Ashes By Susan Beth Pfeffer Analysis

The realistic fiction story, “Ashes”, by Susan Beth Pfeffer is about a young girl who has two very polar opposite parents. A fun, but irresponsible father, and a practical, proactive mother. Ashes faces a major dilemma when her financially troubled father asks Ashes to steal from her mother’s emergency fund for his own personal needs. Sometimes, the people you love most can be selfish and deceive you. This relates to my story because Ashes’ dad is manipulative, deceptive, and selfish. One of the main personality traits showing in Ashes’ dad in the story is manipulation. On multiple occasions, he tries to butter Ashes up to get her to do what he wants. “‘You look radiant,’ he said. ‘You get more and more beautiful.’ I was wearing jeans and a bulky brown sweater that Mom had given me for Christmas.” This quote shows that even though Ashes is obviously not “radiant” at the moment but her dad tells Ashes how amazing she looks just to make up for the fact that he is asking Ashes to steal from her mother. “‘You’re one in a million,’ he said to me. I got out of the car

He is deceptive because he lies to her face, in many different situations, one of which, is potentially putting Ashes in potential danger. “‘Waiting for someone?’ I asked him. ‘Of course not,’ he said. ‘Not when I’m with you.’” But we later find out that Ashes’ dad is, in fact, waiting for someone, someone who could cause trouble. “‘Well it isn't so much for a deal as to help pay off one I already made,’ Dad said. ‘...But you know how those guys are. They get itchy when you owe them money. And it's not always comfortable to be there where they can scratch you.’” Ashes’ father is basically implying that he made a bet with someone and he has not paid them back. Typically when that happens, you are probably in trouble. Not only is Ashes’ dad putting her in trouble, he is lying to her face about it in the first