At the beginning of the story, Greg Ridley is in a really bad mood, and is receiving a lecture from his father, as he knows what the end results would be.
At the end of the story, Greg is anticipating a lecture from his dad once again, but this time, he smiles at the thought of it.
This change occurs because Lemon Brown tells Greg about how he lost his own son, and that the lessons and things a father gives a son should be treasured. Greg realizes this is true, and it shows in his character shift at the end of the story.
In the beginning of the short story “The Treasure of Lemon Brown,” Greg Ridley was just a normal boy who wasn’t performing well at school, and feared being lectured by his father.
Greg didn’t want to face another lecture from his father about his grades, so he instead took a stroll outside, away from his apartment. Along the way, he found an old abandoned tenement and met a homeless person in rags named Lemon Brown. After Greg and Lemon get acquainted, they get attacked by thugs who want to steal Lemon’s treasure. After this major event, Lemon tells Greg about the story of his treasure and his son. He talks about how he used to sing the blues to feed his family. Then one day his wife died and his son went to go live with his wife's sister. He then says that his son went to war and then died holding a mouth fiddle. The fact that it meant something to his son made it Lemon’s treasure.
The thugs and the story of Lemon Brown moved Greg Ridley and made him realize the importance of his father and the love of family. While Greg walked back home, the idea of getting lectured by his father made him smile now.
