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Al Capone Does My Shirts
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BetaChapters 33-35Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part Three
Chapter 33 Summary: The Sun and the Moon
Monday, May 27, 1935
As Natalie’s interview approaches, the family, and especially Helen, wonders how much to disrupt Natalie’s routine. The day before Natalie’s interview is also her birthday, but Helen wants it to be just a normal, peaceful day because it takes Natalie a week to recover from her outbursts.
Natalie is contentedly drawing pictures of the different phases of the moon, when there is a knock on their door. Moose tries to ignore it at first but becomes concerned that the knocking will bother Natalie. Piper wants to come in and wish Natalie a happy birthday. She comes in, says happy birthday and leaves.
Natalie returns to drawing the moon phases, but then rips up the paper. Moose senses there is something wrong. He tries to distract her with lemon cake but he “can almost see the battle in her eyes. All at once, the storm seems to win” (183). He yells for Natalie to follow him outside, and she obeys, trying to fight her rising feelings.
They circle the parade grounds twice, and then Natalie takes off on her own in the direction of the west stairs. Moose follows, with Piper close behind. Once they figure out where Natalie is going, Piper believes that Natalie just wants to say goodbye to prisoner 105. Moose tries to distract Natalie and turn her around, but she is determined. They find 105 and he is happy to see Natalie, calling her sweetie, and she sits with him. Moose is floored at the sight of Natalie “holding hands with a man convicted of some awful crime. It's so strange, so awful and so…normal” (185).
Chapter 34 Summary: Happy Birthday
Same day—Monday, May 27, 1935
Piper, Natalie and Moose return home and find that Helen has decorated the apartment for Natalie’s birthday. Moose’s mother invites Piper to come to the party, but rejects Piper’s suggestion that they invite the others. Moose avoids the party by going to his room. When Natalie asks for Theresa, Moose’s mother asks Piper to get her.
Theresa and Jimmy come over, and Theresa brings Annie as well. They sing “Happy Birthday,” but when Helen opens Natalie’s presents, Theresa objects—ripping them open should be Natalie’s job. Natalie tears through the presents herself.
After the party, Moose walks his friends home, Piper last. He notices how beautiful it is outside, until he turns around and sees the prison. Piper asks how old Natalie is, and Moose says 16. “That’s what we figured,” she says in a way that troubles him.
Chapter 35 Summary: The Truth
Same day—Monday, May 27, 1935
When Moose returns home, the house is peaceful, but something is bothering him. He argues with his mother that pretending Natalie is ten is no longer right. He pleads with his mother: “She is sixteen […] and everybody knows it […] She’s not going to be like everybody else, Mom. This is her only chance and it’s not a chance at all if you’re not honest” (192-193). Cam comes in to the room as the argument escalates. Helen is still denying Natalie’s real age. Cam finally agrees with Moose. He asks Natalie how old she is. She responds: “I am sixteen at two thirty-one today” (194). Natalie’s use of “I” makes Cam cry even harder. He is “so very proud [of] what wonderful people” his children have become (194).
Chapters 33-35 Analysis
Natalie’s growing maturity and independence comes in fits and starts and doesn’t the neurotypical pattern. Nevertheless, Moose’s sensitivity to his sister makes him the ideal person to support her emerging sense of self. The very special relationship and understanding that Moose and Natalie have allows him to recognize Natalie’s mood (and potential emotional outburst) even before she does. When he takes her outside to distract her from it, she seems to understand his intention—and, more importantly for her future wellbeing, she purposefully tries to fend off an outburst by expelling her energy by running around the parade grounds. By not preventing her from meeting 105, Moose is letting Natalie make her own decisions and assert herself—an action that lets him see Natalie holding the man’s hand in a scene that is both disturbing (because Natalie really doesn’t understand potential danger) and exhilarating (because she is connecting with another person in such a relaxed way).
Natalie’s relationship with 105 makes Moose reject his parents’ approach to caring for Natalie, which relies on the pretense that she is perpetually 10 years old. Instead, Moose tells the truth about Natalie’s age—letting the reader know for the first time that she is actually 16—and asserting Natalie’s humanity. He demands she be treated as a person, just like everyone else. Moose’s empathetic and courageous stand inspires his father to see Natalie as a daughter rather than a burden and object of pity. Cam asks Natalie her age—a gesture of acceptance and love.
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