Character Analysis Of Ashleigh From 'Ashes'

Ashleigh is faced with a tough decision when it comes to whether she should take money or not. What did she do? First, her parents are divorced, ashleigh’s dad calls her “Ashes” as a nickname and her mom doesn’t like it. Ashleigh’s mom doesn’t like her dad either, and her mom is working to get a degree in college. Ashleigh did not take the money because she felt it was wrong to steal it. She thought that her dad wouldn’t get the money back in time, and she didn’t want her mom to get mad that she took her emergency money. First, Ashleigh didn’t take the money because she felt it was wrong to steal it. In paragraph 19, page 4 it says: “I lifted its lid and stared at her emergency money.” This shows that she was having second thoughts about taking the money, debating on it, whether she should take it or not. In the story, it says in paragraph 22 page 3: “Sometimes when Mom wasn’t home, I’d take the lid off the teapot and stare into it, imagining what I could do with two hundred dollars.” But Ashleigh’s dad also had the same thought but he actually wanted to take it. Lastly, Ashleigh’s dad was using her to get the money. In
Her mom is smart when it comes with money, hence her saving it up. In paragraph 20 page 4, it seeks: “Her earthquake money. Her martian money. What should I do?” This shows that she was debating whether she should take the money or not. In the story it says that her mom and dad don’t like each other, so if she took the money, and her mom found out, Ashleigh’s mom would probably take away her dad’s privileges to see Ashleigh again. The final reason of why Ashleigh didn’t take the money is because she knows that her mom is saving it for a rainy day. Her mom keeps the money in a safe place (that Ashleigh nor her father wasn’t supposed to know about), and Ashleigh didn’t want to take that away from her