The Use Of Force Essay, Research Paper
The Use of Force. By William Carlos Williams
In the beginning of this story, the Doctor starts of with a kind and gentle posture towards the child. As the struggle ensues though, the Doctor grows more and more aggressive with the child and annoyed with the father. While he understands how the father and child feels, he is in haste to diagnose the child s illness. The Narrator shows us that in anger, people like to use force, they seem to enjoy it.
The Doctor understands how the child feels that he is the enemy and sees him as a threat. Actually, I think he feels sympathy for her. For example, I ground my teeth in disgust. If only they wouldn t use the word hurt I might be able to get somewhere. Also, when the child attacks him and the mother calls her a bad girl, The Doctors says, For heaven s sake, I broke in. Don t call me nice man to her. I m here to look at her throat on the chance that she might have diphtheria and possibly die of it.
Even though up till this point the child has been less than pleasant towards the Doctor, he says, After all, I had already fallen in love with the savage brat , showing that he still has the patience and adoration for the child. Although, in short time he became frustrated with the father for not being able to hold the child even though he knew it was because the father didn t want to hurt is daughter. The author shows us that in this passage: The father tried his best, and he was a big man but
After some time struggling, the Doctor starts to get mad with the child, his adoration towards her starts to fade away. But the worst of it was that I too had got beyond reason. I could have torn the child apart in my own fury and enjoyed it. His anger starts to get the better of him.
The Doctor now blinded by fury, almost wanted to hurt the child, It was a pleasure to attack the her. My face burning with it
Finally, the Doctor seems to rationalize the need to force the child s mouth open. The damned little brat must be protected against her own idiocy, one says to one s own self at such times. Others must be protected against her. It is a social necessity. And all these things are true. But a blind fury He knows he is rationalizing his forceful assault on the little girl, making an excuse for it.
In conclusion, The Narrator shows us in stages how a person can start with a calm caring persona, only to change to the use of force while frustrated. The Doctor goes from sympathy for the little girl s fear, to wanting to kill her out of frustration. I think the author leaves the people nameless to show that they could be anyone, an everyday average person. This makes the story more close to home; it shows that anyone, no matter how nice can be subdued by anger.