34 pages • 1-hour read
Ramona and Her Father
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Symbols & Motifs
Money
Money is the central motif in Ramona and Her Father. It is used to represent The Support of the Family Unit and its importance in hard times; it also emphasizes how Facing Adult Issues as a Child affects Ramona and the rest of the family. The story opens with Ramona writing her Christmas list in September, already having high expectations for the day. She also hopes that, because it’s her father’s payday, the family can go to Whopperburger for supper. All of these hopes are instantly scratched off Ramona’s list when her father comes home and announces he lost his job. The family is already living paycheck to paycheck, and the change is expected to put a significant strain on the family. Mrs. Quimby is able to find full-time work to make up for some of the loss, but being at home affects Mr. Quimby’s mood, and Mrs. Quimby becomes exhausted from trying to manage both her job and the household.
Ramona sees the issues in her family and how they are making her parents and sister anxious and downtrodden. She considers being in commercials to earn money but wisely decides it isn’t for her when her father tells her, “Money is handy, but it isn’t everything” (46). All of the stress in the family left Ramona feeling like their happiness depended on money, and it was up to Mr. Quimby to reassure Ramona that the family can be happy with or without money as long as they have one another. Mr. Quimby also assures his daughter that he wouldn’t trade her for any amount of riches. Beezus also pressures Mr. Quimby to quit smoking in part because of the financial toll it takes on the family. When he does so, he also finds work, and these combined factors mean the family can rest easy again.
Smoking
Smoking is an important motif in the story, used to emphasize both the support of the family unit and Ramona’s experiences of facing adult issues as a child. Mr. Quimby has had a smoking habit for years, but when Beezus announces one night that smoking can turn Mr. Quimby’s lungs black while also affecting the health of the rest of the family, it causes something to awaken in Ramona. At only seven years old, Ramona was not aware of how damaging smoking is to her father’s health, but hearing this makes her realize it. Ramona starts to worry that her father is going to become seriously ill and takes on the burden/challenge of helping him quit. Ramona and Beezus post signs everywhere, replace their father’s cigarettes with fake ones, and constantly remind him that smoking is unhealthy. One day, after Mr. Quimby sees how much Ramona worries about him, he decides to try and quit. It is a tough road filled with tense days and cravings he can’t always fight, but in making an effort to quit, Mr. Quimby shows his family that they matter more to him than his habit. Mr. Quimby may not have been able to quit without the support and external pressure of his family encouraging him to do so.
The Sheep Costume
The sheep costume that Ramona wears for the Christmas Nativity play is a symbol of Discovering One’s Inner Strength as well as a vehicle through which Ramona learns that the more superficial aspects of life are not as important as the people at the heart of them. Ramona initially wants to be a sheep in the play because she wants to participate for the first time and sees herself as old enough to do so. The Sunday School teacher doesn’t expect to have animals in the play but agrees to Ramona’s idea after Ramona volunteers her mother to make the costume. Ramona does this without asking her mother, which upsets Mr. Quimby more than it does Mrs. Quimby. Ramona overhears her father calling her a “spoiled brat,” which makes her feel desperate to please her parents and prove she is not that person. What she discovers instead is that her family loves her, flaws and all. Ramona also discovers her own strength as she finds a way to fight through her disappointment and work with the costume she was given. In doing so, she participates, making both herself and her family proud and helping to illustrate the theme of the support of the family unit.
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