Roman Castevet and Andrew John Woodhouse

Roman Castevet’s relationship with Andrew John Woodhouse is a struggle over who may claim, name, and mother the child. Roman presents himself as the spokesman for a religious community that regards the baby as Satan’s son and calls him Adrian; Rosemary insists that he is Andrew John, her child. The confrontation ends without Roman abandoning the coven’s beliefs, but with the group repeating Rosemary’s chosen name—a small, consequential limit on Roman’s effort to define the child’s identity.

A Claim Founded on the Coven’s Belief

Roman’s connection to Andrew is not presented as an ordinary family relationship. When Rosemary finds the baby in the Castevets’ apartment, Roman explains that Satan is the child’s father, not Guy Woodhouse. He describes the birth as the fulfillment of a plan and identifies the infant as Satan’s son, whose purpose, in the coven’s account, is to overthrow religious institutions and avenge Satan’s followers. Roman thus speaks not as a conventional grandfather or guardian but as an interpreter of the child’s supposed supernatural identity and future.

The group’s claim is made concrete through the baby’s appearance. Andrew’s eyes are golden-yellow, with vertical black pupils. Roman treats this visible difference as confirmation of his declaration that the baby has his father’s eyes. Rosemary initially rejects that interpretation, pointing out that Guy’s eyes are brown and asking what the others have done to him. The exchange establishes the central conflict: Roman reads the child as proof of the coven’s doctrine, while Rosemary recognizes him as her son and resists the meanings imposed on him.

The Mother Roman Wants

Roman’s account makes Rosemary part of the plan as well. Minnie tells her that Satan chose her from among all women to mother his only living son, and that the events bringing Rosemary and Guy to their apartment were arranged for that purpose. Roman’s appeal therefore combines a claim over the child with a proposed role for Rosemary: he wants her to care for Andrew, even if she does not formally join the coven.

Roman later presents that proposal as a practical bargain. He asks Rosemary to be a real mother to Adrian and says that the group can protect her from punishment or public discovery if she helps them. He also argues that Minnie and Laura-Louise are too old to raise the child. The appeal gives Rosemary a place in the coven’s preferred arrangement, but only on terms that preserve Roman’s designation of the baby as Adrian and place his upbringing within the group’s authority. Roman asks for her care while continuing to define whose child the infant is meant to be.

Names and Competing Authority

The naming dispute brings the conflict into a direct, personal form. Roman calls the child Adrian Steven, while Rosemary names him Andrew John Woodhouse. When Roman hails her as the mother of Adrian, she answers that the child is Andrew John. She acknowledges that the coven would like to use its chosen name but refuses it, stating that Andrew is her child and that the name is not open for discussion.

Her insistence extends beyond the name to the child’s everyday presentation. Rosemary also objects to the black clothing, saying that Andrew cannot wear black all the time. The contrast is between Roman’s attempt to make the infant embody the coven’s identity and Rosemary’s claim to make ordinary decisions as his mother. Her response does not undo Roman’s religious claim, but it refuses to let that claim dictate every aspect of the child’s life.

Recognition Without Agreement

Roman first answers Rosemary’s refusal by repeating that the child’s name is Adrian Steven. The others join him in acclaiming Adrian and Satan, and Guy also participates. The scene makes clear that Roman’s authority is collective: the coven’s repeated declarations reinforce his version of the child even as Rosemary stands apart from it.

The balance shifts when Minnie says Hail Andrew, looking directly at Roman. The rest of the group follows, offering both Hail Andrew and Hail Rosemary, mother of Andrew, while continuing to say Hail Satan. Roman has not renounced his belief that Satan fathered the child, and the gathered members do not abandon their allegiance. Yet they repeat the name Rosemary has chosen and recognize her as Andrew’s mother. The relationship remains contested, but the ending gives her a measure of authority that Roman’s earlier declarations sought to deny: Andrew’s identity in the household will not be entirely his to assign.