I agree with Irving Howe, that the Invisible Man is a novel based on the journey and experiences of an unnamed Negro man during contemporary America, and he is in search of success, companionship, and himself. Howe says that, "The beginning is a nightmare," because it begins with a black timid boy who is awarded a scholarship and sent to the South and invited to a ballroom with other black boys and they observe and are frightened by a woman dancing nude. The boys who are blindfolded create a "battle royal" or a raucous, but after the chaos the black boy give a thank you speech. Although the beginning of the novel is a bit fri