The Eraser
When Mr. Quimby gives Ramona a brand new pink eraser to start her first day of third grade, he asserts it is for luck and not because he expects her to make mistakes. The eraser is a sturdy symbol for this entry in the Ramona series because it is one in which she learns that mistakes of human nature often need to be erased in order to movie and progress. At several points during the narrative, Ramona is confronted with mistakes in judgment or assumptions that will be need erasing as she learns things are not done right the first time in human interaction.
The Fireplace
The fireplace in the Quimby home becomes a multi-faceted symbol of their domestic condition. At first it refuses to burn, reflecting the frustration and disappointment of Ramona’s parents to work their way out of an economic slump. The description of log sending puffs of smoke into the living room is symbolic of the flares of anger expressed by every family member creating a toxic living environment. The log finally settling in to burn and with just a few sparks represents how the family manages to move past that toxicity and settle into a fully functioning family again.
“Ramona, clean up your room.”
The myriad versions of the phrase “Ramona, clean up your room” serve to become symbolic centerpiece for Ramona’s primary difficulty with her parents. Ramona has come to feel that they think everything she does is wrong and this feeling has naturally stimulated resentment against them on Ramona’s part.
Mr. Quimby's Pencil
Mr. Quimby’s pencil is situated as the symbol of emotional state of mind. Ramona has already grown attuned the sound of her father’s pencil scratching “angrily” across the sheet of paper. The sound of the pencil being thrown onto table also accompanies angry outbursts with both Ramona and her sister.
The Whopperburger
The Whopperburger fast food restaurant is the novel’s central symbol of restoration. In another time, the scene which takes place there would have been set at a church picnic. Feasting has long been a traditional symbolic act of family reunification after a prolonged period of dysfunction. In a sign of the times, it is not a church, but a fast food burger joint which becomes the site of the healing of a damaged family dynamic.
