The American Dream is a motif that creates internal conflict for both Skinner and Zou Lei throughout the novel. Traditionally, the American Dream holds that the United States is a country filled with opportunities and wealth, where anyone can become successful if they work hard enough. In Preparation for the Next Life, Finch subverts expectations by exposing the harsh realities of immigration in the United States as well as the care the government gives to its war veterans.

Zou Lei hears stories about the United States from her father as she grows up. He tells her that in the United States, all you have to do is want something to receive it (19). As Zou Lei enters the United States as an undocumented immigrant, she is exposed to the harsh realities of discrimination that keep her from being able to fulfill her American Dream. Her disillusionment is often correlated to the way that she views the New York City skyline and the thoughts and feelings that she associates with it. By the end of the novel, Zou Lei sees the skyline as made up of government-run buildings and “projects”—an embodiment of the bureaucracy that has impeded her life (305).