I love a good holiday tradition, especially when it involves some kind of entertainment. You know, like always watching Claymation Rudolph in December, or making sure to catch up on whatever show is playing on the cable network Ten Commandments Easter Sunday. But my favorite tradition this time of year—besides watching It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! and my daughters—rereading Ira Levin’s 1967 novel rosemary’s baby. That makes sense, right? What better time to study? this Horror novels inspired a host of other horror books during this period in American fiction? But this time of year also makes me deeply nostalgic for the age of motherhood I was already in, and I can honestly feel that with Rosemary and her children.
If you haven’t read it yet rosemary’s baby However (and I promise, it’s much better than the movie, and the movie was awesome) or in need of a refresher, the premise is simple. When a young couple, Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse, move into Bramford, a historic Gothic-style apartment building in New York City, a lot of weird things happen. They become friendly with some super weird neighbors, some other creepy events happen, and then Rosemary gets pregnant – but very sick.
Through her own detective work, she discovers that her husband Guy, a struggling actor who suddenly has a lot of good luck, isn’t as lovable as she thought, and she fears he’s overbearing with her and possibly Satanic The neighbors cooperate (who are super into babies in a boundary-pushing way) to sacrifice her newborn.
a lot of. It’s not a fun, light read either. It’s a tension that you won’t forget. When I last visited the city in October, I read rosemary’s baby On the plane, it felt like the eyes of the Castelvez family were on me I When I walk down the street. This novel takes you to an incredible place of belief – you are completely immersed in Rosemary’s thoughts and fears.
But as you deeply believe in Rosemary’s stress and worry, you also feel her love for her new baby, even if he’s not exactly what she planned.
[Spoiler alert for this 57-year-old book]
I always ache for my kids this time of year and long for more time with the little ones they now have. That’s what the holidays are like: wave after wave of sentimentality until you’re completely exhausted. you might think rosemary’s baby Not fitting into that atmosphere well, or rather, thinking about having to protect your unborn baby from your husband and neighbors who you think have your best interests at heart, makes me feel even more exhausted. But instead, this time of year, I find Rosemary’s love for her son both completely relatable and deeply inspiring.
Initially, Rosemary was told that her baby had died during childbirth. When she discovers he is still alive, she refuses to give up. Sneaking out of the room where her neighbor’s Satanists had hidden her, they took her breast milk – promising her they would just get rid of it – and were ready to murder her when she recovered after the birth husband, neighbors and doctors. Anyone willing to stand in the way of her safety and the safety of her children, her son, was on her list, and she was incredibly brave and wild.
But when Rosemary finds him and learns that he is not meant to be sacrificed, but the Antichrist—half her DNA and flesh, half Satan’s—she is horrified. She wonders if she should kill her son to save the world. But her love for her children won her over. She watched the other women in the group shake the baby too roughly, she worried that his hat was too tight, and she felt a deep sadness that he was destined to be evil.
Or is he?
“But he is half me,” Rosemary said. What she saw was not a monster, but hope. She doesn’t see the ending, but the potential for joy. Instead of seeing other people’s expectations, she saw her own love shining through her son.
rosemary’s baby This isn’t just a horror story – it’s a love story. A love story between mother and son, a commitment to love someone unconditionally. Rosemary clearly doesn’t want to have a baby with Satan, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t she baby. The one growing inside her heard her voice and immediately quelled his cries when she came near. So she decided to meet her son where he was. She loves him anyway, and if being half-evil means he’s destined to rule the world, why can’t half-good help him save it?
This is a perfect story to read during spooky season, and a perfect story to read as a mom. This is a story about being willing to do anything for your baby… even if he has devil eyes and tiny claws.
Samantha Darby is the Senior Lifestyle Editor of Romper and Scary Mommy, a PTA Soccer Mom, and raising three little women with her husband in suburban Georgia. Her pickup truck was always being totaled.
