This short story shares a common narrator perspective with Billie Holiday’s song “Strange Fruit.” The song portrayed lynching in all of its brutality. From the juxtaposition of the smell of magnolias with that of burning flesh along with the scents of flowers and fruits, and with broken bones and blood of African Americans, the “strange fruit” was produced by racial abuse. The song simply exposes the brutality of racism in America. According to Johann Hari from Democracy Now, it was difficult to perform the song. In a hotel in 1939, Billie Holiday stood on stage in front of a white audience and the Federal Bureau of Narcotics said to stop singing this song. In addition, Holiday was not allowed to enter through the front door. She had to go
