Chapter 33

Summary

• The chapter starts on February 23rd, 1935. A character named Eleanor is being driven by Earl to a relocated art gallery, the Arthur U. Newton Gallery. The relocation was due to death threats.
• Earl insists on accompanying Eleanor at the gallery, a deviation from the usual. They have a browse through the gallery, where an art exhibition with the theme of lynching is being held.
• Eleanor meets with Mary and Walter White, the organiser of the art exhibition and the man who had warned her about the threats. Eleanor shakes hands with both parties, an act which surprises some onlookers due to the racial segregation.
• Despite the threats and protests, Eleanor was adamant about attending the exhibition, thinking it was necessary to raise awareness about lynching.
• Early in the chapter, it is revealed that Eleanor is Mrs. Roosevelt, the wife of President Roosevelt. Because of the death threats and tensions, a procession of vehicles was arranged for Eleanor's visit to the exhibit.
• Throughout the exhibit, various pieces of artwork are discussed, all depicting the brutal reality of lynching.
• Conversations are had about the social context of the art pieces, such as Walter presenting Hale Woodruff, a fair-skinned colored man, the artist of one of the paintings, 'By Parties Unknown'. This piece highlights the brutality of lynching and the societal perception of lynching at the time.
• Another painting that made a deep impact on Eleanor was a sketch titled 'This is her first lynching' which depicts a young girl being exposed to her first lynching. She finds it the most disturbing artwork due to it highlighting the horrifying acceptance and normalization of racial violence.