When I was about halfway through reading "Their Eyes Were Watching God," by Zora Neale Hurston, I recognized the story. I had read it before, in one form or another, many times. Hurston's novel much like a wonderful adaptation of Homer's "Odyssey." Like Ulysses in the Odyssey, Janie in "Their Eyes Were Watching God," is sent on an odyssey of her own. Ulysses had just come of age. He is a white man, and he is rich. He is well armed and has an army at his command. He is a newlywed, and his beloved wife has just given him a fine son. He has just become king of Ithaca. He will not even have to worry about his ability to rule over his new kingdom; because, his parents have not died. They have retired and are available to offer advice. Before Ulysses can enjoy his newly inherited world, in which he rules, the leading Grecian King sends him off to war. He does well in his call to battle. He defeats the city of Troy. As well as he does, he becomes overconfident and commits an act of blasphemy when he refuses to acknowledge the assistance he receives from the gods. "On their way home they sinned against Minerva, who raised both wind and waves against them, so that all his brave companions perished, and he alone was carried hither by wind and tide," Calypso explains in book V of the Odyssey. His blasphemy happens early in the story, and for many years his life becomes difficult. He first follows the orders of his King, to conquer Troy, the threat to all of the Greek community. After conquering the threat of Troy, he comes upon the Cyclops: a man of limited vision who rules his home as an iron willed master. He leaves the Cyclops, who would keep him for the rest of his life, and comes upon Circe. He endures Circe as long as he has to, and when he leaves her he must go into "Hades land of dread Proserpine to consult the ghost of the blind Theban prophet Teiresias." (Homer book X). In Hades he offers a sacrifice to the spirits of the dead, whereon the ghosts came trooping up from every quarter and flitted round the trench with a strange kind of screaming sound that made me turn pale with fear: "When I saw them coming I told the men to flay the carcasses and at the same time to repeat prayers to Hades and to Proserpine; but I sat where I was with my sword drawn and would not let the poor feckless ghosts come near the blood till Teiresias should have answered my questions" (Homer book XI). After his trip into Hades, he meets the goddess Calypso. An act of the gods separates him from the goddess. After Calypso, he returns home. He must dispose of the suitors. He is reunited with his love and is once again in command of his kingdom. Janie has just come of age. She is a black girl child, and she is poor. She is only sixteen. She is unarmed and has no friends. She has just become queen of her newly discovered self-awareness. She can tell by watching the natural state of other forms of life around her that nature must also have human secrets waiting to be discovered by her. She will have to worry about her ability to rule over her new kingdom; because, she has no parents. They have left her with her aging grandmother. Her grandmother can only give her limited advice; because, she has never known the love of a man. Her mother and her mother's mother were both victimized by men when they were young and pretty. Janie's grandmother's worst fear is that the same thing will happen again to Janie. Before Janie can enjoy her newly inherited world, in which she rules, her grandmother sends her off to "war." She must marry at once to fight the ever-recurring threat to the women in her family. She does well in her call to battle. She defeats the threat of becoming an unwed mother. She has married. If she has a child now, she will be wed. The cure for the threat is no better than the stigma of being an unwed mother. The conquering of the threat of being an unwed mother is her marriage to the Cyclops, Logan Killicks. He is a man of limited vision who rules his home as an iron willed master. She leaves the Cyclops-Logan, who would keep her for the rest of her life, and comes upon Joe-Circe-Starks. It is during her time with Joe Starks that Janie and everyone else commits an act of blasphemy when they think to themselves "It was one of those statements that everybody says but nobody actually believes like 'God is everywhere.'" She endures Circe-Joe as long as she has to and when he dies, she is free to leave. There is a foreshadowing of her leaving Joe. Before Joe passes away, a mule he has adopted dies. Joe drags the dead mule out of the town and holds a mock funeral for it. After everyone has gone, The already impatient buzzards closed in circles. The near ones got nearer and the far ones got near some of the more hungry or daring perched on the carcass. They wanted to begin, but the Parson wasn't there the flock waited for the white haired leader, but it was hard. They jostled each other at pecked at heads in hungry irritation he