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Cole Kelly

Eng 103

12/02/19

Forcing Truths Out of the Dark

Horrendous crimes and inhumane acts are consistent and constant through all of human

history and domain. Hidden in the dark and out of sight from the ordinary perspective are cruel

and sinful deeds that often go unspoken about. As sad as it is, these crimes are often targeted and

directed at children. Predators and villains feel no shame in hunting down even the most innocent

and helpless. Dreadful things such as molestation and abuse are persistent in organizations even

as widespread and powerful as the church. The dark and hideous truths that can be found when

taking a closer look at any individual can be jarring and unexpected. Despite the violence and

malice of these crimes, victims will stop at nothing to keep the things that they experience

private and kept secret. Whether it be because of guilt or because of pure fear, victims will

completely close themselves off from discussing or expressing their past. But through intense

proximity, much of a person’s past can be shared and expressed through gestures and minute

details in a person’s behavior. William Carlos Williams, an author and experienced physician

must have an endless recount of secrets and details he has uncovered in his many patients that he

has worked with very closely through the years. In Use Of Force, Williams uses a descriptive

and realistic telling of a past appointment to give insight on hidden abuse and dark pasts that

many of his patients beared.

Firstly, throughout the story, Williams’ describes the patient, a small little girl, with very

sexual and misleading language. The girl is immediately introduced by her physical appearance,
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and described as “an unusually attractive little thing, and as strong as a heifer in appearance”

(Williams). This description is an immediate red flag and an eyebrow-raiser. Through the

perspective of an unreliable narrator, we see through the eyes of a grown man and maybe into the

thoughts of a potential predator. If a professional doctor was struck with this initial impression of

the girl, it is not too far of a reach to say that other people in the girls life might have reacted the

same way, or even more severely. While going through a scan and impromptu assessment of the

girl, he interjects his objective and medical related observations with descriptions that invoke

tones of sexuality and pervertedness. “But her face was flushed, she was breathing rapidly, and I

realized that she had a high fever. She had magnificent blonde hair, in profusion.” (Williams).

Here, Williams interjects his thoughts on her symptoms and wellbeing with a thought on her

“magnificent blonde hair”. These verbose descriptions give a major insight into this girl's life.

Through the thoughts of the narrator the reader gets a sense of how this girl has been perceived

all her life, and this helps understand what this girl has dealt with and what conditions she has

lived and existed under.

Secondly, throughout the entire story, the girl remains completely closed off and fearful

of the doctor. The lengths at which she goes to, and the tenacity she exhibits while fending off

the doctor allude to her potential past and experience with strangers. Her behavior insinuates that

perhaps her naivety and trust in strangers before had led her into harm and danger. Rather than

cry out or react in any major way, the daughter only remains closed off and keeps a barrier in

between her and the doctor. Her reactions aren’t that of the average child that is scared of

dentists and hospitals, but rather that of a victim that is scarred and majorly affected by trauma

from the past. When questioned about her symptoms, the girl still remained unresponsive “Does
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your throat hurt you? added the mother to the child. But the little girl's expression didn't change

nor did she move her eyes from my face” (Williams). Despite the girl knowing she possessed the

symptoms for a deadly and widespread disease, Diphtheria, she remained silent of this fact, even

at the risk of her own life. Her commitment to the concealment of this fact even though it was to

her own detriment, reveal that her behavior could only be explained by personal reasons. She

kept her guard up and continued to fight because she had lost this fight once before, and possibly

suffered harm because of it. When finally defeated and conquered by the doctor’s brute force and

relentless efforts, the Girl’s composure broke and she finally reveals weakness and emotion.

“She had been on the defensive before but now she attacked. Tried to get off her father's lap and

fly at me while tears of defeat blinded her eyes” (Williams) The tears were evoked not from the

pain that the doctor might have physically inflicted, but instead they were derived from the

emotional torment and trauma that she was experiencing during this appointment. Tears formed

from the defeat of her well-formed emotional barrier. The daughter once again exhibits a

defensive barrier composed only to act against the actions of a man that wishes to control and

overcome her.

In conclusion, through the descriptions of the Girl’s appearance and behavior, Williams

unveils the dark moments that he had seen many times in his long career as an experienced

physician. Through his close examination of people's health, he obtained a glimpse into their

lives and into their past. This story is a realistic insight into the horrors that can be uncovered

when forcing one's way into another person’s life and into their history.