Written in diary format, the story centers on the life of an unemployed young man named Joseph, his relationships with his wife and friends, and his frustrations with living in Chicago and waiting to be drafted.

Along with Bellow's second novel The Victim, it is considered his "apprentice" work.

Some critics, including Edmund Wilson and Kenneth Fearing,[1] criticized the novel's lack of a definite plot, but praised Bellow's depiction of what they saw as the characteristic features of the generation of American intellectuals raised during the Great Depression.

[2] The title Dangling Man, an episode of the television show The Crown, references the work.

Prince Charles, as portrayed by Josh O'Connor, compares himself to Joseph during the episode.