Like "The Lottery," William Carlos Williams' piece "The Use of Force" is one of those disturbing short stories that resonate long after you have finished reading it.

At first glance it looks unlikely to provoke too much interest.  On one level it is a period piece; set in the depression era in a rural community, the narrative concerns the difficulties faced by a young doctor in one particular and fairly innocuous case.

The interest lies in the details of the case and the compelling nexus of relationships that arise out of the pressing need to examine the young girl's throat.  Doctor, parents and child combine to create a situation that borders on the horrific and becomes highly disturbing when we investigate the dominant symbols and the underlying power struggle. 

The plot revolves simply around the doctor's need to examine his young patient's throat.  There have been cases of diptheria going around and it is a matter of urgency that this child is swiftly diagnosed.  Unfortunately, she has other ideas

The stubborn, independent streak is something that the doctor frankly admires early on.  The first person narrative explains that she is somehow different from her parents, whom the doctor clearly despises.  There is an animal beauty to her, haughty, and defiant  as  she is.

His admiration soon, however, turns to  frustration.  The very qualities he appears to admire in her prevent him from proceeding with the examination.  Her mouth clenched shut, the doctor is driven to a frenzy by his uncooperative patient and he expresses his frustration increasingly in physical force, and ultimately in violence. 

The disturbing quality of this story lies precisely in that implacable slide into violence.  Reason is lost and something uglier and more primitive takes over.  The narrative culminates in a kind of brutal oral rape.  The wooden tongue depressor is shattered, and an unwieldy spoon takes its place with the child gagging and bleeding.  There is a justification, of sorts, behind which the doctor tries to hide, but even he is shocked at his loss of balance and control. 

The relationship here is broadly symbolic and represents conflict and  the abuse of power.  You can read it on a male/female level or adult/child.  It is a story about child abuse and sexual abuse; about any kind of exploitation of experience or power over innocence or weakness.  Alternatively you can see the story depicting a kind of institutional aggression.  It is the doctor's position that gives him both his authority and his expectations of submission (what do we all do when the doctor says "cough!").  Our obedience is institutionalized in relation to any authority figure be they teacher, pastor, doctor or politician.