Archive · 27 Oct 2025
Ingalls' 'In the Act' Explores Marriage, Sex Robots, and Infidelity
In Rachel Ingalls' novella, a woman named Helen discovers her husband, Edgar, has created a lifelike sex robot named Dolly.
Feeling neglected and angered by this, Helen takes the doll and leaves it at a train station.
A thief finds the doll and falls in love with her.
Edgar then demands the doll back, leading to further complications.
The story is a satirical commentary on marriage, the objectification of women, and the use of technology to fill emotional voids.
The robotic companions, are no better than human relationships, with no spark or true connection.
Helen's husband, Edgar, is a neglectful scientist who creates a sex robot.
Helen discovers the robot, named Dolly, and leaves it at a train station.
A petty thief, Ron, finds the robot and is infatuated with it.
Edgar demands the return of the robot, leading to a deal for Helen to get a companion robot.
The couple's marriage becomes a farce, highlighting the breakdown of their relationship and the limitations of their desires.
- Who
- Helen and Edgar, a married couple; Ron, a petty thief; and the sex robot Dolly.
- What
- The novella explores the breakdown of a marriage through a sex robot.
- When
- The story takes place in an unspecified time, with the novella written in 1987.
- Where
- The story takes place in the couple's home and surrounding areas.
- Why
- Ingalls uses the sex robot to critique marital dissatisfaction and the dehumanization in relationships.
Helen's Perspective
Edgar's and Ron's Perspective
Value of Relationships
Helen's Perspective
Views marriage and genuine connection over superficial robotic substitutes.
Edgar's and Ron's Perspective
Finds fulfillment in objects that lack agency or the need for a connection.
Gender Roles and expectations
Helen's Perspective
Feels victimized by selfish men and seeks revenge for the lack of attention and fulfillment
Edgar's and Ron's Perspective
Believes women are appendages to men and are tools for their satisfaction.
- Author
- Rachel Ingalls
- Original Publication
- 1987
- Main Characters
- Helen and Edgar
- Plot Point
- Husband creates a sex robot.
- Theme
- Strained marriage and robotic relationships