JOURNAL OF THEME EXAMPLE
In The Treasure of Lemon Brown, Walter Dean Myers teaches this big idea about life and people, that someone can treasure someone or an item that has sentimental value, not monetary value.
This idea was taught on page 737, when Lemon Brown shares his treasure with Greg. He shows him a harmonica and some newspaper clippings: “…He revealed some yellowed newspaper clippings and a battered harmonica”. These were items that represent his past as a well-known blues player. He called them his “Treasure” because his son carried them with him at war. When his son died in the war, they found the harmonica and clippings with him. It says on page 738, “They sent back what he had with him over there, and what it was is this old mouth fiddle and these clippings. Him carrying it around with him like that told me it meant something to him. That was my treasure, and when I give it to him, he treated it just like that, a treasure”.
This example shows how one might hold value to something that reminds them of someone or something. This meant a lot to Lemon Brown, the fact that his son kept the harmonica and the clippings as a reminder of his father.
This idea was also taught in the book when Greg finally realizes that his father is trying to encourage Greg to do better in school. He learns to value his relationship with his father, and he learns that his relationship with his father is a treasure. Lemon Brown tells Greg on page 738, “What else a man go ‘cepting what he can pass on to his son, or his daughter, if she be his oldest?” Greg probably realizes here that his father’s lecture is his way of encouraging Greg to better himself in school, the way that his father did. “His father had been a postal worker for all Greg’s life and was proud of it, often telling Greg how hard he had worked to pass the test” page 732. Greg also realizes at the end of the story that listening to his father’s lecture will be okay; his attitude has changed towards his father:”He… thought of the lecture he knew his father would give him, and smiled” page 738.
This example shows how a treasure doesn’t have to be gold or jewels found in a treasure box. Greg’s relationship with his father is a treasure. Greg learned, through Lemon Brown’s story of his son, that a father-son relationship is important and it doesn’t last forever.
So, the theme of the book is a treasure is what is important to someone, not necessarily something that can be bought with money.