Bellow's Story: Dangling Man

This is perhaps the most personal discussion board I have ever wrote, which is probably a lot to take in for week one, but Bellow’s story took me by surprise. Dangling Man shook me. I don’t mean that I found it emotional, I mean that I found it so eerily similar to my life that it brought me to tears. Joseph could be me. I work at a community college, which usually involves working through the summer; however, this year, I was told I would not have a job summer term. That was soul crushing for me. Not only is that three months without pay, but that is three months with no incentive, no reason to leave my house or my bed. You may ask, what’s the big deal? But just like Joseph, I feel “There is nothing to do but wait, or dangle, and grow more and more dispirited. It is perfectly clear to me that I am deteriorating, storing bitterness and spite which eat like acids at my endowment of generosity and good will” (4). I have never been closer to a depressive state, much like Joseph, I have to come up with reasons to force myself to leave the house. What goodness I had was replaced with bitterness, much like Joseph’s. My mom, bless her sweet soul, says reassuring things like …show more content…
Joseph’s story expresses the inadequacies, fears, and general dissatisfaction individuals have with life. This is a more genuine hero because the goals are more attainable. For example, Joseph simply wanted to be “a man’s man” and join the army, boiling it down to he wanted to be useful and needed for something important. Isn’t that what everyone human being wants on some level; To be a productive person. It’s not realistic to wake up and say, “I think I’ll cure cancer today” or “I’ll end global warming,” but it is possible to do something like fight for your country or get a