In “The Ascent” Ron Rash introduces us to a child raised by a cocaine addict named Jared. Jared ventures into Great Smokey Mountains National Park to escape his sad home life, and in his little adventure Jared discovers the lost plane that the authorities have been searching for for months. On the way out, Jared takes the ring from the woman on the floor and goes home where he discovers that his parents have already run out of drugs. His father takes the ring that Jared had found and then sells it for money. His surroundings and premonitions suggest that Jared will have to make a life-changing decision, but his youth suggests that he is too naive to come to such a realization. Jared's harsh environment suggests that something will have to change in his life. No child should live in an unstable environment where they are provided with nothing. Ron Rash writes: “On Monday morning the Baggies were empty and his parents were ill. His mother sat on the couch wrapped in a quilt, shivering” (285). Jared's parents' cocaine addiction is such that they need it to survive. His parents' drug addiction hinders their ability to provide for him. Jared realizes that his parents are improvising with a log because they are unable to provide a real Christmas tree when he converses with his father, “'you and your mom go ahead and light our Christmas tree. I'll be back in a few minutes." "It's not a Christmas tree," Jared said. 'Of course it is, son,' his father replied, 'it's just one that got chopped up, that's all'" (283). He cannot continue to live a life without any hope that his parents can provide for him. He will probably not gain much in life knowing that his parents cannot provide for him because of their addiction. The author uses foreshadowing to get out. .. middle of paper... because there he can run away from his parents and make up any scenario he wants. Although Jared is a naive boy, the story uses premonitions and an unstable environment to bring about the realization of his character suggests that he cannot live that way forever. The author's use of foreshadowing leads the reader to believe that Jared will leave his parents. Although Jared is a naive child, he ultimately realizes that he cannot continue to living in such horrible conditions and that his parents will never change. Readers understand that it was his parents' negligence that forced him back on the plane. If his parents had had their priorities straight, maybe Jared wouldn't have died. Works Cited Rash, Ron. “Assent”. The Best American Short Stories 2010. Eds. Richard Russo and Heidi Pitlor. New York: Boston, 2010. 279-287. Press