Compare/contrast female emancipation between "The Use of Force" and "The Horse Dealer's Daughter".

While both heroines in The Use of Force and The Horse Dealer's Daughter struggle to maintain their courage in the face of challenges, there are marked differences between the two.

The heroine in The Use of Forceis a little girl who finds her wits pitted against that of an adult doctor. As the story begins, we realize that the child is sick, and her parents are beside themselves with worry. The doctor needs to...

While both heroines in The Use of Force and The Horse Dealer's Daughter struggle to maintain their courage in the face of challenges, there are marked differences between the two.

The heroine in The Use of Force is a little girl who finds her wits pitted against that of an adult doctor. As the story begins, we realize that the child is sick, and her parents are beside themselves with worry. The doctor needs to take a throat sample to decide whether the little girl has diphtheria, but she will have none of his meddling ways. She refuses to open her mouth for the doctor's intrusive examination; like a cornered animal, she fights courageously and viciously against the doctor's valiant attempts to collect a throat sample. On the other hand, the heroine in The Horse Dealer's Daughter is a grown woman. Although her fortunes are affected by the death of her horse-dealer father, she refuses to give in to the vicissitudes of life.

Now, for Mabel, the end had come. Still she would not cast about her. She would follow her own way just the same. She would always hold the keys of her own situation. Mindless and persistent, she endured from day to day.

Although both refuse to concede defeat, the little girl in The Use of Force is  physically subdued by the doctor's superior strength and resolve towards the end of the story. At the point of her defeat, she lashes out in helpless fury. In The Horse Dealer's Daughter, the heroine, Mabel, decides to commit suicide. However, before she drowns in the pond, Fergusson, the doctor's assistant, saves her life. In saving her life, deep emotions surface, and the two find themselves embroiled in a mysterious attraction of sorts. One can argue that Mabel manages to transcend the difficult circumstances of her life by appropriating a man's chivalry for love.

However far-fetched the attraction may be between Fergusson and Mabel, Mabel's ability to expose her vulnerabilities and inadequacies inspires Fergusson's strange, sexual preoccupation with her. We don't know the final fate of these two heroines, but one gets the idea that the tenacity of both heroines will serve them well regardless of future challenges in their lives.