Until this point in the story, Mr. Quimby’s smoking has served more as a character trait than a conflict, but the night of the pumpkin carving changes everything. The family cat, Picky-picky, becomes the unlikely catalyst for this change when he destroys the pumpkin that the family carved together. While this would normally be upsetting to any child, it is particularly upsetting to Ramona in this instance because her family has been so tense lately. The pumpkin carving was a way for the family to just be together, enjoy each other’s company, and forget about their problems for a while. The Support of the Family Unit was strong, and Ramona was relieved. All of this was taken from her during the night, symbolized by the destruction of the pumpkin.

Beezus shares the same feelings as Ramona but understands the issue on a deeper level. She sees that Picky-picky was hungry because of not wanting to eat cheap cat food, which can ultimately be traced back to Mr. Quimby losing his job. Beezus wisely points out that Mr. Quimby’s cigarettes are not only an unnecessary expense but also an extremely unhealthy habit that affects the whole family. Mr. Quimby reacts by getting angry at Beezus, and Ramona watches the whole situation unfold. She is seven years old but old enough to understand that getting black lungs is not a good thing. She starts to fear for her father’s health, but her parents ironically believe she is just upset about the pumpkin: “She was crying about important things like her father being cross so much now that he wasn’t working and his lungs turning black and Beezus being so disagreeable” (68-69). Everything starts to pile up around Ramona.

By taking on the task of helping her father quit smoking, Ramona is Facing Adult Issues as a Child and doing so in the honest, straightforward way that only a child could. She starts lecturing her father about his habit and posting signs all over for him to see, and soon, Beezus joins in the effort. Mr. Quimby is blasé about it at first and jokes around about Ramona’s signs, but Ramona doesn’t see any of it as funny.

As tension builds in the home, it eventually results in a breakdown that comes pouring out through Ramona’s tears. Ramona comes home to find her father gone and starts to wonder if he left the family. All of the unhappiness in the home has led her to start thinking of worst-case scenarios and comparing her own situation to that of children she knows whose fathers are no longer around. Seeing how everything has been affecting Ramona finally makes Mr. Quimby stop and pause, and he experiences an epiphany that leads him to quit smoking. The scene in which Mr. Quimby and Ramona draw together is a moment of innocence and pure, unencumbered bonding between father and daughter, something Ramona has been craving ever since her father lost his job.

Ramona experiences catharsis when she and Howie make tin can stilts and parade the neighborhood, belting out a silly song and exercising their independence. Being unencumbered helps Ramona in Discovering One’s Inner Strength. After months of seeing each member of her family stressed and burdened and facing adult issues as a child, Ramona takes some time to just be a kid. She laughs, she sings, and all of it helps release the tension she has felt for so long. The experience is so powerful for Ramona that she doesn’t even feel affected when her family lectures her after coming home late: “To her wonder, no heavy feeling weighed her down, no sad expression came to her face, no tears. She simply stood there, cold, dripping, and feeling good” (120).