The Use of Force

The doctor in "The Use of Force" is very unprofessional. He describes the patient in a very infatuated way. The doctor also abhors the way the parents of the patient referred to him. And the doctor treats the patient aggressively.

From the moment the doctor enters the house. He introduces the girl to us in an infatuated sense. He saw her as a "very attractive little thing" and he described her to have "magnificent blonde hair... one of those picture children often reproduced in advertising leaflets and the photogravure sections of the Sunday papers." Throughout the process of the examination we see that he "had already fallen in love with the savage brat." The doctor forces the examination on the girl for the sense of self-enjoyment. As he said, "it was a pleasure to attack her."

The doctor seemed very unprofessional when he detested the way the mother, referred to him. When the mother told her daughter that he is a "nice man" and that he won't hurt her, he became very impatient and mad. This is very ironic because all parents usually tell their kids that doctors are nice people. Why did he become angry with that comment? Ironically enough, doctors are supposed to be nice to their patients and the parents of the patients, at least the professional ones. Doctors are usually extra tolerant towards kids, and are trained to handle kids like this specific patient, who do not wish to cooperate.

In attempt to examine the patient, the doctor acted extremely unprofessionally. The doctor was very forceful and harsh. When the young patient wouldn't allow the doctor to look into her throat, the doctor forced the wooden tongue depressor between her teeth, and the patient broke the tongue depressor. The doctor at that point had become violent, and decided upon continuing the examination with additional power towards the young patient. While the young patients' mouth was bleeding because of the broken wooden depressor, the doctor forced the handle of a smooth metal spoon into the patient's mouth. He claimed that he could have "torn the child apart" in his own fury and he would have enjoyed it. The doctors' face was burning with the pleasure to attack the young patient.

We see throughout the story that the doctor acted very unprofessionally. He was infatuated by his young female patient. He abhorred being