Summary Of Ashes By Susan Beth Kaffer

Ashleigh has a tough decision to make. In the short story “Ashes” by Susan Beth Pferffer, she is the daughter of divorced parents. Her mother is very practical, while her father is always there when you need him. She could either give her mom’s emergency money to her father, or pretend she couldn’t get out of the house without her getting caught, Both decisions hurt one or the other. Ashleigh gave her father the money because she has a better relationship with her father, Ashleigh’s mother never promises, and the clouds represent her decision. As Ashleigh explains her mother and father, the reader can tell that her and her dad’s relationship is better than her mom’s. In the story, she mentions her feelings towards her father. “‘I wouldn’t have any other dad,” I told him. “My friends fathers, they just tell them to study more.” Ashleigh is trying to show that her dad is more like best friend then a father because she can talk to him without getting reprimanded. Not only this, she loves hearing him compliment

Ashleigh emphasizes in the story that her mother doesn’t like the name her father suggested. “...but she just called me Ashleigh-a name she didn’t even like-and never promised me anything.” In this example, the author wanted to show that her mother never truly believed in her. It’s important because it shows the difference in how Ashleigh feels towards each parents. Her mother is always prepared for the “what if” situations and doesn’t give meaningful advice like her father. She is very practical, and doesn’t have mother’s intuition. This is why Ashleigh can never talk to her mother because she feels she won’t understand. Not only this, she has never promised her anything. In the story, Ashleigh explains that her father doesn’t always follow through with what he claims, but it still gives her hope unlike her mother. This is why her relationship with her mother is