Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Al Capone Does My Shirts, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Disability, Dignity, and Shared Humanity
Friendship and Community
Family
Growing Up and Doing the Right Thing
Summary
Analysis
Moose, Jimmy, and Piper—who’s dressed “for charm school” in white and pink—board the 9:30 boat on Sunday morning. Theresa, Jimmy says, isn’t coming, presumably because she can’t bring Rocky. They head for the front so they can catch a glimpse of Al Capone’s mother immediately. Suddenly, Moose hears wailing—and Theresa comes out of the cabin with a very unhappy Rocky. She thrusts the baby at Jimmy to calm down and says Mrs. Mattaman doesn’t need to know Rocky is here. Jimmy, however, struggles to even keep ahold of Rocky, so Rocky is still screaming when they dock.
While it’s humorous that Theresa insists on bringing baby Rocky to see Mrs. Capone, remember too that she brings him because she doesn’t want him to miss out. Essentially, she treats him as a fully-formed human being who deserves to experience the same exciting experiences as she does.
Themes
Teresina Capone is unmistakable in the group that boards: she’s an old Italian lady with wavy gray hair. Moose is shocked; she looks like a normal grandma. Piper sits down next to Mrs. Capone and tries to introduce herself, but Mrs. Capone remains focused on a letter she holds close to her face. Piper finally drops her purse on Mrs. Capone’s toe. When Mrs. Capone hands the purse back, Piper tries to engage the woman in conversation, but Rocky begins to howl again. Ignoring Piper, Mrs. Capone gets up and asks Theresa if she can hold Rocky. Theresa gladly hands him over, clearly unaware that this is Al Capone’s mother. Rocky stops crying immediately, and Mrs. Capone sings an Italian lullaby to him. When the boat docks at Alcatraz, she hands Rocky back and her face goes dark.
Piper rudely ignores Mrs. Capone’s clear desire for privacy as she prepares to see her son. She’s far too focused on Mrs. Capone and Al Capone as celebrities that exist for her enjoyment, and for her enjoyment alone. In taking and soothing Rocky, though, Mrs. Capone asserts that she’s actually just like any other person—indeed, she is, as Moose observes, a “normal grandma.” To this end, her darkening face as they reach Alcatraz points to the pain she suffers due to her son being incarcerated.
Themes
Mrs. Capone walks through the “snitch box” (the metal detector), which blares. Piper shrieks that she has a gun and is going to break Al Capone out, while Theresa clutches Rocky close. The officer on duty and Mr. Trixle lead Mrs. Capone to a storage room nearby; Moose isn’t certain the old woman even understands English. Moments later, an officer comes out and sends Jimmy to get Mrs. Mattaman, who speaks Italian. Theresa manages to run away with Rocky just before her mother hurries down the hill. A short while later, Mrs. Mattaman and Mrs. Capone come out of the storeroom, Mrs. Capone looking embarrassed and rumpled. She gets back on the boat.
It seems very likely that Piper and Theresa are overreacting when Mrs. Capone sets off the snitch box, as Mrs. Capone would no doubt not just be allowed to leave if she had a gun. In this sense, while the children aren’t entirely certain of what’s going on here, they nevertheless dehumanize and make assumptions about Mrs. Capone, such as that because her son is an infamous gangster, she too must have criminal inclinations.
Themes
Later, Moose learns that the guards strip-searched Mrs. Capone, and her old-fashioned metal corset stays set the snitch box off. She didn’t have a weapon, and Mrs. Mattaman couldn’t convince Mrs. Capone that she wouldn’t face more humiliation. Moose can’t get over it. Al Capone was a baby once, and his mother no doubt sang him the lullaby she sang to Rocky. She certainly held his hand and packed his lunch. Moose bets she wishes she could do it again.
The kids eventually learn the sad truth: that Mrs. Capone was so humiliated by the strip search that she refused to go on and see her son. Moose is able to see how tragic this is because throughout this chapter, he’s noted that Mrs. Capone is just an old lady who deserves compassion (by noting that she looks like a grandma, that she seems not to speak English, etc.).
Themes
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