Susan Beth Pfeffer's Ashes

462 Words2 Pages
District Common Assessment Essay Ashleigh lives a rough life with tough decisions. In the short story, “Ashes” by Susan Beth Pfeffer, it’s winter and Ashleigh had to decide whether she should take money from her mom’s emergency pot for her dad or just keep it there for her mom. Ashleigh’s parents are divorced, so she doesn’t know what her punishment will be for which ever side she will pick. Ashleigh decides to take the money because she wants to make her dad happy, her mom doesn’t appreciate her as much as her dad, and her dad needs it for something that will let him go far in life. Ashleigh wants to make her dad happy. He is always nice to her and she wants to return the favor like when he said “‘You get more and more beautiful.’” (pg 2).