A Close Reading: "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke

Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” is a very interesting poem. It draws forth many different views creating quite a controversy of the meaning of this poem. When I first read this poem I thought: “Wow, this child has a very abusive relationship with his father,” but after reading it again I realized that the boy is not, in fact, in an abusive relationship at all, contrary to popular belief. I then researched the poet and found out that most of his writings were based on his childhood which prompted me to find out about his relationship with his father, specifically. According to four students from Eastern Illinois University, Roethke describes his father in two different ways. His father was very strict and had high standards of which he expected Theodore to uphold. When he did not, his father tended to look down upon him, but Theodore is also noted for describing his father in a more loving way. He admired the way his father nurtured his garden, which was a source of the family’s income. His father, Otto, valued hard work at the greenhouse and Theodore wanted to become a poet. Theodore Roethke revisits his childhood in “My Papa’s Waltz” by reflecting upon one intimate and memorable moment they shared.

The opening line, “The whiskey on your breath,” and line 3, “But I hung on like death,” is probably what misleads most readers into believing that the relationship between Theodore and Otto as that of an abusive one. Being that the father was obviously intoxicated would make the dance uneasy thus requiring him to hang “like death (line 3).” Line 5 gives you an idea of where the story takes place and line 6 simply confirms that the setting of this poem is in the kitchen. While the word “romped” in line 5 may have a negative connotation, especially after the first stanza, the denotation of the word means to play or frolic in a lively or boisterous manner which could very well explain the mother’s “countenance (line 7)” not being able to “unfrown itself (line 8).” The reader can infer that the mother had to go back and straighten up the mess her husband and son created in her clean kitchen. The mother is obviously displeased about their behavior (stanza 2).

Stanza 3 is also one that proves of great interest because the sign of the alleged abuse is here: “At every step you missed/My right ear scraped a buckle. (Lines 11-12)” Being that this is a childhood memory, these lines reveal how tall the child actually is, at the waist. Therefore, if Theodore did not keep up with his father’s steps, then his right ear would scrap the buckle. In Stanza 4, the father is still dancing with his child and waltz him off to bed. “You beat time on my head (line 13).” The father is obviously counting the time to the waltz on the child’s head by tapping his head with his hand, not literally beating him as if to cause harm. “With a palm caked hard by dirt (line 14)” reveals that the father came home and played with his son before he cleaned himself up. The child, enjoying the attention of his father and loving his version of the waltz, clings to his shirt as he goes off to bed (lines 15-16).