Rivers and the pennies play important parts in the foreshadowing that August Wilson inserts into Gem of the Ocean. Brown dies by drowning because he did not want to go through the sham justice that he wa ssure would condemn him. The river reappears in a different settting when Citizen tries to cross it, and realizes that Brown is the boatman. This confrontation between the two men is established through the water trope, as Citizen actually did the crime that which Brown was accused. Finding the two pennies is an assignment gift that Aunt Ester makes to Citizen. After he leaves, she admits that they have no power; rather, the power will arise in Citizen because of his belief in their special qualities. Ultimately, the pennies turn up as the price for his entry at the Twelve Gates to the City. He turns them over to Solly so that the deceased man can pay the gatekeeper.
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