Story Analysis: The Use Of Force By William Carlos Williams
Kaeli Burkett
Composition II
Instr. Carley Petersen
21 February, 2016
Analysis
We all have to call the doctor every now and again. Whether it is for a cough or a chill, we pick up the phone and tell our trusted medical professional what ails us. But what happens when the person who is supposed to help us, a master of medicine, does not have our best interest at heart? This question is asked in the short story “The Use of Force” by William Carlos Williams. The story is set in the Depression era. An unnamed doctor arrives at a new patient’s home to assess a female child for a sore throat. Her parents are present, but are at a loss for what to do to help their daughter, who refuses to open her mouth for an exam. As the story progresses, the audience …show more content…
As outlined in the article “Subtly Controlling Behavior” by Michael Samsel, the doctor exhibits many archetypal behaviors indicative of abuse. He uses ingratiating behavior (the abuser uses “conspicuously nice language to instill guilt and block confrontation”) when the story takes a sinister turn; the doctor notes, “[She was] an unusually attractive little thing,...[and] she had magnificent blonde hair.” (Williams 178). Immediately the audience senses that something is off about the doctor, as we can hear what he is thinking, yet the parents are completely clueless. The girl still instinctively distrusts him, so the doctor attempts to coax the child to open her mouth with kind language, but the girl still refuses. She continues to say no, like many women have to sex, yet the doctor pursues her. At this point, however, on the outside this still seems like acceptable behavior as all he has truly done is ask her politely to open her …show more content…
He tells the parents, “Don’t call me a nice man.” (Williams 179) after the girl has an outburst and scratches the doctor. Although he doesn’t mention his anger specifically, after the girl’s attack, he changes tactics and becomes very forceful. The father actually uses the “changing the subject for other people” (Samsel) technique for controlling the situation by snapping at the mother, “Do you want her to die of diptheria?” (Williams 180). It’s important to note that at no point does anyone ask this little girl if she feels comfortable in this situation. All three of these adult take control of her body against her will as they hold her down and force a phallic tongue depressor into her mouth, much to the doctor’s delight. The mother even asks the girl, “Aren't you ashamed, the mother yelled at her. Aren't you ashamed to act like that in front of the doctor?” (Williams 180) just as so many mothers have asked their daughters when they told them that they were raped. Aren’t you
Composition II
Instr. Carley Petersen
21 February, 2016
Analysis
We all have to call the doctor every now and again. Whether it is for a cough or a chill, we pick up the phone and tell our trusted medical professional what ails us. But what happens when the person who is supposed to help us, a master of medicine, does not have our best interest at heart? This question is asked in the short story “The Use of Force” by William Carlos Williams. The story is set in the Depression era. An unnamed doctor arrives at a new patient’s home to assess a female child for a sore throat. Her parents are present, but are at a loss for what to do to help their daughter, who refuses to open her mouth for an exam. As the story progresses, the audience …show more content…
As outlined in the article “Subtly Controlling Behavior” by Michael Samsel, the doctor exhibits many archetypal behaviors indicative of abuse. He uses ingratiating behavior (the abuser uses “conspicuously nice language to instill guilt and block confrontation”) when the story takes a sinister turn; the doctor notes, “[She was] an unusually attractive little thing,...[and] she had magnificent blonde hair.” (Williams 178). Immediately the audience senses that something is off about the doctor, as we can hear what he is thinking, yet the parents are completely clueless. The girl still instinctively distrusts him, so the doctor attempts to coax the child to open her mouth with kind language, but the girl still refuses. She continues to say no, like many women have to sex, yet the doctor pursues her. At this point, however, on the outside this still seems like acceptable behavior as all he has truly done is ask her politely to open her …show more content…
He tells the parents, “Don’t call me a nice man.” (Williams 179) after the girl has an outburst and scratches the doctor. Although he doesn’t mention his anger specifically, after the girl’s attack, he changes tactics and becomes very forceful. The father actually uses the “changing the subject for other people” (Samsel) technique for controlling the situation by snapping at the mother, “Do you want her to die of diptheria?” (Williams 180). It’s important to note that at no point does anyone ask this little girl if she feels comfortable in this situation. All three of these adult take control of her body against her will as they hold her down and force a phallic tongue depressor into her mouth, much to the doctor’s delight. The mother even asks the girl, “Aren't you ashamed, the mother yelled at her. Aren't you ashamed to act like that in front of the doctor?” (Williams 180) just as so many mothers have asked their daughters when they told them that they were raped. Aren’t you