Challenging the Myths of the African American Woman in the Song of Solomon Myths were created during slavery that tainted the image of the African American woman. These myths promote the misconception that African American women are promiscuous and virtually useless. These myths have caused the degradation of these women in the eyes of others as well as themselves. In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, femininity is defined in ways that have destroyed these myths. Femininity is defined by one's sexuality, spirituality, beauty, identity, relationships and motherhood. The Song of Solomon begins with one of the most astonishing scenes in the literature of our century: a dream picture depicting a man poised on a roof, about to fly into the air, while cloth rose petals swirl above the snow-covered ground and, in the amazed crowd below, one woman sings as another goes into premature labor. The child born from that ordeal, Macon (Milkman) Dead, will eventually discover, through his complicated path to maturity, the meaning of the drama that marked his birth. Toni Morrison's novel is a love story of self-discovery, a retelling of the black experience in America that uncovers the inalienable poetry of that experience, and a family saga luminous in its depth, imaginative generosity, and universality. It is also a tribute to the ways in which, in the hands of a master, the ancient art of storytelling can be used to make the mysterious and invisible aspects of human life evident, real and tactile. Milkman's independent aunt, Pilate, provides the best but not the only example of the maintenance and use of African ways and culture. Pilate is seen as a female magician and this fact is made evident by her unnatural birth and the distinctive characteristic of being born without a navel. This sets her apart from the rest of the community, giving her an almost immediate supernatural status. Not only can she be seen as a conjuring woman, but she should also be seen as a guardian of African cultural customs. It proves to be the strength and preservation of its heritage and culture. Pilate, in keeping with African spiritual culture, tries to repair the relationship between Macon and Ruth at Ruth's request. Then, with this knowledge gained from, what appears to be, another world source, Pilate gives Macon's wife, Ruth, a greenish powder to put in Macon's food to induce him to become sexually active with Ruth again..