The Use Of Force Summary

The Use of Force by William Carlos Williams is a short story that shows how humans can justify using force, even when the use of it is immoral. The story about a doctor visiting a poor, helpless family, worried about their daughter who might have diphtheria, turns from noble to evil. The drives, actions, and words used in the story tell us the aspects of humans in certain situations, through point of view, diction, and imagery, the reader can see the personality of the doctor that keeps the reader on edge. The doctor in the story represents the dark side of humanity, which is why the reader is more sympathetic towards the child. We can justify doing anything to others, even when we know we are in the wrong. Towards the end of story, after struggling a bit, the doctor justifies using force on the little girl by saying, “Perhaps I should have desisted and come back in an hour or more…But I have seen at least two …show more content…
If it was a regular story about a diagnosis, it would be boring. However, since it is told through the eyes of the doctor, with the images of the child bleeding through the mouth, and the doctor’s face burning with the pleasure to attack her, and with the strong words the author uses, it is more intriguing, and keeps the reader wanting on edge. This story was definitely worth writing, and reading. It made me think more about how we go through hurting others, and just not caring about anything else, just as long as we get what we want. This definitely applies to society today. Like I mentioned, the police abuse their power to get what they want, and it is an issue that we have been seeing a lot lately. When we go to war, we do so and say that it is to protect our own, when at times the reality is that we do it to have power over someone else, even when many innocent die. We think we do certain things for the benefit of everyone else, when in reality, it is only beneficial to our