, but is struggling with post-school life. His wife, Evey, is concerned with practical things, including succeeding in business and rising in the world.
Short stories about the American Dream often reveal the gap between aspiration and reality. For some characters, striving leads to growth or independence; for others, it brings frustration, loss, or compromise. The dream itself may remain just out of reach, reshaped by circumstance, class, culture, or time.
The stories collected here show how short fiction can examine ambition and belonging on an intimate scale—through families, marriages, and individual choices—offering many perspectives on one of the most enduring ideas in American life. See also: