The Use of Force

William Carlos Williams' story "The Use of Force" was different from many of the other stories we read. I thought it was interesting that the story consisted primarily of dialogue but there were no quotation marks. This reminded me of Hemingway's' "Hills Like White Elephants" because it was difficult at times to follow without really knowing who was speaking. Once and a while Williams would throw in "I said" or something, but still it was confusing. The fact that the story was told in first person and made up of dialogue made it seem to me that maybe this story is not fully true. Because there are no quotation marks how is the reader to be certain that what the mother and father are saying, for example, is what they really said? I also thought it was strange the doctor had such strong urges of killing. He said, "till I wanted to kill him" in regards to the father and "I could have torn the child apart in my own fury and enjoyed it" in reference to the daughter (1171-1172). Doctors are normally looked at as wanting to save lives, not wanting to destroy them. In the same sense, though, I can see where the doctor's anger stems from. He feels this child has been neglected and he eluded to the fact he sees this frequently.