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Jimmy Saechao

Professor Lisa Orta

English 205B

26th March 2019

Power Trip

Al Capone Does My Homework is a novel written by Gennifer Choldenko and it takes

place on Alcatraz Island in the 1930s. Alcatraz is an island off the coast of California that holds a

federal prison, it is also the main setting of the novel. During this time, life was simpler and

people interacted more with each other because the technology wasn’t quite developed yet. The

1930s endured the great depression, which was a hard time because of the high unemployment

rate. People had to adapt to the economic challenges just to get by and this meant making

decisions that would affect others in a negative way. Through characters like Donny, Darby, and

piper, Choldenko demonstrates the circulation of money and power and how it influences them

during this time in the novel.

In chapter one, Darby Trixle is introduced as one of the guards at Alcatraz and he’s

described as someone who was “born in a uniform, one size too tight” (2). This indicates that he

isn’t the nicest person to be around and it fits his role as one of the guards. Darby has been

envious of Mr. Flanagan ever since he was given the job of Associate Warden. When Moose

confronts Indiana about spitting on his dad, Darby asks “Your father needs his kids to take care

of him?” (6). He later on tells Moose, “You stay out of the dock area when the cons are down

here, because I sure as heck don’t need your help” (6). He’s implying that he could do a better

job as Associate Warden than Mr. Flannagan. Darby comes up with a plan to try and take Mr.

Flannagan’s job from him. He pays Donny to burn their apartment down and his idea was that
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this would turn everyone against him. We can see the influence that power has on Darby, he was

willing to go as far as burning a building down just to get that position. During the 1930’s with

the great depression in full swing, people were willing to do whatever it took to gain stability

financially and for Darby, Associate Warden was his goal.

Donny Caconi is another character that allowed power and money to influence his

character. He’s introduced as “everybody’s long-lost friend” (5) in the beginning, but as the story

goes on, we notice some things about Donny that’s off. Annie mentions “He tried to borrow

from my dad. He said he had a cash problem at his business” (45). This lets us know that Donny

is in some financial trouble and is willing to do what he can to get by. He even takes advantage

of Moose, Teresa, and piper by taking their money when he makes a bet with them over

throwing bottle caps. What put Donny over the top was finding out that he was paid by Darby to

set the apartment on fire. He disregarded the lives he put in danger and his character reflects the

financial desperation that people faced in the 1930’s.

Piper Williams is the daughter of Warden Williams and she seems to have the most

power within her group of friends. She isn’t the most likable person, but because of who her

father is, she’s well respected. Warden Williams has a big influence on Piper, a lot of her

characteristics stem from the idea of his authority. We see some of her authority in chapter three

when Theresa tells Moose “she pays me, I do whatever she wants now” (18). It was also

discovered towards the end of the novel that she had some involvement in the Counterfeit money

scandal. This revealed a lot about who Piper is, she grew up comfortably her whole life and felt

like she could get whatever she wanted with money. If Piper’s father didn’t have the job position

that he has, Piper wouldn’t have the power, resources, or money to be so controlling over her

friends.
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Choldenko relies heavily on characterization and setting to develop the sociocultural

aspect of the novel. She places the novel during the time of the Great Depression to emphasize

the conflicts that money brought to the characters. Alcatraz Island was a great choice of setting

because it’s a place that is heavily influenced by authority which was also an influence on them.

Donny, Darby, and Piper met their demise because they tried to gain money by ill means and in

the end, that didn’t sustain.

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Works Cited

Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Homework. New York, NY, Puffin Books, 2013.