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The island of Alcatraz, and the prison built on it, symbolize Natalie’s disability (which author Gennifer Choldenko has said would be diagnosed as severe autism today). Moose begins the novel seeing both Alcatraz and his sister as unknowable and dangerous; he doesn’t want to go outside, especially with Natalie, for fear of the creepy prison and because he finds Natalie unpredictable. Additionally, Natalie sometimes has tantrums that Moose realizes trap her—he can see in her eyes, at one point, that she’s fighting the tantrum threatening to overwhelm her. This likens Natalie’s difficulties with processing and regulating her emotions to a prison, much like Alcatraz.
However, over the course of the novel, Moose becomes more comfortable on Alcatraz, a process that mirrors Natalie developing more emotional regulation and the ability to fight her tantrums to some degree. Essentially, while the novel acknowledges that Natalie is in no way “cured” (and it should be noted that there is no “cure” for autism), both Natalie and Moose learn to accept and live within their restrictions, giving them more freedom and autonomy than they’ve ever enjoyed before.
Alcatraz Quotes in Al Capone Does My Shirts
The Al Capone Does My Shirts quotes below all refer to the symbol of Alcatraz. 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:
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Chapter 3: Trick Monkey
Quotes
Favorite crime: Dinner party of death! Invites lieutenants in his organization known to have double-crossed him to a party. After dessert, Al’s men lock the doors and Capone beats the traitors to death with a baseball bat.
A baseball bat?
Favorite word for murder: “Rub-out”—often in front of many witnesses who then develop “gangster amnesia.”
Sent to jail for: Tax evasion.
Other stuff: Rigged elections. Opened first soup kitchen in Chicago. Likes silk underwear.
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Chapter 20: Warning
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We sit with her. Annie and Theresa, Jimmy and me. Keep her company wherever she’s gone.
That is the way my mom finds us when she gets off the boat, her music bag over her shoulder.
[...]
“Get them out of here.” My mom spits the words out.
“Mom, it’s—”
“I won’t have her made a spectacle.”
“It’s really not like that. They like her,” I say.
“NOW, Moose.”
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Chapter 30: Eye
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“Stop it! Stop it!” I have my hands on Nat’s arms. I want to shake her, shake her hard. My arms tremble with the effort not to.
Natalie screams louder. I look into those trapped eyes. Wherever she is, she can’t get out, which only makes her scream louder. And suddenly I’m not angry anymore.
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Chapter 37: Carrie Kelly
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I try to go to sleep. But I keep thinking about Natalie at home in Santa Monica—living her life in the back room of our house and on the steps of Gram’s. I rode bikes with Pete, played ball, did my homework. She did not. I will graduate from high school, go to college, get married, have kids. She will not.
[...]
Nothing has helped. But suddenly I see this isn’t true. One thing has helped. Carrie Kelly. 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.
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I look directly into his blue eyes. “Remember you said we should think hard about going against the rules? Remember you said that. Well, I have thought hard.”
The warden meets my gaze. “I see that,” he says. “But in this case you’re asking me to bend the rules. And I’m not about to. You may think it’s the right thing to do, but I do not.”
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Chapter 39: The Warden
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And every day I wonder if we’ll be going back to Santa Monica. It seems so long ago that we lived there now, I’m not even sure I want to anymore. And I know moving back will be bad for Natalie.
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Get the entire Al Capone Does My Shirts LitChart as a printable PDF.
Alcatraz Symbol Timeline in Al Capone Does My Shirts
The timeline below shows where the symbol Alcatraz appears in Al Capone Does My Shirts. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Devil’s Island
Today—January 4, 1935—Moose Flanagan moved to Alcatraz, a “twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water.” Other...
(full context)
...To try to manage his anxiety, Moose thinks about telling his best friend, Pete, about Alcatraz. Pete would be able to make Moose laugh, but right now, Moose doesn’t think anything...
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Chapter 3: Trick Monkey
...his pocket, but Theresa demands the card back and reads it aloud. It’s facts about Alcatraz prisoner Al Capone, including that his favorite jewelry is a $50,000 pinkie ring, that he...
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Chapter 4: American Laugh-Nosed Beet
...to Natalie while Mom talks to the boatman, who’s eager to get moving back to Alcatraz. Finally, Moose grabs the book and begins to read the index, but changing the animals’...
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Chapter 6: Sucker
...why do women and children live on the island? He knows it’s because rent on Alcatraz is cheap compared to in San Francisco, and he knows the warden wants guards close...
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...(so the convicts won’t make weapons). Finally, the warden says that Moose is the only Alcatraz kid who will attend school with Piper, and he was wondering if Moose would help...
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Chapter 7: Big for Seventh Grade
...invites him to play. Piper gives her speech next about caroling for the convicts on Alcatraz, listing Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Roy Gardner by name. Other kids are in...
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Before Moose knows it, it’s his turn. He talks about moving from Santa Monica to Alcatraz because Dad is the electrician on Alcatraz. One night, he says, Mom didn’t feel like...
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...asks if Moose is going to help with her project: they’re going to sell the Alcatraz laundry service to their classmates. Kids will get in line to have Al Capone or...
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Chapter 8: Prison Guy Plays Ball
...he gets to the field, a few of the boys ask Moose about life on Alcatraz, like whether Moose gets to eat meals with the murderers and if he’s met Al...
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Chapter 9: Nice Little Church Boy
...and hugs her. As they throw the ball, he asks Annie if anyone else on Alcatraz plays. She explains that the convicts play and the kids get to keep any balls...
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Chapter 12: What About the Electric Chair?
...was just worried about Natalie. Privately, Moose is certain she knows Natalie is back on Alcatraz. Piper then says that helping with the laundry isn’t against the warden’s rules and reminds...
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...warden anything. Piper promises and tells Moose all he has to do is talk about Alcatraz and shows him a sign in her notebook, advertising the only laundry facility run by...
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...tell a wild tale about how someone got stabbed. Kids want to know more about Alcatraz. Moose insists that convicts are punished for overdue library books and for not saying please...
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Chapter 13: One-Woman Commando Unit
...Mrs. Kelly said Moose can take her wherever he wants, and according to Bea Trixle, Alcatraz is the safest neighborhood in San Francisco. All the bad guys are behind bars. Moose...
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Chapter 16: Capone Washed Your Shirts
...clean clothes are collectors’ items since Al Capone’s sweat is on them and brandishes an Alcatraz laundry ticket as proof. This does nothing to change people’s minds.
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Chapter 17: Baseball on Tuesday
...baseball. Mom, however, says she can’t change her schedule now and suggests Moose play on Alcatraz. She refuses to get Natalie a babysitter. Moose goes to his room to stew, but...
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Chapter 19: Daddy’s Little Miss
...but Piper doesn’t move. He then notes that money motivated almost all the criminals in Alcatraz, and he insists this will not happen again. If it does, he threatens to fire...
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Chapter 21: It Never Rains on Monday
...when Scout plays baseball. Moose tries to ignore the game every week. He’s bored on Alcatraz, as his friendship with Pete has fizzled out, Annie and her mom go to church...
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In late March, the sun comes out, Piper returns to Alcatraz, and Annie and her mom go back to attending church weekly. Piper is clearly already...
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Chapter 22: Al Capone’s Mama
...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.
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Chapter 30: Eye
...being a kid without responsibilities. Natalie would be safe and they can move away from Alcatraz. The only thing stopping Moose is that he doesn’t want to disappoint Dad. As much...
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Chapter 37: Carrie Kelly
...tried, none of which have worked—except, he realizes, Mrs. Kelly. Natalie has a life on Alcatraz for the first time ever.
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