All in all, women seem to enjoy a great degree of autonomy in their everyday lives. This is the paradox the Murphy's explore. The chapter begins to unveil itself only if we begin by asking what the nature of myth is. The myth that one can catch a cold from the cold. The myth of George Washington cutting down the cherry tree.
Myths are stories, narratives, about the origins of things that humans practice or engage in.
They provide explanations for why things are as they are. Often myths co-mingle the visible, sensual world that human inhabit with the invisible world of the supernatural, the cosmological. Myths define and explain the relationship between society and the supernatural. The ultimate purpose of mythology is to provide humans with a sense of meaning and coherence in their world. So while myths often appear to be non-sensical, having little of the structure of common stories, they are packed with meaning, and reveal a great deal about the culture they come from.