Parental Conflict in Ashes by Susan Beth Pfeffer Essay (Critical Writing)

Introduction

Every literary work conveys a particular message or highlights an issue in society. In Ashes, Susan Beth Pfeffer emphasizes the problems between parents and their impact on the child. The story’s narrator is the child that finds herself trying to understand her parents, who have different perspectives on life and family. For instance, her mother is a straightforward person, while her father, although loving, is irresponsible. Early in the story, the reader is informed that the parents are separated as they do not live together. They are forced to co-parent, whereby they split their time to spend with Ashleigh. Ultimately, Susan Beth Pfeffer demonstrates that parental conflict leads to severe issues in the family and has a negative impact on children.

Parental Conflict

The conflict between Ashleigh’s divorced parents is the primary cause of problems in the family and her doubts. The narrative of the story progresses as Ashes’ father requests her to steal money from her mother. It is a morally wrong act of theft, but Ashleigh admires her father for his loving attitude and emotional attachment. The author attempts to use Ashleigh’s father to highlight and criticize irresponsible parents who fail to play their role in their children’s lives but use them wrongly. Due to the affection and connection, she is manipulated into committing wrong actions against her mother. The author uses this story to ensure that some behaviors by parents are discouraged, for example, forcing a child to make hard decisions.

Consequently, the author explains Ashleigh’s father’s background to demonstrate her position and the effects of parental conflict on the child. As a result of his irresponsible character, the narrator’s father is struggling financially after the marriage breakup. In society, such has resulted in individuals choosing to remain in unhappy relationships. It is clear that Ashleigh’s father is struggling and stays close to his former wife to survive. The author describes his character in great detail using Ashes’ quotes, such as “child support checks don’t always show up on time,” to show the father’s irresponsible behavior (Pfeffer, 2001, p. 2). At the same time, Pfeffer depicts him as a loving parent who is willing to help Ashes and other people, always trying to make a positive change. These contrasts in the father’s personality make Ashleigh’s choice difficult since she genuinely loves her father but does not want to commit illegal and immoral acts. As a result, the father’s background is a crucial subject that provides insights into the relationships in the family.

Family Violence

Pfeffer utilizes the narrative to speak against intimate partner violence depicted in the story in the form of verbal abuse. The narrator, the child of the two grownups in the story, details an argument between her parents based on the nickname her father refers to her. It is stated, “So why do you call her ‘Ashes’?” as her mother uses her voice, trying to harass her father for something that is not worthy of a conflict (Pfeffer, 2001, p. 2). For instance, she claims that the name her dad uses to show affection is meant to upset her. Using this example, Pfeffer clearly shows the negative impact of parental fights on the child who is torn between choosing only one side in the conflict. Although verbal abuse cannot be compared to sexual or physical abuse, it has a long-lasting effect on the relationships within the family and particularly on children’s mental health.

Consequently, the author shows concern for the well-being of children growing up in unstable homes. The narrator recalls the number of times her parents have been in an argument and even claims that “It was just a couple of months before the final breakup” (Pfeffer, 2001, p. 2). The major reason the author uses the story to rebuke this type of abuse is the impact it may have on Ashleigh, the child in that house. Pfeffer shows that children in such situations suffer emotionally as is stated, “I can still hear the fight” (Pfeffer, 2001, p. 2). The narrator looks up to her father and highly regards him despite his flaws. Destroying that image from her mind makes her feel helpless and might result in trying to find a male figure from the wrong individuals. There are cases of women who suffer in adulthood, especially in intimate relationships, due to either lack of their father’s presence or admiration. Ultimately, this issue is a relevant social problem, and Pfeffer addresses it by revealing the heartbreaking story of Ashleigh and her parents.

Loyalty in Parental Conflict

Another significant topic is loyalty in parental conflict since the child frequently has to choose one side in the fights between the parents, demonstrating their loyalty to the parents. In this story, Pfeffer clearly depicts that Ashleigh loves her father and wants to support him, despite his multiple flaws. In this sense, she demonstrates loyalty to her father, but it directly affects her relationship with her mother. This contrast complicates the situation, dealing emotional damage to Ashes as she has to choose between the parents. Since Ashleigh also loves her mother and sees her as reliable, agreeing to her father’s request would depict her betrayal of the person who is always available and caters to her needs.

Narrative Analysis

The author uses multiple literary devices in the story to give readers knowledge about the characters’ lives and moral dilemmas. Pfeffer primarily utilizes flashbacks, demonstrated in the multiple quotes as Ashes remembers the fights between the parents, to explain the situation and justify Ashleigh’s response to her father’s request. For instance, she remembers when her mother was furious about the nickname, “‘you call her that just to annoy me!’ mom yelled” (Pfeffer, 2001, p. 2). The theme of the parental conflict supports the narrative as the readers sympathize with Ashes and her hard choice between the parents. Namely, her mother is a proactive and practical individual who is responsible and cares about the future. This can be seen in how she even plans for her money; for example, the narrator details that she keeps additional batteries to help with the flashlight during a blackout. At the same time, her father is irresponsible but loving. Ultimately, the characters’ descriptions support the narrative of the parental conflict, and the flashbacks allow readers to understand the underlying problems.

Conclusion

Parental conflict is a complicated issue that leads to multiple problems within the family, worsening the relationship between the parents and the child. In the short story, Pfeffer demonstrates this theme by describing the relationship between Ashleigh and her parents. The parental conflict is the major reason for Ashleigh’s concerns, as the fights between her parents keep tearing her mental health apart. Despite his flaws, she genuinely loves her father, but his request makes her reflect on the familial issues and doubt her life choices. At the same time, she admires her mother for being reliable and practical, which are important personality traits to support the family. It is a relevant social issue in the real world as thousands of families suffer from similar problems. This idea evolves into a philosophical discussion of parental violence and its impact on the child. As a result, the fight between the divorced parents devastates Ashleigh as she has to make hard decisions and support one of her parents, which demonstrates the relevant problem of parental conflict.

Reference

Pfeffer, S. B. (2001). Ashes. Simon Pulse.