Few characters in short fiction generate as much student opinion as the unnamed doctor in "The Use of Force." Students arrive with strong feelings, and many write essays that simply label him as good, bad, or mean. Grading these papers means separating personal reaction from analysis supported by the text. A clear idea of what strong character analysis looks like will keep your feedback consistent and your scores defensible.

The doctor narrates his own story, which means students must analyze a character who is also controlling the telling. His admission near the end that he enjoyed overpowering the child complicates any simple reading of his motives. Strong essays notice that the narrator is both the actor and the judge of his actions. Weaker essays treat the narration as neutral fact and miss that tension entirely.

When you read a set of these papers, listen for whether students trace change over time. The doctor begins with professional composure and patience, then moves through irritation toward something closer to rage. A paper that follows this arc with evidence from different stages is demonstrating real analysis. A paper that describes him only at one moment is describing a snapshot, not a character.

Separating Opinion from Analysis

Many students begin with a verdict, such as claiming the doctor was right because the girl might have died. That position can be defended, but only if the student shows how the text supports it and addresses the doctor's own admissions. Feedback should ask the student to move from a verdict to a reasoned claim. A helpful comment might ask what the narrator's confession adds to the case for or against him.

• Does the essay trace how the doctor's attitude changes across the scene?
• Does it account for the narrator's confession about his own feelings?
• Are claims about motive tied to specific moments in the text?
• Does the student distinguish what the doctor does from what he says about it?
• Is a counterargument acknowledged, even briefly?

Evidence That Actually Supports the Claim

Students often choose evidence that proves the obvious, such as quoting the moment the doctor forces the girl's mouth open. That scene matters, but it does not by itself reveal motive. Stronger essays pair the physical action with the doctor's own commentary about his anger and his sense of justification. When you give feedback, encourage students to choose evidence that complicates their claim, since that is where analysis lives.

Another common problem is evidence stacked without commentary. A student lists three examples of the doctor's frustration and moves on, leaving the reader to guess the point. A margin note asking "what do these moments add up to?" prompts students to write the missing synthesis. This single question often produces the largest improvement in revision.

Handling the Parents and Mathilda

Essays on the doctor should still deal with the other characters, since they shape how his behavior reads. The parents are anxious and deferential, and their discomfort adds social pressure to the room. Mathilda's resistance is fierce, and it forces the doctor to confront how far he is willing to go. Students who ignore these figures usually produce thinner analysis than those who show how the doctor responds to each of them.

On a rubric, it can help to award credit for considering at least one other character's role in the doctor's development. This nudges students to read the scene as an interaction rather than a monologue. It also gives you a concrete, objective item to check when papers arrive in large numbers. The criterion is simple to apply and easy to explain to students.

Writing Feedback That Students Will Use

Feedback on a character analysis should name what the student did well and then identify one priority. For example, you might praise a student for noticing the shift in the doctor's tone and then ask them to connect it to his final admission. Specific praise tells students which habits to repeat, which is just as valuable as correction. Avoid vague notes such as "good job" or "needs depth," which give nothing to act on.

If you are grading dozens of essays, create a short set of reusable comments tied to the most common issues. Adapt each one with a detail from the student's paper so it feels personal rather than copied. This approach keeps your workload reasonable while preserving the clarity that makes feedback effective. Students respond when they can see that someone read their actual argument.