Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Module 3
Question 1
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin is a tale about Rosemary and Guy Woodhouse, who decide to live in a haunted apartment in Bramford. Although their close friend tries to prevent them from living in a haunted house, they still choose to go to Bramford with the hope that they will have a better life there. Rosemary’s baby is a novel that critics the Catholic Church’s restricting approaches surrounding a female’s physical autonomy. Rosemary is fully integrated into the Catholic culture. Attending the catholic school and being brought up in the catholic way, although marrying a non-Catholic person, Rosemary is a good Catholic girl who still spares time to visit Pope. Since the novel origins its horror in older catholic demonology and it was written in a time when the American Catholicism rarely operated in clear demonological dialogues, Rosemary’s Catholicism makes her a suitable candidate to be the mother of Satan’s son. According to the Catholics, a woman is not supposed to abort regardless of how she gets pregnant. Rosemary is responsible for what happens to her because regardless of what she hears about the haunted house and the events that occur while living in the house, she still chooses to live there. On the night when she finds herself naked and covered with scratches, she realizes that this was not the way Guy used to make love with her, and she still chooses to ignore all these signs. Catholic beliefs on reproductive rights surrounding the tale like when Rosemary states, “I won’t have an abortion!” regardless of her sharp pain, is one way that Rosemary contributes in her own victimization (Levin 70). If she had chosen to leave the apartment after considering some of the events that had happened, then maybe she would not have given birth to the son of Satan.
Question 2
A Certain Slant of Light, written by Laura Whitcomb, is a tale of a ghost called Helen, who died more than 100 years ago. Helen remembers nothing about the life she lived before she died. Fixed between life and death, Helen clings on a host until the host dies is when she moves on to the next host. Her fifth host is a teacher, but after a while, she realizes that one of the students can see her. The student who can see Helen is James, who is also a spirit. James helps Helen to find a suitable host, and she enters into Jenny’s body (Whitcomb 26). Although Jenifer comes from a family that can offer her everything, she still feels miserable since she cannot express herself. James and Helen become more intimate, and this gives Helen a glimpse of her past while she is still in Jenny’s body. Jenifer is improved when Helen possesses her because she is able to realize that regardless of the religious talks and praying, severe underlying matters are surrounding her parents. Helen also benefits from her final host because she is finally able to have a glimpse of her past. James and Helen then realize that they have to return the bodies they have to the owners. Helen is able to figure out her salvation path.
Question 3
In Rosemary’s baby, a certain slant and paranormal activity tales, the females are more tormented by the ghosts more than the males. This may be because women, for the longest time, have been viewed as the paranoid and vulnerable beings and therefore being the best candidates for the ghost tortures. Rosemary being a Catholic, her actions are based on catholic beliefs, Jenifer who has religious parents, still feels lonely, making her a host for Helen, the ghosts in paranormal activity take advantage of Katie’s past to torture her.
Question 4
It is understandable for many people to state that “God is dead” after reading Rosemary’s baby tale. The birth of Rosemary’s child is not evidenced enough that God does not exist in the world. This is because, at the beginning of the tale, it is evident that God sends people to Rosemary to prevent her from occupying the haunted apartment. I think that there are times God allows us to go through certain experiences so that we can learn a lesson. Rosemary saw all the warning signs, but she still chose to stay in the apartment.
Question 5.
The directors of paranormal activity film relate their story to the audience when they incorporate the use of a camera to record the strange occurrences. From the horror films I have seen before, the ghosts are only seen and heard by those they target. In the paranormal activity, both Micah and Katie are able to see the strange occurrences. It is also weird how the ghost occurrences can be viewed on a camera recording. The main target of the demons is Katie, but Micah is able to see the strange occurrences on camera, although he cannot hear them in real life (Peli).
Question 6
Jenifer does not have the best relationship with her parents. Dan and Cathy believe that by providing Jenny with everything, she is fine. They control her mind since she is unable to express herself (Whitcomb 40). She is not allowed to interact with her friends, and all her religious parents want from her is to pray and stay in her room. Being a female, Jenifer’s parents believe that she is vulnerable to men, and therefore they prefer to keep her close to them all the time. Cathy and Dan want Jenifer to grow up in the religious roots they are trying to teach her.
Works Cited
Ira Levin. Rosemary’s baby: A novel. 1967.
Paranormal Activity. Directed by Oren Peli, 2007.
Whitcomb, Laura. A certain slant of light. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2005.