The Use of Force Essay Example

Emotions can be a source of strength or weakness that can affect someone's behaviour in their social role. In "The Use of Force", written by William Carlos Williams in 1938, the author displays how the use of force can cause violence when emotionally involved in a particular situation. This is demonstrated through the use of the formal element of character, which in this story are Mathilda and the doctor. The author shows in the tale that personal impulses can intervene people to behave in a different way than they usually would. For instance, he says that he has seen children dying from waiting to be treated, so he wouldn't let that happen again. It insinuates that people with past experiences similar to the situation they are in can affect their judgement in making decisions. Therefore, it is obvious that the doctor's emotions overcomes his duties because he assured that he had no doubt the girl's intellectual condition would have gone better if he came back in an hour or so. Because the doctor is in a furious state of being, it is implied that people that are in a similar mood would not be calm enough to analyze whether they are doing the right thing or the wrong thing. The man's frustration leaded him to compete with Mathilda. This is shown in the middle of the narrative, when the man revealed that he "had already fallen in love with the savage brat." He admires her power against the parents, and because of that, he does not want to be as weak as them. He knows she has power over her parents in a certain way, so he wants to use another kind of power to defeat her. He uses force to overpower her. Here, the author uses the character of the doctor to show a dilemma. A theme is seen from situations in the story, such as fiercely opening the child's mouth just to prove that the man is stronger than her, or being confused to do certain things because of past experiences. The two characters were able to show how emotions can have a strong influence on the