Roman Mueller 802 ELA “Ashes”

In the short story, “Ashes,” by Susan Beth Pfeffers, a girl named Ashes faces struggles within her family due to divorce. She has two very different parents and sometimes she is split between them. One side is a dreamy, unrealistic father that tells his daughter to be an astronaut, model, and even the CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation, and the other is a down to earth, helpful and caring mother that looks out for Ashes and makes sure she gets what she needs throughout her life. Throughout the short story, the protagonist faces complications between them and morals are tested. This short story has many messages and themes throughout the book and they are conveyed by the decisions and problems in the story. Parent rivalries often confuse a child about the difference between what they should or shouldn’t do, and what is right or wrong.

For instance, because her parents have different ways of thinking and believing, Ashes is unsure of which parent is right. A simple example is that the father thinks about what he wants and the mother thinks about what she needs. For a prime example in the text, Ashes explains “When I was little, Dad used to promise me the stars for a necklace, but like most of his promises, that one never quite happened.” This proves that the father may not be trustworthy. In the end, he asks Ashes to steal from the mother, and says he will pay it back, but Ashes can not be certain he will keep his promise. The author is trying to show that she may not be able to trust the father later about promising he will pay back the money. Another example of the father being unrealistic is how his main goal is to make the world a better place by helping people. In the story, Ashes states “Of course no one ever got rich helping blind people cross the street. The world might be a better place, but child support checks don’t always show up on time, and I never did get that necklace made of stars. Both Mom and Dad see to it I know his limitations. ‘All I can give you is dreams, Ashes,’ he said to me once.‘But one good dream is worth one thousand flashlight batteries.’ ” This illustrates her father may not be the person to do the right thing for his child and how he is doing what is less important for Ashes.

Also, being a father takes a lot of responsibility and knowing what is right for your child. Your child looks up to you and you must be a good role model or else they could be affected not only in the present but even in the future. By asking Ashes to take 200 dollars from her mother, he is not having a good influence on her or being responsible. For example, while Ashes is having lunch with her father, the subject of why he needs the money comes up, “ ‘But you know how those guys are. They get itchy when you owe them money. And it’s not always comfortable to be where they can scratch you.’ ‘You owe them two hundred dollars?’ I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.” This proves that the father is not responsible. Now you can understand why the mother takes care of Ashes instead of him. Also, Ashes is starting to realize what kind of person her father is and that his intentions are not very great. Another example of her dad not being an appropriate father is that he needs a child to do his dirty work for him. A responsible father would work it out with the mother instead. In the story, the Dad states “‘No, I just thought maybe you could borrow the money’ he said.” This shows again how he isn’t being responsible and how he is trying to persuade Ashes to “borrow” the money. Overall, it is obvious that Ashes does not have a father that is a good role model and has what it takes to be a valuable, reliable parent.

Furthermore, throughout the story and especially the end, the authors reflects that your family’s disconnections can drive you to do something immoral and your choice between right or wrong might not always be clear. For example, in the very beginning of the story, Ashes tells “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. I don’t remember a gray day when I saw him.” The weather is a metaphor for how Ashes feels about her father. It shows that she is happy or “warm” whenever she meets with her father and a little gloomy or “gray” with her mother. However, this is at the beginning so Ashes is still not sure about whose side to take. Her father is super kind to her and he calls her “one in a million.” He compliments her and makes her want to believe him. But, she is not realizing that he is manipulating her to get what he wants. However, in the end, it is more understandable for Ashes that he is being irresponsible and having a bad influence on her. For example, at the end, when she is about to steal the money, the story reads “I got out of the car and ran over to the apartment. I took the elevator to the tenth floor and unlocked the door. The apartment was quiet. It always felt a little colder when Mom wasn’t there. Even with the lights turned on, it seemed a little darker.” This proves that Ashes is understanding that her mother is the more responsible and trustworthy parent of the two and that stealing the money for her father is wrong. Also, the author says “I looked out the window and saw only ash gray sky. In the cold stillness of the night, I could hear my father’s car keening in the distance. ‘You’re one in a million,’ it cried.” This also suggests that this decision Ashes is making is wrong because at the beginning it is warm and sunny, but now it is ashy and cloudy. Overall, this shows that family issues or even peer problems can cause something bad to happen or confuse you on what is the right thing to do.

All in all, morality is something that can be very unclear and can often be influenced from a biased perspective. The story “Ashes” is a very strong example of this because the main character goes through many issues and obstacles that blind her of what she is doing and how it will affect her and others in a negative way. At the end, the author does not say whether or not Ashes takes the money for her father or not but I think she didn’t. Because of the weather metaphor, I think she was having second thoughts about what she was doing and wouldn’t betray her mother. As you can see, conflict and discrepancies can be a result of parent rivalries, but in the end, those differences can be realized through truth or honesty when compared to superficial traits or actions.