Force:

Symbolic rape in William Carlos William's short story

William Carlos William's "The Use of Force" is a strange, uncomfortable short story to read about a seemingly very simple subject. A doctor is trying to force a resistant young girl to open her mouth so he can see if she has diphtheria. The girl, not knowing the doctor is trying to help her, bravely but foolishly resists him and he must act forcibly towards her, ostensibly to save her life. There is an uncomfortable suggestion of rape in this act of physical violation on a symbolic level, even though on a literal level the reader can likely relate to the struggles the doctor is undergoing with a young child unwilling to do something for his or her own good. The use of force, the story suggests, is a complex issue, and cannot merely be construed as good or bad. On...
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