Al Capone Does My Shirts Family Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

"Get them out of here." My mom spits the words out.

"Mom, it's—"

"I won't have her made a spectacle of."

"It's not really like that. They like her," I say.

"NOW, Moose!" (20.28-32)

The good news: Mom is fiercely loyal to her family. The bad news: This can make her overly protective and self conscious about stuff, especially Natalie's condition. She doesn't see that people outside of the family can love her daughter, too. Moose is trying to help her see that Natalie has friends who care and can take care of her.

Quote #8

"Moose, are you going to bring, you know…" Piper dips her head toward Natalie, who is sitting quietly dragging her fingers along a patch of moss. "No offense or anything"—Piper flashes her fake smile—"but I don't think you should."

"You know what? That's none of your business," I shoot back. I decide about Natalie. Not Piper. (21.49-50)

Moose is used to being protective of his family. He feels responsible for Natalie, especially because he babysits her all the time, so when Piper starts trying to tell him what to do with her, Moose snaps back. Natalie is his business, thank you very much.

Quote #9

I can't get over this. I keep thinking about when Al Capone was a baby. I'll bet his mama sang him the same song she sang to Rocky. I'll she held his hand when they crossed the street, packed his lunch for school and sewed his name in his jacket—A. Capone so everyone would know it was his.

I'll bet she wishes she could do it all over again too… if only Al were little and she could. (22.44-45)

After running into Al Capone's mom on the boat, Moose isn't dazzled by how she's a famous criminal's relative—instead, he just thinks about her as a normal mom. He thinks about how she must miss her baby boy, who used to be just like other kids, and about how she must miss him. This probably comes from the fact that family is a big priority in his Moose's own life.