The tone of "Before You Knew It You Owned It" by Alice Walker can be described as somber and reflective, due to its themes of loss, displacement, and injustice.
The story follows the experiences of a black family who are struggling to maintain their land and way of life due to discrimination and injustice. The family is forced to leave their home and their land. The family comes to terms with the fact that they have lost not only their land, but their connection to it.