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Chapter 34: Happy Birthday
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
The scene at Moose’s house when he gets home looks shockingly normal: Mom is washing dishes and Natalie is flipping through a magazine. But then, Moose realizes Natalie is flipping pages quickly to feel the breeze on her face. Moose hoarsely tells Mom she can’t keep this up: Natalie isn’t 10 and people know it. Mom argues and cries, insisting that nobody cares about “an adult that isn’t right,” so Natalie’s only chance is if she’s 10. But Moose says Mr. Purdy knows, Natalie isn’t ever going to be like other kids, and Natalie won’t get a real chance at the Esther P. Marinoff if Mom isn’t honest.
As normal as Moose’s family might look to an outsider, Moose knows things aren’t normal: Natalie isn’t reading the magazine. This gives him the push he needs to try to tell Mom that it’s no longer tenable to continue to say Natalie is only 10. Mom may have good reason to fear that Natalie only has a chance if she’s little; the Esther P. Marinoff only accepts kids up to age 12, after all. But as far as Moose is concerned, it’s more important to let Natalie be 16. This will give her respect and dignity.
Themes
Dad rushes inside, and Moose tells him they can’t keep pretending Natalie is 10. She won’t get into the Esther P. Marinoff; they can’t fool Mr. Purdy. Mom sits with her head in her hands, and Dad turns away, crying. Slowly, Dad says that Moose is right. He leads Moose to Natalie and quietly asks her how old she is. She says she’s 16 as of 2:31. Dad begins to cry in earnest, and he pulls Moose and Natalie close to him. Sobbing, he says he’s proud of his wonderful children.
In a shocking moment, Natalie reveals that she herself never bought into Mom’s scheme to keep her 10 forever—she knows exactly how old she is. Dad seems to take this as a sign both of Natalie’s kindness (she perhaps knew how important her being 10 was to Mom), her humanity, and her maturity. Thus, he celebrates Moose’s bravery in bringing up this subject, and Natalie for finally telling the truth about herself.
Themes
