Ramona and Her Father

In the story’s rising action, Ramona volunteers to be a sheep in the church Nativity play for Christmas. It is a clear indication that Ramona is getting older and Discovering One’s Inner Strength. Over the past few months, Ramona has helped her father quit smoking, assisted her sister with a school assignment, and found her own source of inner joy and independence while playing out until dark with Howie. These events have helped Ramona find her confidence and develop a belief in herself. She thinks she is ready to be part of the yearly Nativity scene, which is something she was never old enough to do before. Ramona even comes up with her own idea for a role, although she does this under the assumption that her mother will make a costume for her. Ramona’s confidence is threatened once more when she overhears her father calling her spoiled, and she starts to wonder if she really is that child.

The Support of the Family Unit almost falls apart in the days leading up to Christmas but ultimately gets reinforced through honest communication. Ramona puts unnecessary pressure on her mother to create a sheep costume, and Mrs. Quimby silently accepts it, while Mr. Quimby reacts with irritation and anger. Inevitably, Mrs. Quimby doesn’t have time to finish the costume with her full-time job and taking care of the family, and Ramona is left feeling disappointed. Ramona also continues to deal with the issue of her father’s smoking but comes to an understanding with Mr. Quimby when he explains the difficulties in quitting a habit like smoking. Mr. Quimby’s tone is, for once, unpatronizing and on the level, and “hearing her father speak this way, as if she really was a grown-up” (137) is what helps Ramona feel respected and heard. Ramona doesn’t see herself as a small child anymore, and her father finally starts to pick up on this fact. With this change in the way Ramona and her father communicate, new bridges are built between them, and their relationship returns to its healthy normal. Mr. Quimby also helps Ramona realize an important fact about how support within a family is precisely what makes the happy family Ramona is always wishing for. Rather than thinking of happiness as being problem-free, Ramona starts to see happiness as having support even when there are problems. This new outlook also helps Ramona see her sister in a new way and feel more grateful for her mother’s efforts to make the costume, even if it wasn’t completed in time.

The story’s climax is also its conclusion, with the absence of a denouement or falling action portion of the plot. The night of the play arrives, and Ramona spends the first half of it sulking. In doing so, she starts to dislike the person she sees and looks for a way to change it. By adapting to her situation and finding her “inner sheep” instead of relying on the costume, Ramona finds her inner strength and demonstrates growth as a character. Though Ramona does go through a period of sulking and stubborn refusal to adjust, she eventually sees that it is up to her to make herself feel better. She sits behind the tree, wondering why no adult has come to force her into the play, and realizes that the push she needs must come from within. During the play, Ramona feels pride in herself and from her parents, and she also feels proud of her older sister, whom she previously saw as an adversary. Ramona’s story began with grand wishes of several new pets for Christmas and changed into one of wishing for a happy family. Ramona got her wish in the end, and the smile on her face in the final illustration clearly shows the joy she feels.

Cleary’s choice to use the third-person limited style creates a narrative voice that is both childlike and wise at the same time. She captures both Ramona’s naivety and simplistic ways of thinking while also including additional insight and a certain sageness that makes the chaos of the Quimby world more calm and endurable. Dialogue is also an important aspect of Ramona and Her Father because the story centers on the Quimby family and their complex relationships with one another. The way that Ramona lectures her father about his smoking, for instance, speaks to a certain understanding between them and Mr. Quimby’s long-time relinquishment of some of his power to his daughter.