The Use of Force 4

There are sections in this work which do not move the plot forward. In these sections, William Carlos Williams instead decides to further create an image in our heads. He takes the time to paint the picture more vividly in our minds. "When I arrived I was met by the mother, a big startled looking woman, very clean and apologetic who merely said, Is this the doctor? and let me in. In the back, she added. You must excuse us, doctor, we have her in the kitchen where it is warm. It is very damp here sometimes." In this section, the plot does not go anywhere. William Carlos Williams decides to set up a character so that the reader can better understand and relate. Note the "big startled looking woman, very clean and apologetic." Williams could have simply just have said, "The mom came into the doctor's office" and the plot would still have been the exact same. Williams, however, set her up so that we can get a feel for who she is. The ending to this short story was both predictable and surprising. "She had been hiding that sore throat for three days at least ... Tried to get off her father's lap and fly at me while tears of defeat blinded her eyes." If you read the first paragraph and skipped to the ending you would be utterly surprised. Why was the doctor treating this whole thing as a competition. However, as you dig deeper into the doctor's violent behavior, this is clearly the perfect ending. There was no way the doctor would lose this fight. "Others must be protected against her. It is a social necessity. ... One goes on to the end." His mindset is clear. He is determined to go through with this, regardless of the costs, until he succeeds.