Essay Questions

Why does Ramona think that Mrs Whaley doesn't like her?

When Ramona first meets Mrs Whaley, she believes that her teacher likes her very much, especially because the main focus of her class is reading, and Ramona loves to read. She is also a happy go lucky child who loves school, which she also believes will endear her to Mrs Whaley. When she accidentally breaks a raw egg over her own head in the lunch room, she is sent to the school secretary so that she can get cleaned up. She overhears Mrs Whaley saying that she is a show off and a nuisance. This upsets her enormously because she doesn't think of herself as either of those things, and besides, it wasn't even her fault that the egg in her lunch box was raw. The thought that her teacher doesn't like her definitely festers within her and continues to bother her, and eventually she confronts Mrs Whaley about what she overheard. Mrs Whaley tells her she meant it in a loving and caring way, not in an angry and mean way, which makes Ramona feel better. Mrs Whaley does find Ramona high maintenance as a student but doesn't seem to actively dislike her which is what Ramona believes and fears at the same time.

Why is Ramona the only one who is expected to look after Willa Jean?

Howie's grandmother is known to be very grumpy and cantankerous, and very obviously favors her own grandchildren. As she is Howie's grandmother, Howie has toys and his bike at her house, and is therefore able to go outside as soon as school is out, and play with his friends or ride around on his bicycle. Beezus never has to look after Willa Jean; she is in high school now and so uses the increased volume of homework that she has as an excuse to be left alone. That leaves Ramona, who has no toys or books at Howie's grandmother's house, and who has a minimal amount of homework and therefore no excuses to get our of babysitting duty. Eventually she also identifies this as the problem and decides to follow Beezus' example; when assigned silent reading is brought into English class by Mrs Whaley, she decides to take her book over to Howie's grandmother's house with her, and use the silent reading as an excuse to be left alone by Willa Jean.

Why is there more tension in the Quimby home than usual?

The main reason for the increase in tension is the change in economic circumstances. Previously a two income family, now that Mr Quimby has decided to go back to school and study for his teaching certificate they are a one-income family, and this is making things much more difficult and stressful. There is not as much money for food as there used to be and when the kids complain about what they are eating their father is maddened by their attitude. Mr Quimby also seems to feel a little guilty for temporarily making things more difficult for his family and sometimes this can make him angry too. However, despite tension in the home the family are still obviously close-knit and loving. Beezus is exhibiting stereotypical teen behavior, and is finding her little sister annoying, whilst Ramona is finding Beezus more stuck up and annoying than usual. The fact that the man in the restaurant still sees a strong family dynamic when he sees them at the restaurant shows that despite the tension they are feeling and the financial stresses they are under, they are still a family who mean the world to each other.