Beezus and Ramona

“Beezus felt that the biggest trouble with four-year-old Ramona was that she was just plain exasperating."

Beezus and Mrs. Quimby repeat the word “exasperating” many times throughout the novel to describe Ramona. The words mean that one highly annoys or agitates another person to the point of exhaustion. While the word might be used to describe the behavior of anyone at times, it perfectly encapsulates Cleary’s characterization of young Ramona. No longer a toddler but not yet a child, Ramona feels that she knows a lot about the world around her and longs to exert her independence over any authority.

“Because she was named after Aunt Beatrice, Beezus felt like she might be like her in other ways too.”

The author establishes a strong connection between the protagonist and her namesake aunt early in the narrative. Beezus’s love for Aunt Beatrice is a through line to the end of the novel but also becomes an important way that Beezus comforts herself when she is feeling sad or emotionally conflicted over her feelings for Ramona.

“This made the harmonica sound as if it were groaning oh dear, oh dear over and over again.”

Cleary incorporates sound into her narrative on several levels for different effect. Here the author uses figurative language to help convey the auditory experience of Ramona’s rackety presence in the living space. Her behavior is in contrast to Beezus’s contemplative embroidering and illustrates the differences between the sisters’ personalities. The harmonica’s one note is a humorous addition, as it appears to echo the sentiment of all in the room toward Ramona’s behavior.

“Ramona Geraldine Quimby!”

All the family members at one time in the novel refer to Ramona by her full name. Here, Beezus pleads with her sister to cease her demands to read the Scoopy book again. By using her full name, Beezus and her parents hope to get Ramona’s attention, but the tactic rarely works. Although the novel’s focus is mostly on Beezus, the frequent use of Ramona’s name is a reminder of the younger sister’s impact on the events of the novel. Beezus struggles to find her independence with her sister always nearby.

“Girls weren’t supposed to like machinery. Why couldn’t she like something quiet like Peter Rabbit?”

The novel was written in 1955, and this reference to traditional gender roles for females reveals the book’s age. Heavy machinery fascinates Ramona, and although she also plays with dolls, her interests are varied and often do not adhere to gender lines. Beezus’s desire for her sister to set aside her interest in bulldozers has less to do with acting like a girl, however, and more to do with just giving them all some peace and quiet. The quote also refers to the beloved Peter Rabbit series by author Beatrix Potter.

“‘What kind of work does your father do?’ ‘He mows the lawn,’ said Ramona promptly."

This passage represents how Cleary uses Ramona’s childlike innocence as a humorous element in the text. Ramona’s response to Miss Greever’s question about her father’s occupation reveals Ramona’s childish unawareness of adult life. The moment also shows how children’s uninhibited answers to adults’ questions can be quite humorous in their direct honesty.

“Beezus could not help feeling annoyed. Miss Robbins was letting Ramona stay in the class—the one place where she was never allowed to tag along!”

As an older sibling, Beezus is often tasked as her sister’s caregiver, causing her a lot of stress and anxiety at only nine years of age. The art class is an opportunity for Beezus to have a break from Ramona and to have something all her own. When Ramona barges in, Beezus feels her little sister is intruding on her space and will steal the attention from Miss Robbins that Beezus desperately desires.

“Beezus liked Henry, because she knew he thought she had more sense than most girls, and the two often played checkers together.”

Time with friends her own age is important to Beezus and her social and emotional development. As a sensible and practical child, Beezus is attracted to friendship with Henry because she sees that he admires the parts of herself she loves. The author creates a moment when the children play a more sophisticated, methodical game that requires quiet and concentration, setting up the ideal conditions for Ramona to rumble through and ruin it all.

“‘We could play tiddlywinks,’ said Ramona.”

Ramona’s choice of a game hints at the era when Cleary penned the novel. Tiddlywinks is a game with many variations that was first played in the Victorian era. Much like other games of a bygone era, such as marbles and pickup sticks, the reference may be nostalgic for readers who are reading the book to younger generations. Ramona also enjoys just saying the word “tiddlywinks,” as it appeals to her enjoyment of repeating certain words and phrases. This illustrates the recurring motif of language and sounds to represent the way children learn language and speech.

“Ribsy began to bark. From behind the bathroom door his barks made a hollow, echoing sound.”

In this chapter, Cleary brings in a character from her first series about Henry and his dog Ribsy. The final book in the series is told from the perspective of the canine. The incident of the locked bathroom provides another humorous moment in the text but also invites in a beloved character with whom readers may already be familiar.

“The basement was an eerie place with its gray cement walls and the grotesque white arms of the furnace reaching out in all directions.”

Cleary incorporates figurative language in this passage by personifying the furnace, elevating the tension of the scene. Most people, especially children, can identify with the fear of dark basements. Cleary uses this motif to explore another side of Beezus’s character. Although she tries to act like an adult, Beezus is still very much a child with real fears. She is trying to be brave and locate her missing sister, for whom she is supposed to be caring, but she runs right into her anxiety and fear in the form of a monstrous-looking furnace. Beezus displays bravery in pushing past her fear and descending into the basement to find Ramona.

“‘What?’ asked Beezus eagerly, already feeling better because she had confided her troubles to her aunt.”

Through Beezus’s relationship with her aunt, the author emphasizes the importance of children having adults other than parents in their lives. Beezus feels a connection to her aunt, and just a brief phone call with Beatrice calms her anxiety and renews her confidence in dealing with her difficult sister. Beezus is often left to care for Ramona, a major responsibility for a nine-year-old child, and at this moment, Beatrice helps Beezus “parent” Ramona in the way extended family members often do and provides dedicated support for her niece.

“Bingle-bongle-by!”

Howie’s parade chant sounds like a jumble of nonsense to Beezus and her mother. However, Cleary uses the alliterative phrase to echo Ramona’s earlier language play. The chant helps organize the children into a unified activity that keeps them busy most of the afternoon. The scene shows Beezus her little sister is not the only noisy child on the block and illustrates the author’s exploration of language experimentation as part of imaginative play and child development.

“The room was getting uncomfortably hot, so Beezus darted to the thermostat to turn down the heat.”

Mrs. Quimby, operating on the old-fashioned idea that having wet hair can bring on a cold, turned up the heat in the house. As the children flood in, the heat of Beezus’s anxiety increases. Beezus’s adjusting of the thermostat is the first in a series of quick decisions from the young girl to gain control of the situation in her house. Beezus displays maturity and proves to be a great helper to her mother in this intense situation.

“Ramona, her face shining with happiness, looked at her friends sharing the applesauce. ‘Those cookies are filled with worms. Chopped-up worms!’ she gleefully told everyone.”

Ramona is angry her party guests refuse to follow her rules. Cleary deftly captures the moment when Ramona realizes she can take back control of her party by lying about the Fig Newtons. Although she is only four years old, Ramona displays a quick wit and an innate sense of how to rankle a person or group.

“‘I’m afraid all we can do is wait for her to grow up,’ she said.”

Mrs. Quimby responds to her own question of what they will do with Ramona and all her antics. Her response illustrates her parenting style; she accepts Ramona’s behavior as a normal part of her development. Unlike Beezus, Mrs. Cleary is not rattled or personally offended by Ramona’s “naughty” comportment.

“‘This has been one of those days when I couldn’t seem to get anything done,’ said Mother.”

The stress of managing a household and two children begins to show in Mrs. Quimby as she tries to make Beezus’s birthday dreams come true. With a lengthy list of responsibilities, coupled with more mischievous behavior from Ramona, the overworked stay-at-home parent shows signs of crumbling. Although the novel is set in the idyllic era of the 1950s, Cleary illustrates through Mrs. Quimby’s character a realistic portrayal of the stress domestic duties place on women.

“Next to stories with lots of noise, Ramona liked stories about witches, goblins, or ogres.”

Ramona establishes herself as an imaginative, creative child early in the narrative, but in this passage, Cleary further illuminates her unique character. Most four-year-old children would be frightened by stories about monsters or other evil creatures, but Ramona loves them. The dark fairytale is a sharp contrast to Beezus’s choice of book, the practical 102 Things to do on a Rainy Afternoon. The classic Grimm’s fairytale Hänsel and Gretel, which features two children who outsmart an adult, is understandably appealing to Ramona. The moment is another example of how reading and stories are a place of common ground for the sisters and often the only way Beezus can keep Ramona still.

“As Beezus read she listened to the whir of the mixer and the sound of eggs being cracked against a bowl.”

As the novel mostly centers around family life, food becomes an important motif. Each chapter has some element of food: a grape lollipop, applesauce, or Fig Newtons. However, Beezus’s birthday cake is the most important food item, as it was her special request and a symbol of her 10th birthday. Cleary incorporates sensory imagery that appeals to the reader’s sense of taste and sound as Beezus listens to the promise of her wish fulfillment in progress.

“If Ramona were only bigger, things might be different; but since she was so much younger, she would always be […] well, a pest.”

Beezus again returns to her internal monologue to make sense of Ramona’s actions. Her anger over the ruined cake has turned to bitterness, and she desperately wishes at that moment she did not have a little sister, or at least not one as young as Ramona. The line becomes the inspiration for the next book in the series, Ramona the Pest. A “pest” is something that is annoying but also destructive, such as an insect. After ruining a library book, an entire crate of apples, and now two birthday cakes, Ramona lives up to the moniker.

“‘It is good to see you, Dorothy,’ answered Aunt Beatrice.”

Throughout the narrative, Beezus’s mother is referred to as “Mrs. Quimby” or “Mother.” When her sister arrives and uses her first name, it makes her easier to identify with as an individual outside her wife and mother roles and provides an endearing moment between the two sisters. By giving her a name, Cleary sets up the theme of the chapter in which Beezus learns to see her mother as an adult with a sister, an important and clarifying moment for the protagonist.

“It was a real grown-up sewing box. It had two sizes of scissors, a fat red pincushion that looked like a tomato, an emery bag that looked like a ripe strawberry, and a tape measure that pulled out of a shiny box.”

Beezus’s birthday gift is another set piece that places the narrative in the 1950s. A modern pre-adolescent girl might not view a sewing kit as a prized possession, but to a girl of this era, it is a treasured gift and a sign of her coming of age. Learning to sew, embroider, or knit were important parts of a young girl’s domestic education. Beezus sees the gift from Aunt Beatrice as an acknowledgment of her maturation.

“I just sat there wishing I had an autograph album, and then I took the pen and wrote my name on every single page in the book!”

To comfort Beezus, her mother and her aunt share stories from childhood that illustrate their tumultuous relationship. The stories are not only humorous but also serve to make Beezus feel less alone in her contempt for her little sister. The story of the ruined autograph album echoes the incident in Chapter 1 when Ramona defaces the library book. Beezus realizes Ramona’s behavior is normal for that age.