The Use of Force
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| "The Use of Force" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by William Carlos Williams | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publication | |
| Published in | Life Along the Passaic River |
| Publication date | 1938 |
"The Use of Force" is a short story by the American author William Carlos Williams.[1] It was first published in his short story collection Life Along the Passaic River (1938); it is also available in The Doctor Stories (1984), a collection of Williams' fiction.[2]
While most of Williams's short stories remain relatively unknown, "The Use of Force" has been widely anthologized since 1950, establishing it as part of the American literary canon.[3] "The Use of Force" has been termed "Williams's most popular story."[4]
The story is narrated in the first-person confessional point-of-view by a rural physician, who is making a farmhouse call to tend to a sick girl. Concerned she may have diphtheria, the doctor decides to check her throat to confirm his suspicion. However, the girl adamantly refuses to cooperate, and the doctor eventually engages in a virtual assault on the child to restrain her and examine her throat using a spoon. The doctor finds that the girl, who was alerted at school that diphtheria might be fatal, had concealed the symptoms of the infection, and has in fact contracted the deadly pathogen.[5]