Ashleigh In Susan Beth Pfeffer's Short Story 'Ashes'

District Common Assessment Essay
“I lifted the lid and stared at her emergency money.”-pg4. Ashleigh is a character in the short story “Ashes” by Susan Beth Pfeffer. In “Ashes”, Ashleigh is a teenager whose parents are divorced and complete opposites. Her father is a dreamer and not responsible while Ashleigh’s mother is always prepared and extremely responsible. Currently her dad has a financial issue and Ashleigh has a choice between, letting her mother down by stealing her emergency money or letting her father down by not stealing the money. Ashleigh takes the money because she wants her father’s life to be set, her dad cheers on her dreams which makes her feel obligated to help, and she prefers her father over her mother.
Ashleigh wants

“One in a million,’ he said ‘And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, Ashes.”-pg2 acknowledges her father. The dad is Ashleigh’s cheerleader always upbeat, but since he wants to make her dreams come true she in return ”owes” him a “favor”. Kind of like when someone gives another person a compliment the other person feels obligated to say thank you because they did something nice for the other person now it’s the opposite person’s turn to return the favor. Pfeffer illustrates this through ashleigh in this quote, “I love you so much,’ he said ‘ You’re ten thousand times better than I deserve, Ashes’....’I had an thought,’ he said as he reached for my pickle.’ Your mother keeps a couple hundred dollars cash at her place.”-pg3 As iterated previously when someone gives another person a compliment the opposite person has the obligation to say thanks you, well in the quote the father is giving the compliment and then slightly afterwards cashing in the favor. Ashleigh now in a way has to steal the money or else it would be unfair towards all her father’s support. Ashleigh’s dad is manipulating her love for her to help him get the money he needs. Illustrated on pg 4 Pfeffer uses personification and foreshadowing to exaggerate the choice Ashleigh makes at the end of the short story. “I could hear my father’s car keening in the distance ’You’re one in a million,’ it

“That winter it felt like every time I saw my father, the sun cast off just a little more warmth than it had the day before.”-pg1 The author is using this quote to portray the preference of parents Ashleigh has. Her dad is obviously her favorite because pleasing him is rewarded by praise while rewarding her mother is just barely an acknowledgement. For example if Ashleigh pleases her mom it won’t matter while if she praises her dad she gets a compliment. When she gets a compliment from her father she feels better than before. This is presented by Pfeffer when she writes,”Mom might never be caught without batteries or tissues, but she just called me Ashleigh-a name she didn’t even like-and never promised me anything.”-pg1. Ashleigh is stating that her mother takes care of her, but doesn’t care for her. While her dad may not be able to take care of her, he cares for her. The father is the supporting, caring and loving parent while the mother is more of the parent who brings in the income. Ashleigh’s father is always helping her when she has a problem, so it’s okay if she helps him now when he has a problem by stealing the money for him. “I hate to speak against her, but she’s not a dreamer, Ashes.”-pg2. Whenever Ashleigh is around her father she is more joyous than when she is with her mother. Her dad gives the illusion that he truly cares, but in all honesty he is almost talking himself up and partially