Rosemary's Baby

When the story begins, Guy is a 32-year-old struggling actor. He is originally from Baltimore and was raised in a Protestant family. He has mainly performed small roles in stage plays and has done radio and television commercials but hopes to break into Hollywood via larger roles in Broadway shows. He expresses jealousy when other actors achieve success and seems insecure about his own talent, often asking Rosemary to help him study his lines or simply serve as an audience while he rehearses.

Outside of the perpetual anxiety he feels about his career, Guy seems jovial and carefree, joking with other characters and being playful with Rosemary. However, he becomes increasingly secretive, coming and going at odd times and making excuses for these changes. He also covers his secretive behavior—and attempts to counteract Rosemary’s awareness of it—with more playfulness, although his jokes become darker and more sinister. He falls under the cult’s sway easily, after only a couple of conversations with Roman, and prioritizes his career over Rosemary’s well-being. But he still seems to feel occasional pangs of guilt about this; for example, he reacts strongly to Hutch’s death, and during the final scene, he will not look Rosemary in the eye as she learns the truth of what he has done. He tries to justify his actions by telling Rosemary that she was not permanently hurt by the cult and that they can still have healthy children. Guy’s narcissism and ambition, his attempts to defend his actions, and his dismissal of Rosemary’s pain make him one of the novel’s central antagonists.

Edward Hutchins, better known as Hutch, is a friend of Rosemary’s and her primary mode of emotional support throughout the novel. Hutch is a 54-year-old Englishman who met Rosemary soon after she moved to New York City; he lived next door to Rosemary and helped her during emergencies. He has two adult daughters who also have children of their own, and the family seems close and loving. Hutch is a novelist who writes adventure books for children and young adults under a pen name.

While the origin of his interest is never explained, Hutch knows a lot about the dark history of the Bramford and witchcraft. He warns Rosemary and Guy about the Bramford early in the novel and continues to warn Rosemary throughout her pregnancy, although he sometimes couches his concern in gentle humor. However, he does not hide his distrust of the Castavets, and while he is polite to Roman, he clearly feels disturbed by the sinister signs he sees in the older man. Unlike almost everyone else in the novel, Hutch does not question or doubt Rosemary’s uneasy feelings, and he encourages her to learn more about what might be going on around her by reading about witchcraft. This is in direct opposition to Guy, Dr. Sapirstein, and the Castavets, who all try to keep Rosemary from getting information about anything. The fact that Hutch sensed Roman was a witch and chose to warn Rosemary anyway suggests that he is willing to sacrifice his own safety for Rosemary’s sake, establishing him as a foil to the other male characters in the novel, who seek to control Rosemary by keeping her in the dark.

Minnie is Rosemary and Guy’s next-door neighbor and one of the novel’s primary antagonists. She is around 68 or 69 years old. Before they meet Minnie, Rosemary and Guy hear her yelling through the wall, and Guy makes fun of her Midwestern accent and her brashness by calling the Castavets “Ma and Pa Kettle” (24). Rosemary also meets Terry, who is living with the Castavets, before meeting either Minnie or Roman. Terry describes them as “the most wonderful people in the world” and refers to them as surrogate grandparents (30). The first time Rosemary meets the Castavets is at the scene of Terry’s supposed suicide.

Minnie appears friendly, asking Rosemary questions about herself, complimenting Guy’s handsomeness, and inviting the Woodhouses over for dinner. Rosemary likes Minnie’s blunt way of speaking and does not even mind her nosiness when she asks the prices of Rosemary’s furniture and appliances. Minnie seems aware of her own quirks and shortcomings, acknowledging her own nosiness and describing herself as “selfish as the day is long” (46). But as the novel progresses, Minnie’s friendliness becomes increasingly tinged by manipulation and invasiveness. She is responsible for giving Rosemary her daily drink—eventually accompanied by a slice of cake—which gives her the opportunity to check on Rosemary’s plans and exert control over her activities. However, she is also surprisingly practical: At the end, when Roman tries to argue with Rosemary over the baby’s name, Minnie interrupts, taking Rosemary’s side and ending the conflict.