Answer:
The Treasure of Lemon Brown by Walter Dean Myers is a short story written in third-person narrative. It revolves around a young boy named Greg, who is upset about his father’s decision not to allow him to play basketball on account of his poor grades. An encounter with an old man named Lemon Brown changes Greg’s perspective, reminding him about the importance of his relationship with his father, which transcends anything else.
The story begins with the main character, Greg Ridley, sitting at the stoop of his building. The dark clouds reflect his mood as he thinks back to the lecture he received from his father- all because the Principal had sent a letter to their house about Greg’s failing math grade. Greg’s father had to leave school at 13, and he is disappointed that Greg is wasting the opportunities presented to him. Greg wants to play for the community center’s basketball team and even got accepted, and now he wouldn’t be able to. His father’s condition was the status of his next report card, which turned out not to be up to par.
As a storm begins to brew, Greg decides against going home immediately, despite knowing the scolding he would receive for it. Instead, he heads to an old, abandoned tenement where impromptu checker tournaments were often held. The door is slightly ajar, so he pushes it open only to see that it is completely dark. He sits for a while, thinking about his father, who worked extremely hard to pass the test to become a hospital worker, and whom Greg is very proud of. At this time, he feels a movement and realizes he is not alone in the warehouse.
Suddenly, an old man named Lemon Brown threatens Greg not to try anything, for he has a razor that could“cut him up”. Greg is appropriately terrified but calms himself down enough to respond. They exchange names and Greg finds out that Lemon Brown stays in that warehouse. Brown asks whether he’s one of the “bad boys” looking for his treasure, and when Greg says that if Lemon Brown has one, he’s not looking for it, Brown tells him that every man has a treasure. As their conversation continues, Lemon Brown reveals that he used to sing the blues before he hit some hard times. He used to have a son,“knotty-headed”, just like Greg.
They hear a noise, hiding immediately when a group of thugs enter. They are looking for Lemon Brown’s treasure, and have been frequenting the warehouse for the past few days for that very purpose. As they shone the light, almost finding Lemon Brown, Greg howled to divert the attention, thereby allowing Brown to tackle the thugs and chase them away. It is then that Lemon Brown shows Greg his treasure- some old newspaper clippings and a worn harmonica. The clippings showed Lemon Brown performing the blues in various places almost fifty years ago, praising him as the hit of the show. Lemon Brown explains that he used to make enough money to feed his wife and son well, until his wife died and his son, Jesse, went to live with his aunt. He grew up to become a soldier and was killed in war. When Lemon Brown went home and got the letter, he was also sent all the things Jesse used to carry- those old clippings of his father and a fiddle. It touched Brown’s heart that those clippings of him were so important to his son, and they became his treasure.
When Greg asks whether this treasure holds more value than a pipe, Lemon Brown says that a man’s greatest treasure is what he can pass down to his child. It is after this that they part ways, Lemon Brown assuring him that he’d be okay. Greg decides against telling his father about the old man. Instead, when he rings the bell to his house, he thinks about the upcoming lecture he would surely receive. This time, he smiles.
Greg Ridley is failing math. His principal sends home a letter to his dad saying that he’s in danger of failing. Greg’s dad gives him a lecture and tells him he is crazy if he thinks he’s going to play basketball with grades like that. He sends Greg to his room to “hit the books.” Greg is devastated because playing for the Scorpions Community Center team is very important to him.
Sitting in his room, listening to a storm in the distance, Greg starts thinking about a pickup game he’d seen a while back in an abandoned warehouse. He decides to go there in the hopes of getting into a game. When he gets to the warehouse, he enters and looks around. It is dark with only the light from a few passing cars. Greg is aware of something in the room with him, and is scared. Suddenly Lemon Brown speaks up, saying he doesn’t have anything for him, and that he has a razor that could cut him up. They wind up talking for a while. Greg wants to know about Lemon’s supposed treasure. Lemon doesn’t have time to explain to him.
A group of thugs come in and toss the room, looking for Lemon and his “treasure.” Lemon and Greg quietly run from room to room, hiding. Suddenly, as they are trapped in an upstairs room, Greg howls like a wolf. Lemon throws himself at the attackers at the top of the stairs, and they all tumble down the stairs. Only Lemon returns, though he is bumped and bruised.
Greg and Mr. Brown begin talking. Lemon tells Greg of his past accomplishments as “Sweet Lemon Brown - Blues Singer and Harmonica Player.” He’d been quite famous. He had also had a wife and son, but when his wife died, his sister-in-law took the boy in. Lemon didn’t really see much of him after that. His playing wasn’t as good, once he lost his reason for playing.
Then he found out that his son had gone off to war and died. When they found his body, he was carrying his dad’s old “mouth fiddle and these clippings” of when Lemon had played. That had been his son’s treasure, and when Lemon got them back and realized that his son loved him enough to carry them everywhere he went, the clippings became his treasure. Lemon also says that every man has a treasure. With the thugs chased off, and Lemon’s story told, the rain ends and Lemon tells Greg he ought to be on his way home. Greg agrees and walks home. When he reaches his stoop, he thinks about the lecture his dad is going to give him. Somehow, it makes him smile. He has learned something important from Lemon. He has a new appreciation for his dad, and all his dad does for him.
