Emma Bayle

HST 413
Professor Windler
3/30/15
Character Analysis
In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play written by Sarah Ruhl reveals several aspects
of family life and sexuality during the Victorian era. The varying family structures include a
family with a child, a childless married couple, a single male, and a black mother acting as a
nursemaid. The character that I will be analyzing is Sabrina Daldry. Sabrina is a hysterical
woman in her early thirties who is married but without a child. It is through Sabrina Daldrys
words and actions that the reader can notice several aspects of the Victorian family, including
husband and wife relations, sexuality, and motherhood.

Compared to the other women in the play In the Next Room, Sabrina is a very calm
and muted character. But Sabrina is also a very romantic and talented character in the eyes of
other characters such as Catherine and myself. She apparently likes to get wet in the rain even
when she has an umbrella, and shows great musical talent with the piano. It is also revealed that
Sabrina has a creative side when she plays the piano, since she likes to create her own songs
instead of reading sheet music. While others in the play think that Sabrina Daldry is a hysterical
woman, she is merely depressed. It is through Sabrinas words and actions that many aspects of
Victorian family life are revealed.

Sabrina Daldrys sex life reveals certain aspect of sexuality during the Victorian era. The
sexual relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Daldry was considered normal for every couple during
the Victorian era. Sabrina mentions that her husband was very considerate during sex, that he
comes to my room at night, I am asleep- he tells me to keep my eyes shut, and I do- so I feel only
the darkness- and then the pain- I lie very still- I do not see his face[] (Ruhl 2.2). This reveals
how the woman was supposed to be passive during sexual intercourse, not even participating.
Even the idea of feeling pleasure during sexual intercourse with their husbands shocks both
Catherine Givings and Sabrina. This is because sex was never something that women were
supposed to be active participants in, just recipients. However, Sabrinas interactions with Anne
reveals a greater desire for sexual intimacy than what Sabrina experiences with her husband.
After receiving manual sexual stimulation from Annie during one of Sabrinas therapy sessions,
Sabrina is shown to prefer to have Annie finger her instead of using the vibrator. This desire for
physical intimacy results in Sabrina experiencing some form of intimate bond with Annie.
Sabrina reveals not only the unequal participation in sexual intercourse between husband and
wife, but the desire that Victorian women had to feel sexual and physical intimacy with another,
even if the other person was not their husband.

According to Victorian ideals of family, motherhood played an important role in a

womans life. While Mr. Daldry and Mr. Givings talk about curing Sabrinas hysteria, Sabrina
encounters Catherine and is given the chance to hold Lottie. But when it comes time for Sabrina
to begin her treatment, she is reluctant to leave, saying that she would much rather stay and hold
Lotty. This reveals Sabrinas desire to have a child. Furthermore, when Sabrina begins to talk
about how she and her husband do not have children, she begins to cry. This reveals the distress

Sabrina feels about not having children, which Dr. Givings simply considers to be a bout of
hysteria. However, after Sabrina finishes crying and explaining that she and her husband doesnt
have children, Sabrina says I do not know what is wrong with me (Ruhl 1.1). This reflects on
the Victorian idea of women and motherhood. Due to Sabrinas childless family, Sabrina thought
that something must have been wrong with her, instead of any alternative possibilities. Dr.
Givings further proves the connection between women and childrearing by insinuating that
Sabrinas hysteria was caused by pent-up emotion inside the womb (Ruhl 1.1). As a result of
Victorian ideas of women and motherhood, Sabrina connected her self-worth as a woman to her
ability to be a mother, and reflects the thoughts of other childless Victorian wives.
The words and emotions of Sabrina Daldry within Ruhls play In the Next Room/The
Vibrator Play reveals what many women during the Victorian era thought and felt. Sabrinas
sense of self and self-worth was strongly connected to her ability to have a child and care for it.
But since she was in a childless marriage, Sabrina was depressed but considered to be hysteric by
the men within the play. Instead of considering that her husband might be infertile or that they
just needed to try harder for a baby, Sabrina automatically thought that something must have
been wrong with herself. Sabrina also desired sexual intimacy and pleasure, which was absent in
the sexual relations she experienced with her husband, during which she was a completely
passive participant. As a result she became enamored with Annie, who was presumably the first
person that caused Sabrina to experience sexual pleasure. Sabrina revealed the desires and
problems that women in childless marriages experiences during the Victorian era.