Ashes Pfeffer Summary

Being only six months old at the time of such a tragic event, I was not aware of the innocent lives being taken, heartbreaks, or prayers being said for loved one’s to live, with much sorrow in their voices, as I laid there in my cradle so unaware sleeping soundly. As years past, I began learning about 9/11 in school over the intercom for the morning announcements. Later throughout my education, my history teachers began teaching this attack as lessons. The cracking in their voices while holding back tears was heartbreaking to watch and learn as they went on with the lesson. In middle school, a classmate of mine told our class about how her dad’s friend had lost his life from the collapse. She expressed how she noticed that her dad was disconsolate

Her Dad needs money to start his business, about two hundred dollars, but he also owes other people two hundred dollars, people that could hurt him if he didn’t pay the money, “I had no idea where Dad thought he could get two hundred dollars…”(Pfeffer 3), “ You owe them two hundred dollars? I asked, trying to keep the panic out of my voice.” (Pfeffer 3) The author shows the panic and the urge that Ashes needs to help her Dad as soon as possible. “Can I help? I asked. Dad smiled like i’d offered him the key to the mint.”(Pfeffer 3) When Ashes offers her help to her Dad, we know that Ashes will most likely do anything to get her Dad out of the situation he is in at the

Ashes cares about her dad too much, that is why she stole the money. Ashes saw her dad was worried about something and didn’t like that he was worried. Ashes wanted to take away the stress that he had. A quote from the book had Ashes saying “I wouldn’t have any other dad,”(Pfeffer,2). Ashes told her dad the most hidden thing her mother had. Ashes will tell her dad anything because they are so close. Since

it is very common and adds excitement to the story. The conflict of “Ashes” is character vs self. This is because Ashleigh is fighting against herself to do what is morally right or to help her father by stealing for him. When Ashleigh “lifted its lid and stared at her emergency money“ she had to make a decision on whether to make take the money or leave it this and the final outcome is unknown(Pfeffer 4). This moment in the story was crucial in the plot because it starts the climax and when both sides of Ashleigh are fighting the hardest against the other. Another quote that demonstrates conflict is,”’No, Ashes the teapots the way to go”’(Pfeffer 4). This is actually a bit of character vs character conflict between Ashleigh and her father because she is trying to get him to to sell his car instead of stealing from mom. Instead of agreeing Dad says no and continues to drive the plot forward through conflict. The climax is the resolution to the plot. Though the climax in “Ashes” does not provide a clear resolution it still is the height of conflict in the short story:”Her earthquake money. Her martian money. What should I do?”(Pfeffer 4). This quote shows Ashleigh's internal conflict with herself because she is still struggling to decide whether or not to help her dad. This shows that she loves both of her parents very much because she can’t decide whether to steal from her mom to help her dad or

Ashleigh asked her father, “‘Why don’t you sell your car?”’ (Pfeffer, 4). Ashes really does not want to take the money. So she suggests to her father how he can get the money in a legal way so she is not influenced even more to steal. Ashleigh’s dad turns down the idea because he claims that he could not find another car. While eating out Ashes asks, “‘Can you afford it?”’ (Pfeffer, 2). Ashleighs dad takes her out to dinner when he is already in the hole 200 dollars. It doesn’t make since to Ashes why her dad would take her out to eat when he is already in debt $200. So Ashleigh ask if her dad could afford to eat out. He insisted that he could. Ashes thinks that her dad is irresponsible with his money. Overall, Ashleigh doesn’t want to be around her dad because he influences Ashleigh in a negative

The role of parents in a child’s life is an irreplaceable one. Children are shaped by what they see their parents do and how they see them act. Children can choose to pattern themselves after what they see their parents do or they can choose to avoid being like their parents. In the story ‘Ashes’ by Susan Beth Pfeffer, Recent research shows, fathers affect the lives of their young adult daughters in intriguing and occasionally surprising ways. Ashes’ father can be mostly described as a good parent.

He is deceptive because he lies to her face, in many different situations, one of which, is potentially putting Ashes in potential danger. “‘Waiting for someone?’ I asked him. ‘Of course not,’ he said. ‘Not when I’m with you.’” But we later find out that Ashes’ dad is, in fact, waiting for someone, someone who could cause trouble. “‘Well it isn't so much for a deal as to help pay off one I already made,’ Dad said. ‘...But you know how those guys are. They get itchy when you owe them money. And it's not always comfortable to be there where they can scratch you.’” Ashes’ father is basically implying that he made a bet with someone and he has not paid them back. Typically when that happens, you are probably in trouble. Not only is Ashes’ dad putting her in trouble, he is lying to her face about it in the first

Because her feelings for him are so strong, he could persuade her to do anything he asked of her. Ashleigh was willing to steal money from her mother because she worried about the

For example in the Glass Castle jeannette is presented with two parents but the one who stands out is her father. In the book jeannette faces a money issue for college that she cannot solve on her own. This causes jeanette to stress over her studies and causes her father to come to the rescue. Her father wasn’t always in good conditions for jeannette ;however, he managed to see jeannette so that he may give her the money she needed in order to keep going to college. Her father’s action meant that he will be their for her whenever she needs him and will help her as much as he

Ashes feels that her father is “like a warm day in January” (Pfeffer 1), he's the kind of person to always be there at the right time and surprises you with happiness. Ashes father always tells her she is “One in a million”(Pfeffer 2) and to not “let anyone ever tell you otherwise”(Pfeffer 2) because he cares about and loves ashes even and believes that she too should engage in following her dreams even if she might not succeed, she might need the confidence. Ashes and her father get along better than her and her mother, she even goes as far as saying “I wouldn't have any other dad” because all of her friends dads “they just tell my friends to study more”, ashes is happy that she and her dad are like best friends and not just formal like her friends and their dads. Ashes believed in her dad and trust he will keep his promise.

Imagine being faced with the toughest choice of your life, choosing between your parents. Ashleigh, or Ashes, has been torn between her mother and father her entire life. Her mother, a logical women who bases her decisions on the facts, and her father, who is more of a people person and bases his decisions others. So when her father asked her to “borrow” $200 from her mother to pay off a loan, Ashes was faced with the toughest decision she could ever imagine. Ashes did not take her mother's money because she’s too similar to her mother, the money is to be used for emergencies only, and she realized her father was trying to butter her up.

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).

Before all of this, Lizabeth didn’t know about the struggles of her family. She realized the struggle after hearing her dad cry for the first time. Her father who was a strong man, didn't seem like the kind of person who would cry. Her father was employed for 22 years, he feels like he has not been able to give anyone anything for years. Her mother, “small & soft, was now the strength of the family”.

Lizabeth’s first time seeing her dad cry was the due to a fight between him and her mother. She was nearly 15 and woke up from her mother speaking. The fight was about the poverty Lisabeth and her family was in. Innocence started fading away because her dad was no longer the strong man she always seen him as. Her mother became the one that was working to support the family because her dad had lost his job. It was this fight

McCarthy’s book, The Road, is a story of survival and love between a father and son. Even though this story is based on the future, throughout the pages it feels like the story is actually happening. Human existence can be determined in many aspects and even though humans are evolved more than most creatures, in the end we are still mammals. The apocalypse can have many metaphors to paint a picture in one’s mind. In The Road, the word usage to describe the apocalypse is grey, death and fire.