Al Capone Does My Shirts Sparknotes

Al Capone Does My Shirts is written by Gennifer Choldenko and is set on the island of Alcatraz, California in 1935. Alcatraz in 1935 is described in the novel as adults having to work extra hard to earn money and to afford school for their children. This is similar to what life was like in Alcatraz during this time because school was a luxury for middle and lower classes. Schools were overpopulated, they weren’t getting enough funding, and a lot of schools closed in the 1930s. The main characters include Moose, Natalie, Moose’s mom, and Moose’s dad. Their lives are illustrated as being middle class, and Moose and Natalie both go to school, Moose’s dad works two jobs, and Moose’s mom has a side job. This is different from what life was like

The main characters’ lives are impacted by The Great Depression because their lives are described as being middle class and hard working. Moose's dad works two jobs, one of them as an electrician and the other one as a guard. Moose’s mom also works a job. Natalie and Moose both go to school. Differently, people’s lives during this time were being impacted by The Great Depression by not being able to go to school, parents working multiple jobs and barely making it, and schools being shut down left and right, leaving many children without an education. In the novel Al Capone Does My Shirts, the era of the Great Depression impacts the theme because people were less tolerant of people with disabilities during the time the story takes place, making it difficult for them to be patient with Natalie. When people started being patient with her, she started doing

When people started being patient with her, she started doing better. In the story Al Capone Does My Shirts, Natalie is a 16-year-old girl. She has autism and her parents have been trying to help her throughout her entire life. Although they somewhat helped Natalie still struggled, teachers have struggled to educate and help her. Moose states, “We're working on pronouns. My mom said this. Pronouns. Natalie, who never called herself anything but Natalie my whole life, just called herself "l”. ‘Oh,’ I say. ‘I want to go outside?’ My voice breaks. ‘I want to go outside,’ she says, the look of relief on her face as big as thirty states. I open the door then. I do. How could I not?” (Choldenko 70). This reveals how the 1930s impacts the theme because Natalie is finally making progress. Moose’s mom is working with Mrs.Kelly to help Natalie use pronouns and she finally did. This shows that Mrs. Kelly and Moose’s mom have been patient with Natalie, and finally she started picking it up. Without patience she wouldn’t have made progress. This proves that it was hard for teachers and parents to understand how to help autistic kids. During the 1930s, people weren’t very educated on the topic. They