These short stories focus on characters whose pride, vanity, or sense of superiority is tested, exposed, or challenged. Some characters hold inflated views of their own intelligence, morality, status, or importance; others cling to pride as a form of self-protection. In certain stories, that pride collapses into humility, while in others it leads to isolation, suffering, or irreversible consequences.
Rather than offering simple lessons, these stories show how pride operates in different forms—moral certainty, social ambition, self-importance, or stubborn independence—and how humility may arrive through failure, hardship, or sudden recognition. Together, they explore the tension between self-regard and self-knowledge.
Stories About Pride & Humility
“The Man of Adamant” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Richard Digby, a gloomy and intolerant man, believes his personal beliefs represent the true faith. Convinced others are corrupt, he isolates himself in the wilderness, settling into a hidden cave where he expects to find peace away from human sin. (Summary of “The Man of Adamant”)
“Why Reeds Are Hollow” by Gabriela Mistral
The reeds started a revolution in the plant world—all plants should be the same height. A few objections are ignored and the wind carries the message everywhere. (Summary of “Why Reeds Are Hollow”)
“To Build a Fire” by Jack London
In the Yukon, a man is traveling on foot with a husky in the wilderness to meet some acquaintances. It’s –75 degrees and even though he’s careful, he breaks through some ice and soaks his boots, necessitating a fire. (Read “To Build a Fire” + summary and analysis)
“A Late Encounter with the Enemy” by Flannery O’Connor
George Poker Sash, a 104-year-old Civil War veteran, is paraded at public events because of his age and status. His granddaughter Sally, desperate for social validation, wants him to live long enough to attend her college graduation and reflect well on her background. (Summary of “A Late Encounter with the Enemy”)
“The Viaduct” by Brian Lumley
Two boys, John and David, are walking along the beach on a warm spring day. They head for the viaduct. On the way, they have an encounter with Wiley Smiley, the village idiot. The boys bother him before going on their way. When they reach the viaduct, they remember something they were going to do.
“The Viaduct” can be read in the Amazon preview of The Mammoth Book of Nightmare Stories: Twisted Tales Not to be Read at Night.
“The Spectacles” by Edgar Allan Poe
The narrator has weak eyes, but being young and good-looking, doesn’t want to wear glasses. Last winter, he and a friend went to the opera. In one of the private boxes was the most exquisite woman he had ever seen. His companion, Talbot, knows the woman and says he’ll arrange a meeting. (Summary of “The Spectacles”)
“The Second Hut” by Doris Lessing
Carruthers is a struggling farmer with a sick wife. Between all the work he has to oversee and caring for his wife, he has to hire an assistant. He can’t pay much, but there’s unemployment, so he finds an Afrikaner, Van Heerden, who accepts the position. (Summary)
“Everything That Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O’Connor
Julian rides a bus with his mother, who clings to pride in her family’s former social standing despite poverty and racial change. Julian believes himself morally superior but is blind to his own failures of empathy.
“The Literary Life of Laban Goldman” by Bernard Malamud
Laban Goldman takes night school classes. He’s proud that another one of his letters has been printed in the paper, and can’t wait to read it to the class. His wife wants to go out some evenings, but Laban won’t miss his classes.
“Neighbour Rosicky” by Willa Cather
Anton Rosicky is a sixty-five-year old Nebraska farmer. He is told by his doctor that he has to stop doing heavy farm labor. Anton reflects on his life of hard work and his family. (Read “Neighbour Rosicky”)
“The Three Hermits” by Leo Tolstoy
A bishop hears about three hermits who live on an unnamed island and devote themselves to serving God. He arranges to visit them to teach them the right way to pray. (Read “The Three Hermits”)
“Walker Brothers Cowboy” by Alice Munro
After going bankrupt, the Jordan family moves to the poor side of town. One day the narrator, a young girl, goes with her father, now a door to door salesman, on some of his sales calls.
“The Royal Game” (“Chess Story”) by Stefan Zweig
Among the passengers on a ship is Mirko Czentovik, the world chess champion. His only ability lies in chess; he’s intellectually stunted in every other area. He limits his conversation to avoid saying anything stupid. One of the passengers finds another man, McConnor, to play chess with. When Czentovik’s presence is brought to McConnor’s attention, he wants to play a game with the champion. (Novella)
“Barcelona” by Alice Adams
An American couple in Barcelona is out on the street when a man snatches the wife’s purse. Her husband pursues the thief.
“Dominoes” by Jack Agueros
In Spanish Harlem, four men play dominoes on the sidewalk as they often do. They attach a great deal of importance to the game.
“The King of Jazz” by Donald Barthelme
The great Jazz musician Spicy MacLammermoor has died. Hokie Mokie now believes he is the King of Jazz. His playing is much admired and everyone acknowledges his supremacy, except Hideo Yamaguchi, a trombone player.
“The Richest Man” by Ha Jin
Li Wan, a doctor, is the richest man in town. He is a miser and widely disliked. During China’s Cultural Revolution he is accused of destroying a likeness of Chairman Mao. His fortunes change.
“The Sky is Gray” by Ernest Gaines
James is an eight-year-old black boy in the 1930’s South. He has a bad toothache but didn’t tell his mother about it, not wanting to be a crybaby and knowing they can’t afford to have it pulled. After trying aspirin and a prayer cure without success, his mother discovers the problem.
“The Assault on the Record” by Stephen Hoffius
A fifteen-year-old boy decides he wants to set a world record. He and a group of friends plan to run a one hundred-mile relay.
“The Old Bird: A Love Story” by J. F. Powers
Charles Newman is an older man looking for work. He takes a job as a mail clerk even though he had previously been a white-collar worker. He adjusts to his boss and the work.
“The Man Who Was Almost a Man” by Richard Wright
Dave Saunders, a plantation worker, is annoyed that he’s treated like a boy. He thinks that he would be a man if he could buy a gun, so he goes to the local general store. (Read “The Man Who Was Almost A Man”)
“The Moustache” by Robert Cormier
Mike, seventeen-years-old, is going to Lawnrest Nursing Home to visit his grandmother. She has a chronic circulatory disease and a fading memory. He isn’t eager to make the visit, uncertain if his grandmother will be having one of her bad days. (“The Moustache”)
“The Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst
The narrator, Brother, reminisces about the time a rare bird landed in his family’s garden, and about his brother, Doodle, who was physically disabled and mentally challenged.
“The Coffin-Maker” by Alexander Pushkin
Adrian Prokhoroff attends an anniversary party where there is a lot of drinking. The men poke some fun at his profession of coffin making, which wounds his pride.
“The Turkey” by Flannery O’Connor
Ruller, a young boy, is playing outside when he catches sight of a wild turkey in the bushes. He starts fantasizing about how impressed everyone would be if he caught it. He sees the turkey is injured and decides to go after it.
Stories about pride and humility often turn on moments of reckoning. A character’s self-image collides with reality, exposing limits they refused to acknowledge or values they misunderstood. Sometimes this leads to growth; other times it leads only to loss or quiet resignation.
The stories collected here show how short fiction can reveal pride not through speeches or declarations, but through choices, misunderstandings, and small human actions—and how humility, when it comes, is rarely comfortable.