Ramona and Her Mother

Ramona is jealous of her mother and Beezus’s relationship; however, Ramona’s increasing maturity allows her to grow closer to her older sister in these chapters. Their conversations reveal one part of the process of Building Resilient Families, as they seek to understand their parents’ behavior. For example, on their walk to school, Beezus reveals to Ramona that their father never finished college, because he and Mrs. Quimby got married and she was born. Even though Beezus herself does not fully grasp the meaning behind this series of events, she nonetheless gives her younger sister a crucial insight into their parents’ lives before they were born. As in the earlier chapters, the narrator presents this information in a straightforward way, showing that even complicated family histories need not be cause for anxiety. Indeed, the new information allows Ramona to empathize with her father as she understands more about him as a person. The conversation is one of two heartfelt talks the sisters have in the book, and these talks eventually alleviate some of the bickering that characterized their relationship in earlier books. Ramona begins to look up to her sister for advice. Beezus, in turn, shifts from treating her sister as a nuisance to a little sibling in need of guidance; significantly, she does not make Ramona feel like she is being condescended to, which is how she often feels around adults.

The sisters experience a more profound bonding moment after their parents argue over the dinner debacle. Ramona is becoming more aware of how the world works and how families can fail, and she is able to list the kids she knows who have divorced parents. The sisters cling to one another and process their anxiety over their parents’ argument. Beezus fulfills her role as the older sister in assuaging Ramona’s fears over divorce and her pledge to care for her little sister. The girls’ frantic and frightened reaction reveals the ways domestic conflict affects children, even when the parents themselves don’t take it as seriously. Though Mr. and Mrs. Quimby laughingly dismiss their daughters’ reactions the following day, the girls’ feelings are real, and the scene highlights the need for parents to listen to and legitimize their children’s fears, no matter how unfounded or misguided. At the same time, however, the fact that the Quimby parents have reconciled by the next morning also demonstrates that not every disagreement or argument must end a relationship—resilient families know how to fight and apologize.

The Quimbys’ argument is full of subtext. Like Ramona’s need to release her frustrations by squeezing out the toothpaste, Mr. and Mrs. Quimby need to express their feelings, even if those feelings are displaced onto a cold Crock-Pot. In taking over the role of primary breadwinner, Mrs. Quimby has disrupted a more traditional family structure. Mr. Quimby subversively expresses his frustration by chastising her for failing to provide dinner and using his grandmother to criticize her. Mr. Quimby’s frustrations have material embodiments, such as the empty pantry. Mrs. Quimby’s, on the other hand, reveal the physical and emotional toll of carrying both career and household burdens simultaneously. The tension is palpable and reaches its climax when Mr. Quimby violently slashes into the pancake to make a point about his wife’s failed cooking. In another subversion of roles, Mrs. Quimby dramatically leaves the kitchen to rest and read, forcing Mr. Quimby to assume the domestic role and finish preparing the meal. The distance of the third-person narrator shows that what the girls perceive as a sign of their parents’ impending divorce is, more accurately, an example of how couples navigate difficult power dynamics and unspoken resentments—and are able to compromise in the end, even if the terms of that compromise must be constantly revised.

Ramona’s afternoon at the Kemps’ features a callback to the scene in Beezus and Ramona where Ramona rides her tricycle across the checkerboard Beezus is using to play with Henry Huggins. Ramona’s frustration with Willa Jean’s infantile behavior and unwillingness to follow the rules reflects her desire to be perceived as mature, along with a fair amount of embarrassment about her childish behavior. Yet Ramona hasn’t lost all her sense of mischief. The bluing incident at the Kemps’ is a classic Ramona scene. However, the vignette also reveals Ramona’s changes and The Challenges of Growing Up and Seeking Independence. When Mrs. Kemp jumps into action to save the children’s clothes, Ramona becomes embarrassed to be seen in her underwear and senses how Howie feels it. The awkward moment symbolizes a loss of innocence, and the children are becoming more aware of their bodies and have lost the childish freedom of being naked without inhibition. It marks a shift in their friendship and a move toward adolescence.

As Ramona waits uncomfortably in Howie’s clothes, she feels ashamed of her behavior and worries about what her parents will think. Ramona’s discomfort and self-consciousness grow as she waits for her parents to pick her up. Her inner thoughts as the Kemps sit down to dinner without inviting her to join them reflect a highly developed sense of social interactions and class awareness—another marker of how Ramona has been shaped by her family’s own financial struggles. Moreover, though she longs to be independent, Ramona still depends on her parents for her physical well-being and emotional security; she is, after all, in second grade. Her anxiety over their unexplained tardiness reveals her internal insecurity. Once they are all together in the car, despite the tension, Ramona feels that everything will be okay and the closeness of a family meal will fix everything.