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
They go to the parade grounds, where a mom is pushing a four-year-old on the swings. Moose pushes Natalie, even though she’s too old and can swing just fine herself. After a few minutes, her head nods. Moose just catches her before she falls off the swing, fast asleep. He carries her home and runs into Dad on the stairwell. Dad takes Natalie from Moose, tucks her into bed, and then, taking in the trashed living room, pours himself a beer and Moose a half-glass of beer. Dad doesn’t drink much and Moose doesn’t like beer, but Moose knows Dad understands. Together, they put the room back together.
By pouring Moose the beer, Dad shows that he sees and accepts Moose’s burgeoning maturity. It’s a gesture that suggests for now, at least, Dad is willing to see Moose as an equal and, more specifically, as an equally important person in Natalie’s life. While not explicit, it may also indicate that Dad knows Mom didn’t set Moose up for success and in this sense, it’s an apology.
Themes
Moose asks why Dad always does what Mom says. Dad laughs strangely, but he says he doesn’t. With prodding, Dad says that things matter more to Mom—except when it comes to Moose. Fighting tears, Moose asks Dad if Natalie is the way she is because of him; they always say she got worse when she was three, around when Moose was born. Dad looked shocked. Grabbing Moose’s shoulders, he says he doesn’t know why Natalie is sick, but it has nothing to do with Moose.
As Dad says that Moose matters more to him, it recalls the flashback describing when Dad fetched Moose from Gram’s house. His support has been subtle, but it’s always been there. It’s worth noting that Choldenko has said Natalie would likely be diagnosed with autism today. Autism symptoms often appear in toddlerhood; that is, Natalie would’ve been about the right age when Moose was born for symptoms to appear.
Themes
