In The Next Room Play Analysis

Written by Sarah Ruhl, In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play is the comedy that follows Dr. Givings, Catherine, Sabrina, Mr. Daldry, Elizabeth, and Leo as they experiment with new technology in the name of medicine, specifically using the vibrator as therapy. Throughout the entire play, Sarah Ruhl highlights the intimacy of the characters and focuses specifically on their distinction between bodily functions and actual love. The main characters in In the Next Room, or the Vibrator Play are Dr. Givings, Catherine Givings, Sabrina Daldry, Elizabeth, and Leo Irving. Dr. Givings is a man strongly influenced by and devoted to medicine. In both his personal and his work life, he remains professional and insists that science is the answer to all problems. Throughout the …show more content…
Throughout the play, she finds her identity and her feministic strength through her sexual awakening. Sabrina Daldry is a patient and a woman accused of being hysterical. She first appears to be completely mad, convinced that ghosts have been living in her curtains. She is distant and cold with her husband until she begins therapy with Dr. Givings. Dr. Givings states that her transformation is because she is able to release her emotions that have built up in her womb, causing her to act hysterical. She then craves therapy sessions and insists that she continue her therapy with Annie. Her relationship with Annie is questionable and is hinted at when the script suggests that they consider kissing. Elizabeth is the African American help for the Daldry family. Having just lost her baby though, she is quickly forced into becoming a wet nurse for Letitia. Despite her initial hatred for the baby, she recognizes the innocence and the love that the baby has for her, and she begins to love the baby back. She strongly resists any form of medical help or therapy, choosing to trust in a higher power and following her husband. As the help