Al Capone Does My Shirts

Al Capone Does My Shirts

by

Gennifer Choldenko

Piper Williams Character Analysis

Piper is the scheming and domineering daughter of Warden Williams. She’s beautiful and Moose’s age, and it’s implied that Piper and Moose nurse mutual crushes throughout the novel. The ringleader of the children on Alcatraz, Piper is constantly coming up with schemes to either meet convicts or make money; at one point, she charges classmates a nickel to have their clothes washed on Alcatraz by the convicts. But despite flagrantly breaking the rules, Piper seldom gets in trouble (and if she does, she hides it from her friends) because she’s often able to manipulate her father into letting her off. Though Moose finds her rude and exhausting, Piper gradually becomes an ally. She begins to accept and support Natalie, and she helps Moose sneak a letter into the prison to Al Capone asking for his help getting Natalie into the Esther P. Marinoff.

Piper Williams Quotes in Al Capone Does My Shirts

The Al Capone Does My Shirts quotes below are all either spoken by Piper Williams or refer to Piper Williams. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Disability, Dignity, and Shared Humanity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 12: What About the Electric Chair? Quotes

I have to admit...Piper is pretty smart. But she’s going to get in trouble for this, I just know it.

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Piper Williams, Warden Williams
Page Number: 79
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19: Daddy’s Little Miss Quotes

“Numbers Nat, we need you!” Theresa interrupts.

Natalie looks up.

Piper hands Nat the money, rolled up in a handkerchief. “Three dollars and twenty cents split four—excuse me.” Piper looks at me. “Three ways.”

“One dollar six cents, two cents left over.” Natalie rocks with pleasure.

“Extra two cents goes to me,” Piper says as Natalie counts out each share.

Related Characters: Natalie Flanagan (speaker), Piper Williams (speaker), Theresa Mattaman (speaker), Moose Flanagan, Jimmy Mattaman, Annie
Page Number: 110
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23: She’s Not Cute Quotes

But right where the chain link meets the cement wall, I see a gap.

[...]

I look down at Natalie. She hasn’t moved a muscle. I won’t be able to see her once I get up there. But I know better than to try to move her once she’s all set up.

I’ll just make it quick, that’s all. A couple of seconds to look. One minute, that will be enough. A ball could be sitting right there out in the open, just waiting for me. I know this is a lousy idea. But it doesn’t matter. A gap in the fence is a magnet. It just is.

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Piper Williams, 105/Onion, Scout
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32: The Button Box Quotes

“I know what Mrs. Kelly says. I’m talking about Moose now and what he thinks. He’s good with Natalie. They’ve worked out a relationship. We have to respect that and trust him.”

“Well, yes, but—”

“You have to let him care about her his way.”

And then something I can’t hear.

“I got one child who has everything,” my mom says, “big, strapping, healthy, smart...makes people laugh. Got kids coming over looking for him night and day, just like at home. Little ones, big ones and the girls—they all like Moose. But Natalie, Natalie doesn’t have the whole world looking out for her. She needs me.”

“Moose needs you too.”

Related Characters: Mom/Helen Flanagan (speaker), Dad/Cam Flanagan (speaker), Moose Flanagan, Natalie Flanagan, Piper Williams, Theresa Mattaman, Jimmy Mattaman, Annie, Mrs. Carrie Kelly
Related Symbols: The Button Box/Buttons
Page Number: 174-175
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33: The Sun and the Moon Quotes

“Me? I’m not going to upset Natalie. She likes me,” Piper says.

“I’m sorry,” I say, my hand on the door.

Piper scoffs. “Can’t I at least say happy birthday?” She looks so earnest, so sincere, smiling her sweet smile. She’s even prettier without her hat.

“How did you know it was her birthday?”

“Theresa told me.”

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Piper Williams (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Theresa Mattaman
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:

Natalie is holding hands with a man convicted of some awful crime. It’s so strange, so awful, and so...normal. Natalie doesn’t look weird. She’s my older sister. A sixteen-year-old girl holding hands with a man not much older than she is.

This is terrible.

This is good.

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Piper Williams, 105/Onion
Page Number: 185
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 35: The Truth Quotes

“People know, Mom. They know.”

“They don’t know!” she cries, tears streaming down her face. “You don’t know! She won’t have a chance at sixteen. No one will take her. No one cares about an adult that isn’t right. It’s only kids who have a chance. It’s too late if she’s sixteen. Don’t you see?”

“Yeah, but Mom, you can’t pretend! It’s worse. People know—”

“No one knows. They don’t know and they don’t care. Put her in an institution. Do you know how many times I’ve heard that? Lock her up with all the nuts. She has to be TEN. It’s the only chance she has!”

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Mom/Helen Flanagan (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Piper Williams, 105/Onion
Page Number: 193
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 38: What Happened? Quotes

“I figured Capone could write back in the book—you know, underlining very faintly in pencil the way the cons do.”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Let’s say you want to say, ‘I need your help.’ You go carefully through the book and look for an I and underline it. And then an n and underline it and an e and so on until you’ve spelled your whole message.”

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Piper Williams (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Al Capone, Warden Williams
Page Number: 207-208
Explanation and Analysis:

“‘I like your mother very much’?” Piper says when she reads it.

“You got to say something about the guy’s mother.”

“Why?” she asks.

“Because then he remembers he has one. And he knows we know her too. Makes him act better. It’s The Mom Rule—all guys use it.”

“This is Al Capone we’re talking about. I don’t think he’ll fall for a cheap trick like that.”

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Piper Williams (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Al Capone, Teresina Capone
Page Number: 210
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Al Capone Does My Shirts LitChart as a printable PDF.
Al Capone Does My Shirts PDF

Piper Williams Quotes in Al Capone Does My Shirts

The Al Capone Does My Shirts quotes below are all either spoken by Piper Williams or refer to Piper Williams. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Disability, Dignity, and Shared Humanity Theme Icon
).
Chapter 12: What About the Electric Chair? Quotes

I have to admit...Piper is pretty smart. But she’s going to get in trouble for this, I just know it.

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Piper Williams, Warden Williams
Page Number: 79
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 19: Daddy’s Little Miss Quotes

“Numbers Nat, we need you!” Theresa interrupts.

Natalie looks up.

Piper hands Nat the money, rolled up in a handkerchief. “Three dollars and twenty cents split four—excuse me.” Piper looks at me. “Three ways.”

“One dollar six cents, two cents left over.” Natalie rocks with pleasure.

“Extra two cents goes to me,” Piper says as Natalie counts out each share.

Related Characters: Natalie Flanagan (speaker), Piper Williams (speaker), Theresa Mattaman (speaker), Moose Flanagan, Jimmy Mattaman, Annie
Page Number: 110
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23: She’s Not Cute Quotes

But right where the chain link meets the cement wall, I see a gap.

[...]

I look down at Natalie. She hasn’t moved a muscle. I won’t be able to see her once I get up there. But I know better than to try to move her once she’s all set up.

I’ll just make it quick, that’s all. A couple of seconds to look. One minute, that will be enough. A ball could be sitting right there out in the open, just waiting for me. I know this is a lousy idea. But it doesn’t matter. A gap in the fence is a magnet. It just is.

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Piper Williams, 105/Onion, Scout
Page Number: 139
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 32: The Button Box Quotes

“I know what Mrs. Kelly says. I’m talking about Moose now and what he thinks. He’s good with Natalie. They’ve worked out a relationship. We have to respect that and trust him.”

“Well, yes, but—”

“You have to let him care about her his way.”

And then something I can’t hear.

“I got one child who has everything,” my mom says, “big, strapping, healthy, smart...makes people laugh. Got kids coming over looking for him night and day, just like at home. Little ones, big ones and the girls—they all like Moose. But Natalie, Natalie doesn’t have the whole world looking out for her. She needs me.”

“Moose needs you too.”

Related Characters: Mom/Helen Flanagan (speaker), Dad/Cam Flanagan (speaker), Moose Flanagan, Natalie Flanagan, Piper Williams, Theresa Mattaman, Jimmy Mattaman, Annie, Mrs. Carrie Kelly
Related Symbols: The Button Box/Buttons
Page Number: 174-175
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 33: The Sun and the Moon Quotes

“Me? I’m not going to upset Natalie. She likes me,” Piper says.

“I’m sorry,” I say, my hand on the door.

Piper scoffs. “Can’t I at least say happy birthday?” She looks so earnest, so sincere, smiling her sweet smile. She’s even prettier without her hat.

“How did you know it was her birthday?”

“Theresa told me.”

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Piper Williams (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Theresa Mattaman
Page Number: 181
Explanation and Analysis:

Natalie is holding hands with a man convicted of some awful crime. It’s so strange, so awful, and so...normal. Natalie doesn’t look weird. She’s my older sister. A sixteen-year-old girl holding hands with a man not much older than she is.

This is terrible.

This is good.

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Piper Williams, 105/Onion
Page Number: 185
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 35: The Truth Quotes

“People know, Mom. They know.”

“They don’t know!” she cries, tears streaming down her face. “You don’t know! She won’t have a chance at sixteen. No one will take her. No one cares about an adult that isn’t right. It’s only kids who have a chance. It’s too late if she’s sixteen. Don’t you see?”

“Yeah, but Mom, you can’t pretend! It’s worse. People know—”

“No one knows. They don’t know and they don’t care. Put her in an institution. Do you know how many times I’ve heard that? Lock her up with all the nuts. She has to be TEN. It’s the only chance she has!”

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Mom/Helen Flanagan (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Piper Williams, 105/Onion
Page Number: 193
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 38: What Happened? Quotes

“I figured Capone could write back in the book—you know, underlining very faintly in pencil the way the cons do.”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Let’s say you want to say, ‘I need your help.’ You go carefully through the book and look for an I and underline it. And then an n and underline it and an e and so on until you’ve spelled your whole message.”

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Piper Williams (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Al Capone, Warden Williams
Page Number: 207-208
Explanation and Analysis:

“‘I like your mother very much’?” Piper says when she reads it.

“You got to say something about the guy’s mother.”

“Why?” she asks.

“Because then he remembers he has one. And he knows we know her too. Makes him act better. It’s The Mom Rule—all guys use it.”

“This is Al Capone we’re talking about. I don’t think he’ll fall for a cheap trick like that.”

Related Characters: Moose Flanagan (speaker), Piper Williams (speaker), Natalie Flanagan, Al Capone, Teresina Capone
Page Number: 210
Explanation and Analysis: