Susan Pfeffer’s short story, “Ashes”, takes place in a girl’s, named Ashleigh, life. Her parents are divorced and she switches between them over the weekends. Her father is consider a dreamer, or a bum, by Ashleigh’s mother who is very practical and prepared for everything. Ashleigh’s, called Ashes by her father, father complements her everytime he sees her, but then uses the compliments and love to manipulate Ashes. One message the story suggest is that what one person may think is love, may be another’s form of manipulation. Ashes's father may have loved her in the beginning but that changed once he started making deals. Ashes and her father went out to a diner for a special reason. “‘I have a chance at something really big,’ he said. ‘All I need is to put together a little financing, and I’ll be set for life.’” In this line he is manipulating Ashes into thinking this, though she is not totally convinced as he has probably claimed the same thing before. Though Ashes is doubtful, she still believes him because he is her father and she loves him.…show more content… “Dad took a booth that faced the door, and sat in a seat where he could check who was coming in. He hadn’t done that with me in a long time, and my stomach was hurting in an old familiar way.” Apparently this has happened before with her father, which means her father has probably done a deal he can’t pay back before, and that also might have been the reason for the divorce. When Ashes questioned him about it, he said he was not waiting for someone, not when he was with her. He lied to Ashes and put her in danger by coming out to the
