Ashes By Susan Beth Pfeffer Summary

“Like a ball batted back and forth, a human being is battered by two forces within.” This excerpt from an ancient Hindu script describes the double edged blade of conflict- no matter who wins, there must always be a loser. In the short story, “Ashes,” by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Ashleigh is placed in a situation where she is forced to choose between her divorced parents. Her dad has found himself in a precarious situation, owing a debt of $200 to some people who are of low moral character. She is torn between her dad’s need for money and having to betray her mother’s trust. The climax occurs at the end of the story with her hand hovering over the jar as she contemplates whether or not she should take her mother’s money to help her dad. The last sentence of the

A famous idiom that describes the dad is, ‘a wolf in sheep’s clothing,’ meaning that he seems nice on the surface, but these positive emotions and helpful attitude are but shrouding his true colors. He is a poor decision maker- to the point that he has to ask own daughter to be deceitful to her mother. This was likely the reason of the divorce of Ashes’s parents. The most touching yet manipulative thing he repeats to Ashes is, "You're one in a million." This makes her feel special and wanted. Her mother is not portrayed like this, she is seen as having a no-nonsense attitude, making her reliable but not as likable. His biggest form of manipulation is flattery. Her dad keeps pelting her with compliments, gifts, and surprises like when he treats her to dinner at a new diner, “‘There’s a new diner, opened right around the block. Let’s treat ourselves, Ashes, and go out on the town.’(page 2).” Along with a bright smile and an endless waterfall of charisma, he seems like the type of person would make a great friend. However, he uses these seemingly pure-of-heart traits to deceive Ashes so he can persuade her into stealing the