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93 pages 3 hours read

Gennifer Choldenko

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade

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Chapters 36-40Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part Three

Chapter 36 Summary: Waiting

Tuesday, May 28, 1935

The next day, when Moose returns home from school his mother is radiant. During her interview, “Natalie was wonderful. She spoke clearly in the new Natalie way. She tried her best to look at Mr. Purdy when she spoke. She even told a joke” (195).

Moose’s mother wants to talk to Moose alone, so Theresa looks after Natalie. Helen apologizes for the previous evening. She was angry at Moose because she thought he didn’t care about how his words affected anyone else. Now, however, she has come to realize how much he cares about Natalie: “You were doing what you thought would help your sister” (197).

During dinner they receive a phone call from the Esther P. Marinoff School. Cam returns visibly upset. Natalie has been rejected for the same reason as before.

Chapter 37 Summary: Carrie Kelly

Tuesday, May 28—Wednesday, May 29, 1935

Natalie’s second rejection from the school takes an immediate toll on the Flanagan family. Moose calls Mrs. Kelly to tell her what has happened, to thank her for her work with Natalie, and to ask if there is anything they can do to change Mr. Purdy’s mind. Mrs. Kelly was sure that Natalie would be accepted into the school. She tells Moose that whenever she lost Natalie’s focus, Mrs. Kelly would always ask Natalie what she thought Moose was up to: “I thought you might like to know how important you are to her” (201).

Moose urgently wants to help Natalie. He speaks to the Warden, “the most powerful person [he knows]” (201), even though he is not sure what the Warden could do to help. When the Warden is unable to fix Natalie’s situation, Moose has an idea. He asks about a favor from Al Capone. The Warden scoffs at this as another stunt and explains that he cannot give Al any special treatment.

Chapter 38 Summary: What Happened?

Saturday, June 1—Sunday, June 2, 1935

Life is difficult at Moose’s house because Moose’s mother is in terrible shape. Natalie hugs herself at the table, asking, “What happened? What happened?” (206). She knows that her mother is angry and repeats her dad’s words that “she’s not mad at you” (206).

When Moose tells Annie and Theresa about what he asked the Warden they reject the idea as well. However, he cannot let go of the thought that Al Capone “could do [anything] if he wanted to” (207).

Moose approaches Piper to write Al Capone a letter. She has tried in the past, and it did not work. The next day they type up a letter, making it look like it has already been censored and is ready to be delivered to Capone. In a postscript, Moose writes that he likes Al Capone’s mom. He defends this part to Piper by calling it “The Mom Ruleomaccording to Moose, invoking someone’s mother “Makes him act better” (210). Piper adds the letter to the mail pile.

Chapter 39 Summary: The Warden

Tuesday, June 11, 1935

“This week things have been better at [Moose’s] house” (212), but Moose’s last day at school is difficult. He does not know when he says goodbye to his classmates, if it is just for the summer, or forever.

When Moose gets off the boat, Natalie, Theresa, and Warden Williams meet him at the dock to tell him that Natalie got into the Esther P. Marinoff School after all. Mr. Purdy will open another section of the school for older children and he wants Natalie to be the first student enrolled in it.

Chapter 40 Summary: Al Capone Does My Shirts

Wednesday, June 12, 1935

When Moose puts on a clean shirt the next day, he finds a scrap piece of paper in the sleeve. On the note, it says “Done,” underlined twice.

Chapters 36-40 Analysis

Moose has fully matured by the end of the novel. We see this most clearly in his changing attitude towards Natalie. Rather than seeing her as a burden, or an unfair responsibility he has to contend with, he sees her life fully, from her point-of-view, in contrast to his own. He knows that he “will graduate from high school, go to college, Get married, have kids [and that] She will not” (199). Things seem so unfair for Natalie and Moose feels powerless to help her. However, recognizing the positive development that Natalie has made since she has been working with Carrie Kelly inspires some hope in Moose. He now knows that “Natalie has been more a part of things here on this island than she ever has before. She's had a life here, for the first time. Maybe just a little bit of a life. But a life just the same” (199). The knowledge that Natalie has a life—her own individual development and destiny—encourages Moose to enlist Al Capone’s help in getting her into the Esther P. Marinoff School. His leap of faith turns out to be fruitful, as the man who “does [his] shirts” is also the man who, somehow, gets Natalie enrolled in the school (215). Moose’s full acceptance of Natalie clarifies his love for her and he recognizes that “When you love someone, you have to try things even if they don’t make sense to anyone else” (201).

Al Capone’s surprising ability to ensure Natalie’s future in the school further humanizes him, and by extension, the other prisoners confined on Alcatraz. Al Capone seemingly responds to two things: Moose’s impassioned letter about his sister and his somewhat manipulative reference to Mrs. Capone. It doesn’t matter which of these tacks triggers Capone’s empathy; the important thing is that Moose no longer sees the prisoner as an object of curiosity, or a proxy of fame, or a way to secure bragging rights. Instead, Capone is a powerful person who is willing to use his influence to affect the life of a young woman for the better. In this, he compares favorably to Piper, who wields her power selfishly, and to the Warden, who refuses to do anything with his power besides curb the actions of other people.

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