58 pages 1 hour read

Mary Jane Auch

Ashes Of Roses

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2002

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Chapters 15-20

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 15 Summary

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains descriptions of sexual assault.

Rose runs home with the supplies to make paper flowers. Elsa and her daughters are already home and are suspicious of Rose’s activities. Hildegarde even tries to pry the information out of her, but Rose plays innocent, claiming just to have been out for a walk. After Patrick leaves the next day, Rose, Maureen, Bridget, and Ma get started on the rose-making project and have several difficulties. Ma starts to make rose stems with leaves because she thinks they’re prettier, but Rose tells her to do it the way she told her so that they will get paid. She expects to be scolded, but Ma complies unhappily. They’re about to pack up their supplies for the day when Elsa, her children, and Trudy’s beau walk in. Trudy screams and collapses in a faint. Walter carries her to a sofa, and Elsa tells him to leave. After he does, Trudy revives and yells about how humiliated she was to see immigrants working in her own home as if it were a sweatshop. Hildegarde taunts Rose and her family, and before Rose can react, Maureen tackles the girl and ties her braid-buns over her mouth like a gag.