Use of Force

A detailed Summary of Use of Force

In William Carlos Williams's "The Use of Force" it is apparent that the physician took great gratification in defeating the tenacious child in her valiant attack towards him during an examination. During their physical discord another struggle manifested concerning who had control and power above the other. It could be stated that the doctor was doing his duty overpowering the girl for the sake of her health. However, he strangely and almost perversely enjoyed the dominance over the child. In the end, Mathilda was diagnosed with diphtheria, but it was she who possessed control of the situation in the beginning of the story. Just as there are never-ending struggles between man and woman, this story inconspicuously implies an allegory for rape.

As the doctor arrives he immediately notices the child's beauty and penetrating stare. He senses the parents' distrust in him. Although he thinks they distrust him, it is his own inability to behave himself in a professional manner that he realizes he may not be able to contain. "I could see they were all nervous, eyeing me up and down distrustfully." The doctor smiles and calmly approaches in an effort to gain her confidence. He reassures Mathilda that he w

A power struggle was clearly evident in Williams's "The Use of Force," one can only assume why a child would react in such a rebellious manner. Her state of mind may have been altered due to her high fever or she could have possibly known of the other children dying of diphtheria and feared the worst. I doubt any other experience with a doctor could have prognosticated the traumatic event. The family was not well educated and they allowed the sadistic doctor to patronize them. They permitted him to take extreme measures in order to obtain an oral exam. He assaulted the child and forced her to do something she was obviously very uncomfortable with, thus causing a bloody scene when the wooden tongue depressor cut her mouth. She may not have been familiar with a doctor poking and prying. The doctor's violent nature was inexcusable. Nevertheless he believed his feelings of going beyond reason were rational, in order to protect her from her own idiocy. He described his actions as a "social necessity" and perversely enjoyed the "muscular release" of built up tension and stress due to the child's unwillingness to cooperate like a rapist enjoys another kind of muscular release. He rationalized his actions by claiming to save the child's life however he could have prevented her attack on him if he would have left and returned another time. Mathilda may have calmed down but he chose not to stop the examination because of the sadistic pleasure he took from it all. The physician won and Mathi

Some common words found in the essay are:
Williams's Force, Initially Mathilda, Williams Grade, Bibliography CompI, Style Punctuation, William Carlos, tongue depressor, child's beauty, perversely enjoyed, william carlos, muscular release, williams's force,

Approximate Word count = 1012
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English