The Treasure of Lemon Brown

At its heart, “The Treasure of Lemon Brown” is a story about the love between fathers and sons. Although Lemon Brown’s work as a traveling musician required him to be away from his son for long periods, his devotion to his family shines through the effort he put into supporting them: “I used to travel around and make money for to feed my wife and Jesse–that’s my boy’s name. Used to feed them good, too” (60). The pride Lemon Brown takes in his ability to provide for his family with his music underscores the connection between his music and his family—the two most central elements of his identity.

Lemon Brown’s treasure acts as a symbol of the love between him and Jesse, imbuing the harmonica and the newspaper clippings with priceless value. Lemon Brown gave Jesse these objects hoping to teach his son “who [his father] was, and what [Jesse] come from” (60). While the narrative contains few details about Jesse, the fact that he carried his father’s treasure with him while he fought in the war overseas emphasizes the bond between them. Jesse’s death “[b]roke [Lemon Brown’s] heart” and contributed to the decline of his career (60).