"The Use of Force" centers around the conflict that
arises during the doctor's visit to a sick child and presents a crucial problem-
whether the use of force for benevolent purposes is justifiable or not. The
criticism of this story rests on Williams the modernist and Williams the
physician: the representation of the doctor's vocation to save his patient or
the representation of the narrator's implied sexual desire for his patient as
evident in his forced ingress into his patient's mouth.
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About the writer William Carlos Williams
William Carlos Williams, an American poet, essayist, novelist, and
short-story writer worked throughout his life as a pediatrician in New Jersey.
His poetry illustrates the ordinary by vivid, direct observation; it is
characterized by avoidance of emotional content and the use of the American
vernacular. A collection of his poetry includes Spring and All (1923) and
Pictures from Breughel (1963). He was awarded a posthumous Pulitzer Prize.
The Use of Force [Summary]
The story ‘The Use of Force’ tells that the use of force is
justifiable if it is used with good intention to save somebody's life. In the
story, the basic conflict is between the doctor and the child patient. The
doctor, in the story, uses force because of social duty while the parents do
not want the use of force.
The parents’ love for their child was about to cause the death of
their child. The parents just think about the immediate pain without thinking
about the consequences of deadly diseases. So, the doctor loves and cares the
innocent child but hates the parents. William Carlos Williams shows the
physical conflict between a doctor and his patient at one level and the
psychological battle between the doctor and the parents at another level. This
story justifies that using force for the benevolent purpose is ethical and
justifiable.
In the story, a doctor visits the house of the Olson family. In
the family, a small child named Mithalda has had a high fever for three days.
Since no medicine worked, her parents called the doctor to examine her
sickness. Being fearful that the girl may be suffering from diphtheria, a
deadly disease, the doctor asked her parents if she had a sore throat. The
parents had not taken a look at the throat of the sick child because they did
not want to hurt her. The doctor asks Mithalda to open her mouth but suddenly
the girl attacks his eyes with her nails treating the doctor as her enemy.
The child’s parents were embarrassed by their daughter’s behavior
towards the doctor. The doctor hates the mother when she says that the doctor
is a nice man and he will not hurt her. Then the doctor decides to use force
than leave her to die because the child was not in the mood to cooperate with
the doctor.
When the doctor is about to look into her throat, her father, who
was holding the child, suddenly releases her. So, he failed to inspect the
child’s throat. The parents are restless and fearful that the doctor may harm
their child. On the next attempt, the doctor grasps the child's head and tries
to get the wooden depressor into her mouth. The girl breaks the wooden
depressor with her molars. The child's mouth starts bleeding because of a cut.
Later, he pushes the spoon forcefully back into her teeth and throat and finds
that she has a sore throat and she is suffering from diphtheria.
The Use of Force [Question Answer]
What is the nature of the
conflict in the story The Use of Force?
Ans: The nature of the conflict in the story is both physical and
emotional. We see the conflict that occurs in the story to be the conflict that
happens between the doctor and Mathilda. However, there is another form of
conflict presented; that is the conflict that arises inside the doctor as he
debates within himself whether using force on the child is justifiable or not.
Why does the doctor respect
the child but find the parents "contemptible"?
Ans: The doctor respects the child but finds the parents
contemptible. In fact, he loves her, so, he says ' l had already fallen in love
with the savage brat '. He liked Mathilda so much as she was a beautiful child.
She had magnificent blonde hair, which made the doctor think about pictures -
children that appeared in advertising leaflets and photographic. He also
respected her so much since he was impressed by her determination to defend
herself from him.
Though, he found the parents to be contemptible because although
they were eager to cooperate, they were also distrustful of him. When they started
coaxing the child, calling the doctor a ' nice man '. Their efforts were
useless, and rather than helping, they hindered the doctor's efforts.
Describe the relationship of the parents with the child in the story The Use of Force.
Ans: The Olson parents had a fairly good relationship with their
daughter. Yet, they were not fully aware of her feelings. They were stuck in
conflicting emotions themselves. They were unsure whether they should hurt
their daughter to save her or let her have independence. The parents cared for
Mathilda. They wanted her to get better. They wanted her to live. The father
provides a good example of his love for the daughter. For example, when he
tried to catch his daughter tightly but he failed because she was his daughter.
He was ashamed of her behavior, and he feared he might hurt her.
In the story The Use of Force, What was the child's reaction during the crisis?
Ans: It is obvious that Mathilda was afraid of the doctor. Her
behaviors change from being indifferent to violently defensive. She was not
aware of the fact that he was going to save her life. He even justifies that
'the damned little brat must be protected against her own idiocy '.
Everyone saw her reaction as shameful, but no one actually cared
enough to understand her feelings and how she was hurt. She reacts negatively
to the force being used on her. She shrieked hysterically, ' Stop it! Stop it!
You're killing me! ' She even hurt herself while breaking the tongue depressor
with her mouth.
When does the girl lie to her parents in ‘The Use of Force’?
Ans: The doctor asks the girl’s parents if she has a sore throat.
They reply that their child says her throat does not hurt her. The mother tried
to look, but could not see. They reply that their child says her throat does
not hurt her.
Do you think a doctor's use of
force like this on a patient is justifiable? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: If the child and her parents had been responsible, the doctor
could have easily examined her sore throat. He might have persuaded her to open
her mouth. If the child's parents had helped him to open her mouth for him, he
should not have used force to do it. But the doctor had to use force to save
the child's life.
As a doctor, he also had to protect others from the sick child
because diphtheria was a venereal disease. He had a social duty to perform.
Therefore, he decided to use force to open her mouth to examine her throat
condition. The doctor needed to know what had happened to the child. Thus, it
is justifiable to use force for a good cause.
What are three reasons for the
point of view used in "The Use of Force" by William Carlos Williams?
Ans: Three reasons for the point of view are used in "The Use
of Force" by William Carlos Williams to show the father and daughter
relationship, the mother's affection toward the daughter, and the doctor's
duties toward the patient.
What is the conflict in the story "The Use of Force"?
Ans: The conflict in this story is between the doctor and his
patient. The sick child does not like her throat to be examined but the doctor
has to do it anyway. Similarly, there is also conflict between the child and
the parents. The sick child struggles against her parent's effort to help the
doctor to examine her throat. Here the conflict is between the child and the
parents.
What is the setting of the story "The Use of Force"?
Ans: The story is set in Rutherford, New Jersey, where Williams lived
and practiced. Its temporal setting is the late 1930s in which time it was written.
In the final analysis, how and
why did the parents, the child, and the doctor use force in the story?
Ans: The doctor orders her father to put her on his lap and hold both
her wrists. The child begins to cry uncontrollably. She says that they are
killing her. The mother does not like the use of force. The doctor then grasps
the child's head and tries to get the wooden tongue depressor into her mouth.
She closes her teeth tightly. The doctor becomes angry and can't control
himself. He gets the depressor into the mouth, but she breaks it with her
molars.
Next, he asks for a spoon. The child's mouth is already bleeding.
If he stopped now and came back in an hour or more, it would be better, but
such neglect might cause her death. Also, he is more uncontrollable. He wants
to tear the child and enjoy it. He enjoys attacking her. His face looks happy.
Moreover, the child must be protected, although she is stupid. It is his social
responsibility.
What techniques did Williams use in the story “The Use of Force"?
Ans: He has used conversational and illustration techniques in the
story.
What are the examples of
symbolism in the story?
Ans: "A smooth-handled spoon" is a symbol of violence. The
doctor did his best to persuade the child to open her mouth. So, he could have
a look at the throat. It didn't work; the girl was too stubborn to hide the
disease. He tried to get the wooden tongue depressor between her teeth, but she
fought "desperately". Here wooden tongue depressor stands for use of
force.
Why is the dialogue in
"The Use of Force" not put in quotation marks?
Ans: The technique of conveying dialogue without the use of quotation
marks seems to hint at the deeper significance of this story which explores how
a professional doctor becomes overwhelmed by his desire to gain physical
mastery over his patient at the expense of all else.
What is the tone of the story "The Use of Force"?
Ans: The tone of the story is conflicting.
What is power? Why is it
important for the doctor as well as the child?
Ans: The story presents power as the ability to command compliance or
resist compliance, and specifically, to determine whether or not the throat
exam will take place. This power is important for both the doctor and for the
child, Mathilda. If the doctor had not used his force, the child would have
died. The child is innocent and thinks that the doctor might hurt her.
Naturally, children are afraid of disease, doctor and vaccination.
Is it justified or unjustified
for a doctor to use violence on the patient? Why or why not?
Ans: A doctor using violence on the patient is all the time is not
justified. In the name of curing patients if they beat the patients is also
unjustified. For the benevolent purpose of the patient, if he uses little
force, it is always justified because his job is to save his patient from the
disease.
Naturally, patients, especially a child gets afraid of disease and
vaccines. So that they hide their real problem. In the story, Mathilda has had
a fever for three days. The doctor has examined several cases of diphtheria in
the school to which the child goes and she may die of it. The doctor has to
have a throat culture for her protection. But the child does not allow him to
look at her throat. In such a condition, he has no choice. He must examine her
immediately. She can't be persuaded so the use of force is the only way to look
at her throat. The child must be protected against her own stupidity.
If the child dies of diphtheria, people will not say anything
against the dead person. They will blame the doctor. In such a condition, the
use of force is justified.
What insight does the story
offer on the nature of will?
Ans: Nature of will is a matter of circumstances and situation.
Is it good to resort to
violence for a just cause? Discuss.
Ans: It depends on the time and place, and intention and cause. Little violence or use of force is justifiable for a right cause. Using force to upset or hurt someone is really bad. But if the same force is used for the proper purpose, it can be justified. In the story too, the doctor's behavior upsets the child for a short time, but its long-term effect will certainly be good.