Ramona and Her Mother

As befits a book with the title Ramona and Her Mother, the novel places the theme of the bond between mothers and daughters at its center. From Ramona’s point of view, however, that bond is most conspicuous by its absence: Mrs. Quimby’s new job requires her to divide her attention between her career and her family, and Ramona can sense her mother’s weariness. Yet, her child’s mind internalizes her mother’s distraction as a lack of caring. Though Ramona has always felt closer to her father, she desires a closer relationship with her mom as she matures. Caught between childhood and adolescence, Ramona grapples with her identity and her role within the family, and she looks to her mother for guidance during a season of uncertainty. Ramona’s anxious feelings are compounded when a brunch guest calls Beezus her “mother’s girl”; Ramona wonders what that means for her identity as a daughter. This moment initiates an internal struggle within Ramona to understand how her mother views her and manufactures moments where she can capture her mother’s attention and affection. She thinks, “How come nobody ever calls me my mother’s girl? […] How come Mother never says she couldn’t get along without me?” (34) Through both Beezus’s and Ramona’s connections to their mother, the novel explores the importance of strong mother–daughter relationships at crucial stages of a child’s development.