Maria Lopez

10/04/15
The Infantilization of Rosemary in Rosemarys Baby
Rosemarys Baby, directed by Roman Polanski, first released in 1968,
remains relevant and terrifying to this day. The film depicts an unholy
inversion of marriage and motherhood by focusing on how Rosemary is
habitually forced into the role of a child, even as she embraces motherhood.
In the beginning of the film, Guy and Rosemary Woodhouse appear to be a
perfect portrait of the American dream, but as the film progresses, their
domestic bliss turns into a vivid nightmare. Rosemary becomes increasingly
helpless and infantilized; she loses control over her environment, has no say
in what happens to her own body and all of her concerns are dismissed as
the ravings of a silly and hormonal pregnant woman. The familiar, comforting
ideas of marriage and motherhood become frightening and sinister, but still
uncannily recognizable by the audience. This reversal of the proverbial is
best seen in the films final moments, when Rosemary comforts her crying
baby in spite of her knowledge that he is in fact the spawn of evil. The classic
image of mother consoling child is twisted by the audiences realization of
the babys foul origins. As the camera zooms into a close-up of Rosemarys
face as she stares lovingly at her disfigured and inhuman child, smiling as
she rocks him back and forth, the eerie transformation is complete and the
familiar archetype of motherhood has been reversed into something infinitely
more menacing in nature.

From the beginning, it is understood that Rosemary is a passive,

people-pleasing woman, intent to acquiesce to those around her because she
is afraid of causing any trouble. When Minnie first invites Rosemary to
dinner, she tries to decline, saying, she couldnt and then agreeing only if
her presence wouldnt be too much trouble. Later, in the first dream
sequence, she says No, no, no. Please dont change the program on my
account, even as she is tied down and, presumably, raped by demonic
forces. She is positively unwilling to assert her will, for fear of
inconveniencing other people. Perhaps, considering how unwilling she is to
speak up or be imposing, it should come as no surprise that every aspect of
her life soon spirals out of control as she allows other people to make
decisions for her. Even when she begins to grow suspicious about the nature
of her pregnancy, her proactivity is limited and, when she finally takes
initiative, her qualms are rejected and trivialized as the ramblings of a
hysterical, hormonal woman.
Rosemary begins to lose control of her surroundings early on in the
film. Her neighbors, Minnie and Roman, repeatedly intrude on her personal
space, inviting themselves into her home and invading every aspect of her
life. Minnie frequently barges into Rosemarys apartment. Each time, the
camera follows Minnie with a tracking shot as she weaves in and out of
rooms. In one particular scene, Rosemary is settling down to read a book
when the always fast-talking Minnie and her friend, Laura-Louise, suddenly
arrive unannounced and immediately make themselves at home. The shot

focuses on Minnie and Laura-Louise, while Rosemary meanders in the

background, a passive stranger in her own home. Shortly thereafter, Minnie
intrudes on a romantic evening between the married couple to deliver
dessert and Rosemary whispers to herself: No, dont let her in. Not tonight.
Furthermore, She does not even have a say in who her doctor is; upon
being told of the pregnancy, Minnie and Guy immediately insist that
Rosemary visit a friend of theirs, instead of the physician she had originally
planned on using. Later, when Rosemary finally manages to act on her
suspicions, she is betrayed by Doctor Hill and forcefully taken back to the
apartment, dragged by the arm like a disobedient child as a tracking shot
follows the trio from the doctors office to the cab. She is continually
infantilized and treated like a child. Her husband in particular has a habit of
speaking to her as though she was a baby, and not an adult, as can be seen
when he takes Rosemarys book away, forces her to eat the dessert Minnie
made, or contemptuously ignores almost everything she says, except to note
that she is paranoid or prone to needlessly whining. Theres always
something wrong, he notes condescendingly when she refuses to eat her
food. Rosemarys wardrobe, which primarily features baby-doll dresses,
particularly emphasizes her role as a child and not an adult. She is little but a
pawn in her own life.
She is systematically isolated. The doctor Minnie recommended insists
that she not read books, speak to her friends about the pregnancy, or call
anyone besides himself should she have a question concerning her unborn

child; she is kept deliberately uninformed. In time, her entire world revolves
around her husband, the Castevets and Doctor Sapirstein, all of who become
increasingly invasive. She is discouraged from entertaining or speaking with
her old friends. She only rarely leaves the apartment. Claustrophobia
emerges as the shots become increasingly focused on Rosemarys feelings of
entrapment. Often, the camera faces her back, or emphasizes cluttered
rooms and winding hallways, contrasted against busy shots of the bustling
city outside. She is not allowed to speak with her old doctor, even when she
begins to believe Minnies treatments are harming the baby.
She first loses control of her own body after eating Minnies chocolate
mousse. She literally stumbles and falls in the hallway, unable to control her
own movements, and it is Guy who undresses her, without consent. Later
that night, she suffers from a vivid nightmare in which she is paralyzed while
members of the occult, including Minnie and Roman, chant over her nude
form as she is helplessly taken advantage of by the devil. The following
morning, she wakes with scratch marks on her body and Guy confesses that
he had sex with her while she slept. Regardless of whether her rapist was the
devil or her husband, she still had no say in the matter, as she was
unconscious. Rosemary turns away from the camera, seemingly horrified and
disgusted, and flinches at her husbands unwanted touch. As the pregnancy
progresses, Rosemarys body begins to betray her through a series of
unexplained aches and pains. She loses weight, grows pale and becomes
increasingly sickly in appearance. Truly, Rosemary has no control over the

conception of her child, her pregnancy, or even the birth. She is forcibly
sedated and tied down during the birth, in spite of the fact that she very
clearly wanted to go into labor in a hospital, where things would be sterile
and safe. Afterwards, she continues to be held captive in the apartment.
Rosemary wanted domestic bliss. She wanted to be a wife and mother.
Instead, she is forced into the role of a child. She is alienated from friends,
family and anyone else who might help her. She is spoken to
condescendingly, and little of what she says is taken into account. Her
dialogue is overtly soft-spoken and even her wardrobe resembles that of a
young girl. She has no control over her own home or environment. Worse,
she has no control over her own body. In spite of all of this, at the end of the
film, Rosemary still gives into the picture of domesticity that she desired
from the beginning. She agreed to be the childs mother, even though every
part of the pregnancy happened without her consent. Her dream of marriage
and motherhood is subverted, but essentially still accomplished.