The Treasure of Lemon Brown

“His father’s voice came to him again, first reading the letter the principal had sent to the house, then lecturing endlessly about his poor efforts in math. ‘I had to leave school when I was thirteen,’ his father had said; ‘that’s a year younger than you are now. If I’d had half the chances that you have, I’d…’”

The ellipsis at the end of this passage gives insight into the main character’s attitude toward his father. The punctuation indicates that the man continued “lecturing endlessly” after this point, and it gives an idea of Greg’s initial unwillingness to listen to his father’s concerns about his academics.

“His father’s words, like the distant thunder that now echoed through the streets of Harlem, still rumbled softly in his ears.”

The author uses a simile to compare the lecture Greg’s father gives him about his low grades to “the distant thunder.” The comparison shows how his father’s disapproval and his decision not to allow his son to join the basketball team weigh on Greg’s mind. The word “rumbled” is an example of onomatopoeia that imitates the sound of the thunder and provides a warning that the storm is about to break.

“It was beginning to cool. Gusts of wind made bits of paper dance between the parked cars. There was a flash of nearby lightning, and soon large drops of rain splashed onto his jeans.”

The author provides imagery that appeals to multiple senses to depict the beginning of the storm. For example, the “cool” air, “[g]usts of wind,” and rain that “splashed onto his jeans” appeal to the sense of touch while the “flash of nearby lightning” appeals to the sense of sight. Myers makes the scene more vivid by using personification to describe how “bits of paper dance” in the wind.

“He reached the house just as another flash of lightning changed the night to day for an instant, then returned the graffiti-scarred building to the grim shadows.”

This passage combines visual imagery, such as the “flash of lightning,” with diction in the form of precise adjectives, such as “graffiti-scarred” and “grim,” to create an ominous mood. This helps to raise the story’s suspense as the protagonist enters the abandoned tenement building.

“He entered the room, frowning at the musty smell. It was a large room that might have been someone’s parlor at one time. Squinting, Greg could see an old table on its side against one wall, what looked like a pile of rags or a torn mattress in the corner, and a couch, with one side broken, in front of the window.”

The “musty smell” provides olfactory imagery and contributes to the scene’s uneasy mood by underscoring how the building has deteriorated since it was abandoned. In addition, this scene foreshadows the appearance of the titular character because “what looked like a pile of rags” is actually Lemon Brown.

“His stomach tightened as he held himself still and listened intently. There weren’t any more scraping noises, but he was sure he had heard something in the darkness—something breathing!”

Myers heightens the story’s tension by focusing on sound in this passage. For example, “scraping noises” and the sound of “something breathing” contrast with the teenager’s efforts to be silent and lead Greg to discover that there is someone else in the derelict room. The author’s choice of punctuation accentuates the suspense. The dash and exclamation point around the words “something breathing” emphasize the moment of revelation that the main character is not alone.

“The voice was high and brittle, like dry twigs being broken, surely not one he had ever heard before.”

The author conveys the sound of Lemon Brown’s voice using the precise adjectives “high and brittle” and through a simile that compares his voice to “dry twigs being broken.” These descriptions hint that the unseen man is elderly and that he and Greg have never spoken with one another before.

“He was an old man. His black, heavily wrinkled face was surrounded by a halo of crinkly white hair and whiskers that seemed to separate his head from the layers of dirty coats piled on his smallish frame. His pants were bagged to the knee, where they met with rags that went down to the old shoes. The rags were held on with strings, and there was a rope around his middle.”

The author doesn’t directly state that Lemon Brown is unhoused, but he reveals this through methods of indirect characterization, particularly through descriptions of the character’s appearance. The passage uses diction and visual imagery to describe the “rags” and “dirty coats” that the elderly man wears, suggesting that he does not have a permanent home.

“‘You ain’t one of them bad boys looking for my treasure, is you?’ Lemon Brown cocked his head to one side and squinted one eye. ‘Because I told you I got me a razor.’”

This passage offers an example of dialect, which refers to the language used by a particular group of people. Dialect includes differences in spelling, grammar, and pronunciation that set a group’s patterns of speech apart from others. For example, Lemon Brown’s usage of the word “ain’t” and his verb construction in phrases like “I got me a razor” differentiate his dialogue from Greg’s. Lemon Brown’s dialect reflects his identity as a Black man from the South. In addition, this passage raises the story’s intrigue by presenting the first mention of the titular treasure. The mention of the “bad boys looking for [Lemon Brown’s] treasure” foreshadows the arrival of the three men who attempt to rob him.

“Hard times, boy. Hard times always after a poor man. One day I got tired, sat down to rest a spell and felt a tap on my shoulder. Hard times caught up with me.”

Lemon Brown uses personification to describe hardship as a human being who pursued him throughout his life and gave him “a tap on [his] shoulder” when it found him. The passage’s figurative language and the repetition of the words “[h]ard times” lend a lyrical quality to Lemon Brown’s dialogue. This connects to his history as a talented singer and illustrates how the character’s life resembles blues songs, which often relate tales of adversity.

“‘You know they found that shopping-bag lady with that money in her bags.’ ‘Yeah. You think he’s upstairs?’ ‘HEY, OLD MAN, ARE YOU UP THERE?’ Silence.”

The author uses capitalization to convey the thief’s volume when he demands, “HEY, OLD MAN, ARE YOU UP THERE?” The contrast between the shout and the fragment that says only “Silence” adds to the scene’s mood of suspense and danger. Myers’s diction in the phrase “shopping-bag lady” suggests that the thieves are referring to another unhoused person, and the brief anecdote about the woman offers more information about why the three men are trying to steal from Lemon Brown.

“Greg held his breath. There was another step and a loud crashing noise as the man banged the pipe against the wooden banister. Greg could feel his temples throb as the man slowly neared them.”

The author’s use of sound effects helps to build suspense. For example, the words “crashing” and “banged” are examples of onomatopoeia that capture the man’s loud and threatening approach.

“‘You sure you’re not hurt?’ Greg asked Lemon Brown. ‘Nothing that ain’t been hurt before,’ Lemon Brown said. ‘When you get as old as me all you say when something hurts is, “Howdy, Mr. Pain, sees you back again.” Then when Mr. Pain sees he can’t worry you none, he go on mess with somebody else.’ Greg smiled.”

Lemon Brown’s dialogue about “Mr. Pain” is an example of personification that demonstrates the character’s sense of humor, resilience, and creativity. This passage also offers character development because Greg’s question and his smile express concern for Lemon Brown and reveal that a bond has formed between them after they foiled the thieves together.