In the Next Room (or The Vibrator Play)

Dr. Givings is positively enthralled by the idea of electricity. The play takes place only a few years after the invention of the lightbulb, and electricity is still a novel and potentially dangerous force. It is a symbol of human progress and innovation, particularly as they approach the turn of the century. For some of the characters, electricity is mysterious and too powerful. At the beginning of the play, Sabrina says that electric lights hurt her eyes. Similarly, Leo’s eyes are irritated by the electric lamp at first. He even speaks against electricity and the very nature of progress, exclaiming, “I’m afraid everyone goes around these days saying: I am a modern man, I am a modern woman, it’s the modern age, after all. But I detest modernity” (76). Leo finds electricity to be cold and passionless, but both Sabrina and Leo adapt to electric lights as their treatment continues.

Both Catherine and Sabrina speak with wonder about the way electricity will change their lives, from the way they light their homes to the way they cook their eggs. Their expectations for the possibilities of electricity are even grander than reality, as Sabrina mentions Edison’s invention to hear the final thoughts of those who are dying and suggests that one day, the fireflies will be electric as well.