"The Use of Force"

I enjoyed "the Use of Force." It was a short story in which the reader could not easily figure out when reading the story. Diphtheria is a disease in which forms a membrane on the tonsils. The disease progresses to destroy nerve fibers, eventrually inhibiting the individuals motor functions. This disease leads to death (at the time of the story).

Using clues from the story, it seems like it was written in the nineteenth century. This is inferred from when the mother says that she payed the physician $3 for the check up. Also, the physician comes to their house which was common during the 1800's.

The story is written in the point of view of the physician. Throughout the story, he does his best to diagnose and treat the little girl. He is a compassionate physician, who, after multiple attempts, gets fed up and decides that he has to use force in order to determine a diagnosis. It seems like the little girl know she may be afflicted with this disease but does not want anyone to know about it. She may not want to accept the fact that having this disease in the time period she was alive inevitably leads to death.