Divorce is a complex issue that many families struggle with. The short story “Ashes”, by Susan Beth Pfeffer, is about a young teenager named Ashes, who is facing troubles in her life involving her divorced mother and father. In the story, we are introduced to both parents; the providing, affectionate father, and the responsible, prepared mother. Then, when Ashes and her father take a trip to a diner, Ashes father tries to coax her into taking her mother's emergency money, which consists of two hundred dollars. During this situation, Ashes is torn between which parents she should benefit, and she is also realizes that there are sides to both her parents that she hasn't noticed before. Through Ashes’ relationships with each of her parents, we see how complicated it is for teenagers and parents to maintain healthy relationships.
The bond Ashes has with her father changes throughout the story. At the very beginning of the story, Ashes describes their relationship as strong and positive. “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.” This quote shows how the symbol of the warm sun portrays the positivity and comfort in the relationship Ashes has with her father. The quote also shows how Ashes feels jubilant when she’s with her father. However, later in the story, Ashes’ realizes that there is another side to her father that she doesn’t like. In the diner when Ashes' father asks her to steal her mother's emergency money for him, Ashes knows that stealing the money is an awful thing to do. In contrast, she also doesn’t want to let her father down. When Ashes father drops her off to get the money, the text 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.” Here, the story shows that when Ashes’ father told her that she’s “one in a million,” he was manipulating Ashes, by reassuring her that she’s an amazing daughter, in order to get the money. Also, because the gray sky and keening car are take on a gloomy feel to them, they represent how Ashes is discovering that, sadly, her father isn’t the parent that will always make her feel so cheerful and carefree.
On the other hand, the relationship Ashes has with her mom isn’t as affectionate as the one Ashes has with her dad. Ashes’ mother is very efficient, practical, and prepared for any obstacle that might come her way. Nevertheless, Ashes feels that her mother doesn’t admire her in the way that her dad does, but, if she does, she doesn't show it in the same way. Ashes says, “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.” This quote demonstrates how Ashes’ relationship with her mom is less warmhearted and a bit distant. But, although Ashes’ mom has some flaws to her, she is a good mom because she is smart, and she provides for Ashes. The fact that she’s always prepared depicts that Ashes’ mom is responsible and wants Ashes to be responsible as well. Not only does Ashes’ mom take on the important role of being a good, nourishing mother, but she gives Ashes a sense of protection. For instance, when Ashes’ enters her mother’s apartment after her father dropped her off to get the money, Ashes says, “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 always seemed a little darker.” When reading this quote, is it seen that when Ashes is with her mother, she feels safe and as if she is in good hands. Here, it is evident that Ashes really sees how much of a positive impact her mother has had on her. Ashes’ transformation of feelings for her mother happened specifically when Ashes and her father are at the diner, and Ashes realizes that her father has been manipulating her to get the money. Because Ashes detected this side to her father, Ashes really beings to feel definite that her mother has been a good parent. Ashes’ mom looks out for her and makes sure that she is okay while her father thinks more for himself. We know the father is a bit selfish because he sometimes uses Ashes to get what he wants, as shown in the case of wanting the money. Overall, Ashes realizes that her and her mother are closer than how their bond was described at the beginning of the story.
When reading “Ashes”, it’s clear that Ashes doesn’t manage a very healthy relationship with either of her parents. At the beginning of the story, we saw how Ashes dad gave off a good, optimistic vibe, and we were shown that the two have a very strong and positive relationship. But, later in the story, Ashes notices a side to her father that makes her feel gray and makes their bond weaker and dishonest. This causes Ashes to feel this way because she identifies that when her father brings out his worse side, he manipulates Ashes in order to get something, like in the diner. When we were first introduced to the mother, she seemed like she didn’t make Ashes feel so vibrant and warm because she doesn’t show much verbal affection. Their relationship almost seemed undefined. However, we see that under all her readiness and realness, she does give Ashes protection and warmth We discover that their bond has been stronger and more positive when Ashes' father is driving Ashes home to take the money. Ashes realizes that her mom doesn't put her in uncomfortable situations and always makes sure Ashes is okay and has what she needs. Additionally, by taking a closer look at how Ashes interacts with both of her parents, we see that teenagers and parents have trouble managing a healthy relationship. With Ashes and her father, we are shown a relationship that completely morphs itself into something that makes Ashes feel uncomfortable around her father. With Ashes and her mother, the relationship starts off distant but changes into something that makes Ashes feel better and closer to her mother. Although one bond may have turned into something better, both ways of communicating show how hard it is to keep a healthy and stable relationship with a parent. The fact that both relationships went through major changes portrays how unstable they were. This is something many teenagers are facing, because, like Ashes and her parents, their families could be coping with something difficult to manage as well. Through all of this, it is arduous for them and their parents to preserve a healthy relationship. To conclude, reading “Ashes,” by Susan Beth Pfeffer, shows that teenagers and parents face many complications when trying to sustain a sturdy, healthy, and happy relationship.
