In The Next Room Character Analysis

Catherine Givings

Catherine Givings is the wife of Dr. Givings, a specialist in hysterical disorders. She is also the mother to a baby girl, Letitia or Lotty for short. She is unable to breastfeed however, and it has put a large strain on her relationship with her husband, as well as how she interacts with others. When her husband decides to hire a wet-nurse, Catherine is a little hesitant, but ultimately glad for the assistance, even if she is mildly uncomfortable with a black woman.

Generally, she is very excitable, and loves to be around people. Frequently in the show, someone has just left or is about to leave and she comments on how bored she is or will be. She has a tendency to find things very romantic and has a huge desire for passion and excitement in her life, which is the cause of a few conflicts.

She has never known true intimacy with her husband, as evident by the fact that her first orgasm is the result of the vibrator. Prior to actually experiencing an orgasm, she has an insatiable curiosity as to what her husband does behind closed doors, and she frequently bothers him about it. After she shares in an experience with the vibrator, she becomes obsessed with the ideas of passion, and decides that her husband is not enough for her. She calls him inadequate and becomes frustrated when he will not give into her pleasures. Once introduced to Leo Irving, she becomes infatuated with him, believing herself to be in love with him, and wanting to share in the live that he leads.

While Elizabeth is feeding Lotty, Catherine frequently becomes jealous or upset. When Elizabeth is being painted by Leo, Catherine becomes incredibly jealous of the fact that her daughter has latched onto another woman, as well as the attention Elizabeth is getting from Leo. She frequently has comments about how she does not think that she is a good mother, or that she is not Lotty’s mother, but Dr. Givings frequently tries to dissuade her from these ideas.

Contrary to her infatuation with Leo, when Mr. Daldry tries to kiss her, she slaps him and becomes shocked that he would even try such a thing, which is ironic in the fact that the reasons Mr. Daldry gives for falling in love with her and the same ones she gives regarding her love for Leo.

After many of the people in her life leave, she begins to sob and cannot bring herself to use the vibrator which she intended to do. Her husband tries to dissuade her notions that she is alone, insisting that he is there for her. However, Catherine feels that he is never truly there, that he is always gone, and it has taken a toll on her. She needs him to love her passionately or else their marriage is in jeopardy. When he finally gives

in, she realizes just how in love with him she is, how beautiful she finds him, and just how important he is to her.

Dr. Givings

Dr. Givings is a specialist of hysterical disorders, and the husband of Catherine. He works from home in an office off of the living room. He is frequently cited as a good doctor, although that just may be a result of what he does. He is a kind, level headed man, and certainly a gentleman. He is not nearly as excitable as his wife, and can be a little awkward, but a good husband nonetheless. He can be a little awkward, especially in the operating theater, but does not let that get in the way of his work, nor does he let his patients excite him. He is wildly interested in electricity and its benefits, while the topic greatly bores his wife. His neglect to show passion towards his wife is really at the root of their marriage issues. Generally, as the son of an abolitionist, he is more racially progressive than his wife, and does not hesitate to hire a black wet-nurse for their child. He tries very hard to keep his wife happy and calm, knowing how emotion she can get regarding her inability to feed their child.

He frequently tries to assuage Catherine’s fear that she is not a good mother to Lotty because she cannot breastfeed. He tries very hard to keep calm and support his wife, although she frequently becomes too excitable for him. When she begins to act out against him, and openly flirts with other men to get a reaction out of him, he declines to react, which frustrates her. He tries to keep his wife on the ground, and often disapproves of her actions, but does not want to fight, so he lets it pass, citing it as a mistake that will not happen again. When he agrees to experiments with his vibrator on her, he stops because he says it is making her too excitable, which he believes is not good for her. She becomes frustrated and continues to act out against him. At moments when Catherine tries to cite a reaction from him, he becomes cold and quiet, but refuses to show true anger, and when he does get angry, his primary emotion is truly pain and neglect. Mrs. Givings gets to the root of the problems with the notion that he is never there for her. Physically, he is always in the next room, or at the club, but emotionally, he does not give in to the same things she does, and she feels that he has changed from their youth and does not find her interesting anymore.

Once this point comes out, Dr. Givings states that he does love her, but has not known how to be intimate with his wife, physically or emotionally. It is at this moment when Catherine persuades him to give in by merely telling him to try, and what occurs is the most intimate thing either of them have ever experienced. He has become the husband that Catherine had always wanted, and he reconnects with his wife.

Mrs. Daldry

Mrs. Daldry is one of Dr. Givings patients, and a women not being satisfied. Her lack of satisfaction has given her a number of maladies that are given the title of hysteria. She and her husband are unable to have children, and Mr. Daldry has never aided in her needs, regardless of whether or not she knew she had them. She soon discovers orgasms with the assistance of Dr. Givings and his vibrator, and it then becomes clear that she is not necessarily heterosexual. In fact, it is pretty certain that she is a lesbian. After her treatments begin, she plays the piano once again and is in generally good spirits. However, the songs she plays tend to be somber, or sad and mysterious, or full of longing. Likely due to the battle being fought over her sexuality.

She falls in love with Dr. Givings’ assistant Annie, even calling out her name during one of her therapy sessions. She receives Greek lessons from Annie, and the kiss once after Mrs. Daldry plays a song on the piano. They both retreat and agree to never see each other again.

Mr. Daldry

The husband of Mrs. Daldry, Dick Daldry is a pretty plain man. He can be loud and friendly, and often say the wrong thing, but he is not a bad husband, except for when he tries to cheat on his wife. He is described as considerate by his wife, which is not necessarily a bad thing, except it is in direct relation to sex. He is unsatisfying to his wife.

He becomes infatuated by Mrs. Givings, and quickly believes himself to be in love with her. He believes that she was seducing him, but when he tries to kiss her, she slaps him, and he quickly retreats and pretends nothing has happened. This is ironic, as this is the exact reason that Catherine falls in love with Leo. They both want someone more exciting than who they have now, but in Mr. Daldry’s case, he seeks it out and does not try to fix the issues with his wife.

Annie

Annie is the unwed midwife of Dr. Givings. She is very caring and considerate, described as the definition of tact and reserve. She is good at her job, and is always ready to assist. She also knows Greek, and often teaches Mrs. Daldry about Greek philosophy.

After Mrs. Daldry has experienced multiple orgasms with the aid of either Annie or the thought of Annie, it is pretty clear that Mrs. Daldry is enamored with Annie. When Annie and Mrs. Daldry kiss, Annie retreats and shuts down, chalking her tears up to the song Mrs. Daldry played and not the emotions she feels. She then leaves after agreeing to never see Mrs. Daldry again.

Elizabeth

Elizabeth is an African American mother of two, who recently just lost a child. Because of this, she has accepted the position of the Givings’ wet-nurse. She is described as a very moral, intelligent, kind, and hard working woman. She is cited as being very religious, but this is contradicted later. She seems to be the perfect woman for the Givings.

She is very adamant about the fact that after her son died, she lost her faith in religion. She was in so much pain and could not understand why God has taken away her child. She becomes the infatuation of Leo, who thinks she is the most beautiful woman, and becomes obsessed with the idea of painting a black Madonna feeding a white child. Elizabeth is uncomfortable with this, and frequently objects to Leo’s advances, although she is not in a position to deny him. When he tries to make an advance on her, she slaps him, and that is the end of it.

She returns to Mrs. Givings one last time to end her employment and say goodbye to the baby. She has grown uncomfortable with breastfeeding as she cannot stop thinking about her own child, and even admits to wanting God to take back Lotty. She says that she could not bear to become more attached to the child, and is therefore ending her employment.

Leo Irving

Leo is another of Dr. Givings’ patients and an English painter. He has come down with a case of hysteria after being left by the woman he loved. He is very boisterous, and often speaks at lengths about his craft and his experiences, most of which are very disingenuous.

When he sees Elizabeth for the first time, he becomes enamored with her, and insists upon painting her feeding the child. She initially declines, but he offers her an obscene amount of money. He is willing to do whatever it takes to get his vision. He then caries the notion that what he is doing is revolutionary, and while it is, it seems a little over the top.

Catherine has fallen in love with Leo, and when she admits it, he denies her, making clear that he is in love with Elizabeth and quickly tells Catherine that she is not in love with him, but rather, infatuated with him. Again, ironically, as he is more infatuated with Elizabeth than actually in love with her. He then departs, claiming that he is married to his solitude, and leaves Catherine alone for the last time.