Ashes Short Story Analysis

When Lori and Jeanette are growing older, they decide they want to move to New York City to start a new life, away from their parents. Lori and Jeanette get jobs and begin to earn money. They hide their earnings from their parents in a piggy bank they named Oz. One day Jeanette tries to find Oz to put her paycheck in. Instead she says to Lori “Someone has slashed him apart with a knife and stole all the money” (Walls 228). The kids knew right away who had stolen it. It was Dad. When Lori confronted Dad with the news about Oz, he started playing dumb, acting like he had not idea what was going on. But in fact he did steal the money. This action shows that Dad is very selfish and only cares about himself.

Her dad carried her away from the hospital without payment, and then her mom permitted her to cook again, moreover she said, “ Getting right back into the saddle” ( Glass Castle 47). Jeanette was not angry at such young age and soon the family had to pack their belongings into bags and “do the skedaddle” as her parents always said. The parents were fleeing from bill collectors. Although Jeanette's father was an alcoholic, he could get work almost anywhere, often in small towns. The family was moving because of these things, she never complained when they did not have enough food. Jeanette always forgave her parents, she understood what they were going through.

Within the article "A Life Worth Ending" Michael Wolff recounts the events of his ill mother at her final stage of life. Along with his own battle with a flawed healthcare system. Wolff Brilliantly intertwines literary elements with the use of characterization and his first point of view to tell his story.

In Module/Week 3, you will write a 750-words (about 3–4-pages) essay that compares and contrasts two stories from the Fiction Unit.  Before you begin writing the essay, carefully read the guidelines for developing your paper topic that are given below.  Review the Fiction Essay Grading Rubric to see how your submission will be graded.  Gather all of your information, plan the direction of your essay, and organize your ideas by developing a one-page thesis statement and outline for your essay.  Format the thesis statement and the outline in a single Word document using MLA, APA, or Turabian style (whichever corresponds to your degree program).  You have the opportunity to receive helpful

needs the cash however becasue his better half likewise needs the cash as well, he rejects it, just to shield her from

Ashleigh has a very good relationship with her dad. In the text, it emphasizes that Ashleigh’s father likes to call her ‘Ashes’ which makes her feel special, like on page 1 where it says, “... he still called me Ashes.. that made me feel more special.” If Ashleigh feels very special around her father and has a very good relationship, that might make her dad’s side feel a bit more appealing. Another reason why is that Ashleigh’s dad compliments her and makes her life better because of the inspiration. On page 2 it states, “Last week he’d told me I should be an astronaut. The week before, a CEO of a fortune 500 company.” This adds to the last bit of reasoning, as a lot of inspiration might make the emotional connection stronger between Ashleigh and her father. Her mother does not have this sort of relationship with Ashleigh, which again, makes her dad’s side feel more appealing. To top all of that off, Ashleigh’s father is generous. The more generous and giving you are in general, the more likely people are to be lenient towards you. On page 2 it explains, “‘Can you afford it?’ I asked ‘For a special date with my daughter?...Of course…” No matter how much money you have, giving some of it up to make somebody’s day better is priceless. Even if it is just for a burger and fries with your

“The Red Convertible” by Louise Erdrich is a short story about two Native American brothers, Lyman and Henry, and their growing bond as brothers. Symbolism is used rather heavily in this story. One of the main symbols of the story, as noted in the title, is the red convertible. The red convertible symbolizes the relationship status of the two brothers, and the struggles they face as Henry is drafted into the Vietnam War as well as when he returns home.

There is a part in the beginning of the story where Ashes, says“When I was little, Dad used to promise me the stars for a necklace, but like most of his promises, that one never quite happened.” This quote explains that he speaks more and is actionless. He has promised her things and accomplished nothing. If he had bought her a necklace with fake stars, it would make Ashes feel like her at least cared for her. He did not have to hype her up with hopes and then destroy them by not fulfilling it.

Jeanette’s father is a man that is extremely smart in science and math, and an amazing storyteller, however he drinks/smokes way too much and can be very abusive. Her mother is a religious and tough woman, who could live with basically any situation and will go through with something until it is done. Jeanette’s tone to her parents, however, is not of happiness, but instead sadness, because of the father’s behaviors, and her mother’s stubbornness to stay with him. The tone towards their actions from Jeanette is dismay, because for almost all of their actions, both her mother and father don’t think about the consequences before they

“But you didn’t give me as much as you gave him. isn’t my money as good as his? Don’t you know they always give men more?”(Page 168)

As Jeannette grows up her relationship with her parents, especially as her father starts to dwindle. Jeannette didn’t realize that the way her parents were going about taking care of them wasn’t normal. As Jeannette started to age she realized how inconsiderate her parents really were, Mary and Rex had forced their children to move around the country leaving the kids hungry and alone countless nights. Jeannette was always close with her father, and always had sympathy for him. However, when they moved to Welch it seemed as though her father had completely changed. Jeannette had started to work to save up money so her and her siblings could live, but her father did not respect that. One day Rex went up to Jeannette when no one was home and simply said “’Hon, I need some money.’”(209) Jeannette would have gladly given him the money, but it was for beer and cigarettes. This made Jeannette feel like he had no regard for her at all. Rex did not care enough to find his own way of getting money for his addictions, let alone provide food for his family. Jeannette agreed to give him the money, and he agreed to pay her back, but when he wanted to pay her back, Jeannette was staring to realize how sickening her father really is.

At one point in the book Dad wants money for alcohol, so he has to persuade Jeannette that the family will be okay without the extra twenty dollars.

Source: CAPPELEN DAMM AS, Oslo 2008 – ''Access to English literature, VG3''. Anthony, Burgess, Mikkelsen & Sørhus. Chapter 1, page 23-24.

Short stories can share themes, motifs, symbols, consequences, and plot lines, even if there is never any intention to share a common element between the stories. The stories can be written close together or in different decades and still be linked to the one another. They can also be worlds apart with different meanings in the end, but that does not stop them from having similar ideas expressed within them. The following three stories, “Lagoon” by Joseph Conrad, “The Rocking Horse Winner” by DH Lawrence, and “The Lady in the Looking Glass” by Virginia Woolf, are three totally different stories that share common threads that make them the stories that they are.

Eveline's father is the second most important character in the story, yet Joyce chooses not to reveal his name. That is because he is only a father in a biological sense, falling short at every other fatherly duty. Mr.Hill is a failed provider who takes his offspring’s earnings only to hand it back, allowing him to feel like a “man of the house”. He is abusive and flaunts his dominance by “threaten[ing]” (Joyce 73) Eveline well into her adulthood. The threats seem unprovoked and random, indicating father's attempts to instill fear rather than curb or abolish an offending behavior. Compensating for his failures, the father uses aggression and control to get what he wants. “Her father was becoming old lately, she noticed; he would miss her” (Joyce 75), the narrator draws our attention to the aging of the father and impending helplessness following it. Though Joyce does not clarify how the father will miss Eveline, judging by his past conducts, it is safe to assume that he would miss Eveline’s help around the house and money the most. Still, as she contemplates leaving, Eveline sees good in him and “tries to balance her father's increasing capacity for violence by remembering three random acts of kindness”(Trudell) that seemingly undue all the wrong he has done in the past. No matter