
Time spent with family usually ends with happy memories that we will cherish forever. This isn’t always the case, however. Especially for children, the memories we have of our parents live with us and inspire us to be heroes like we see them as. Some memories can be terrible, terrific, or somewhere in between. Childhood memories can be a lot more complex than that, however.  In his poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” Theodore Roethke uses negative diction, imagery, and the waltz to tell a story of a bitter sweet memory of his father.

One indicator of Roethke’s mixed emotions is shown in the contrasting diction he uses. Though the waltz is seen as elegant and graceful, the diction Roethke uses contrasts this. For instance, he uses the phrase “beat time” (91) in reference to the action of counting time. In music, “counting time” is the action of speaking the rhythm of a song. Instead of the graceful counting of, “one, two, three, one, two, three,” Roethke’s father clumsily “beat” the time. The waltz that Roethke and his father are dancing is described as rough, by Roethke. He states, “We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf.” (91). Their waltzing session is getting so wild that it turns into his father slamming him into counters and hurting his son. Roethke later describes another way his father his hurting him: “At every step you missed my right ear scraped the buckle” (91). This shows how his father’s mistakes end up with him getting hurt, and also adds to the fact that even though he is getting hurt, he won’t let go of his father.

Roethke describes how his father hurts him, and the diction that surrounds Roethke’s father tend to portray him as tough and unmoving. Despite this, Roethke still wants to spend time with his father. Roethke starts the poem by stating that he, “hung on like death,” (90) while dancing with his father. He is hanging on to his father’s shirt for dear life because the dancing is so intense, but also because he doesn’t want this bonding time between him and his father to end. Though his father is hurting him while playing around, Roethke was still, “clinging to [his] shirt” (91). The contrasting diction shows Roethke’s complicated feelings towards his father. He loved him but also hated that he was getting hurt by him. 

Roethke uses the waltz to represent the flow emotions he was feeling. He starts the poem clinging to his father. The dancing then gets rough, and eventually hurts him. Though this happens, the poem ends with him still clinging to his father and not wanting to stop. This pattern follows to the “one, two, three, one, two, three,” pattern of the waltz. Roethke also uses a trimeter to make the poem itself feel like a waltz. The rhythm of the poem is the rhythm of the waltz. Waltzing is usually seen as a bonding activity that is fun for both parties, and ends in a good time. This ideal waltz makes the negative elements in the poem, such as the diction and tone, stand out more, and make the audience’s expectations challenged. This sweet idea of a son waltzing with his father is contrasted by the bitter reality that this bonding activity is ending up being a father unintentionally hurting his son. 

Roethke uses concise imagery to paint a picture of the pain and joy he is feeling. Roethke describes his dad’s worn out hands as, “caked hard by dirt,” (91) to add to the “tough guy” image of his father. He also decides to start the poem out by letting the audience know that his father is very drunk. He did this, perhaps, because that could be the reason why he didn’t hate his father for hurting him. If his father was sober this story would be an entirely different story with an entirely different narrative and tone. With the harsh imagery of his father’s drunkenness, battered knuckles, and dirty hands painted, Roethke’s father looks like a villain to him. However, Roethke’s feelings contrast this. He holds onto his father, wanting to spend all night dancing with him. Roethke also mentions his mother in the poem. After seeing her husband play roughly with her son, “[her] countenance could not unfrown itself” (91). Roethke includes his mother in the poem to represent the outside world’s view on their relationship. Her disapproving frown is a judgement towards her husband’s way of showing affection. Though others think that their relationship is abusive and unhealthy, Roethke doesn’t see his father as a villain. At least not completely. There is ambiguity on the reasons that Roethke doesn’t hate his father for this, however. The image of pans on the floor help define the magnitude of his father’s recklessness. All of these images paint the father has an irresponsible parent who hurts is son. While this is true, Roethke has more complicated feelings than just disappointment and pain.

Roethke’s father died when he was fourteen. This poem was an artistic a way to remember one of the few memories that they shared together. His father worked hard to make a living, so Roethke didn’t get to spend a copious amount of time with him. Roethke’s rough childhood is displayed in this poem. By using negative diction, imagery, and the waltz all together, Roethke is able to paint this painful but happy memory of him and his father, and show the complex array of feelings and emotions that he was experiencing.

