In the first chapter of the story, Cleary works to characterize Ramona through her thoughts and actions and how she perceives the world around her. Ramona is seven years old and just beginning to develop a grasp of the realities of life. During the exposition, she still maintains a complete innocence and childlike optimism, and as her family begins to experience issues, Ramona struggles to maintain that natural optimism and cheerfulness. Ramona is seen working on a Christmas list in September, which speaks to her lack of patience and her one-track mind. These traits are both flaws and strengths because they can get Ramona into trouble, or they can be helpful in accomplishing goals. Cleary includes little details that add to the childlike and relatable nature of Ramona’s character, like having her misspell the animals on her Christmas list (“ginny pig”) or depicting her singing out loud because she is so overwhelmed with joy: “I’m making a joyful noise until the Lord, like they say in Sunday school” (2). Using phrases like “until the Lord” instead of “unto the Lord” demonstrates Cleary’s experience with children and her understanding of how they think and speak. Ramona is also depicted accurately for her age, with a newly forming sense of irony and rhetoric: “Was this a question grown-ups asked just to be asking a question or did her mother expect an answer?” (42). 

Ramona’s family is introduced one member at a time, with Mrs. Quimby being introduced through the situation of being out of food and Beezus being concerned about her upcoming creative writing assignment. Ramona is the only person in the room who is free of tension and is just purely happy; before her father even announces he was laid off, Mrs. Quimby and Beezus already have issues to deal with. The family lives paycheck to paycheck as it is, and nights out at the burger restaurant are seen as special treats. The money motif is used in the story to demonstrate how The Support of the Family Unit will get the Quimbys through this difficult time. Despite the money issues within the family, Ramona, Beezus, and Mrs. Quimby look forward to going out to Whopperburger for supper, and thinking of it lightens the mood in the household. 

The mood quickly shifts downward again when Mr. Quimby arrives home with the upsetting news of his layoff. While she was largely unaware of the family’s day-to-day financial challenges—as evidenced by her early and ambitious Christmas list—Mr. Quimby’s unemployment cannot be ignored. In this way, Ramona is confronted with an adult challenge—the loss of income—that will affect the entire family, and Facing Adult Issues as a Child becomes the basis of Ramona’s transformative experience. Ramona sees her father as the provider of the luxuries she enjoys when her family can afford them; enduring this change while seeing her father fall into a depressed state is difficult for Ramona. Despite only being seven, Ramona feels a sense of responsibility toward her family and wants to do what she can to help. While this is an overall positive feeling, it also leads Ramona to burden herself and take on more than she is capable of handling at that age. She does have a certain wisdom within her and observes the change in mood within her family members; as a result, she wishes for “one happy family” (20) for Christmas instead of all the pets. The opening chapter thus becomes a lesson in managing expectations and the harsh realities that come with daily living. Each in their own way, every chapter in the story can be isolated into a life lesson that comes together to support the story’s overarching themes.

Being at home all day every day puts Mr. Quimby in a dark mood, and his mood affects the atmosphere of the entire household. Ramona is especially concerned about her father, and when he mentions how kids on TV make lots of money, Ramona sees it as her chance to contribute. She sees the issue through a simplified lens, wanting her father to be “fun” again and for her to be able to make that happen. While Mrs. Quimby demonstrates adaptive skills by getting a full-time job, Ramona takes on the burden of worrying about her whole family’s happiness. Ramona even attempts to be like the children in the commercials until her father reminds her that she is great just the way she is. Throughout this chapter, Ramona also learns that “money is handy, but it isn’t everything” (46) and discovers that her family does not rely on money for happiness.