Dangling Man - Saul Bellow

Last night I finished reading Dangling Man by Saul Bellow. For such a small book it has certainly taken me a while to get through it. I find this to be the case with a lot of the "thin" books out there - light to carry around, but lots to think about while you are reading. Not necessarily a lot of plot, more contemplation and observation, not really suited to a skim read.

This story is narrated through the journal of Joseph, a young man who has quit his job to enlist in the army, only to find that his call-up is delayed by a series of incidents. The book deals with his mental and emotional state as he waits around, or "dangles," unable or unwilling to obtain employment as a result of the uncertainty of his call-up.

He writes "I have thought of going to work, but I am unwilling to admit that I do not know how to use my freedom and have to embrace the flunkydom of a job because I have no resources - in a word, no character."

I find this quote very appealing - so many of us when at work or study, dream of the things we could accomplish or the hobbies that we could pick up, if only we had more time. And yet for many, including myself, spare time becomes wasted time. What do we have to show for ourselves at the end of a week of "leisure" time? Do we actually pick up these skills or spend that extra time with loved ones, or, do we spend it watching television? For Joseph, life revolves around the few short excursions taken each day for meals, and the "ritualistic" dissection of the daily paper, from the comics to the news, the gossip pages, recipes and puzzles.

Another quote: "Three o'clock, and nothing has happened to me; three o'clock and the dark is already setting in; three o'clock and the postman has bobbed by for the last time and left nothing in my box. I have read the paper and looked into a book, I have had a few random thoughts..."

Ahhhhhh! This sounds like my day sometimes! Although I do manage to read a lot, and I am looking for jobs and sending applications... When AL comes home and asks what I have been doing with myself, I sometimes find myself scratching to describe how the hours passed...routine chores -half an hour...tv 1 hour...reading...several hours...internet - never mind! Unlike Joseph, I do manage to finish the books that I start, and enjoy them too, and I am taking the opportunity to enjoy this time for reading, because once I have a job...