

“My Papa’s Waltz”, a short poem by the Pulitzer Prize winning author Theodore Roethke, is one that uses distinct literary elements that have the possibility of leading one into reading this texts in two different ways. Mr. Roethke, though, is able to effectively guide the reader to his text’s true meaning by using specific literary devices such as rhyme scheme, meter, tone, imagery, direct quotes, and even the poem’s title. When observing these small details, it may become rather evident to the reader that this is, in reality, a simple story about a boy reflecting on a joyous moment in his early life, rather than that of a drunken, abusive coming home in the middle of the night to an indifferent wife and scared child. Looking more closely at this short poem should lead one straight to a closer understanding of its meaning, and towards a greater appreciation of its author and how he was able to carefully recreate such a meaningful moment in such little space.

After what can be safely assumed as a long day at work, due to his “palm[s] [being] caked by dirt” (line 14) and his hands appearing to be “battered on one knuckle” (line 10), the father heads home with enough “whiskey on [his] breath/ [to] make a small boy dizzy” (lines 1,2). This man’s son does not seem to be fazed by his papa’s intoxicating breath whatsoever, despite the fact that could most likely cause the child to become a tad tipsy himself, and actually appears as though he is incredibly happy to see him. The boy is hanging “on like death” (line 3) when he comes in as they waltz the night away, presumably through every room of their house most likely starting at the front door and eventually making their way all the way to his son’s bedroom to be put to sleep. The way the young child is holding onto so tightly to his father can be seen as something special and one that exhibits a great amount of love towards him. Through the use of the death-like grip imagery provided to us by Mr. Roethke, himself, it is quite apparent that romping around his residence with his father in the middle of the night is something that is seemingly life or death in this young boy’s personal viewpoint. It’s a common belief that just about every boy loves his father and the same follows suit in this story. This boy is no exception as he surely seemed to miss his dad a great deal while he was gone, thus the reason for the tight, deathlike grip he presented him with when he finally arrives home from work. It is quite possible that this firm grasp could, in part, be due to his father’s drunken state; Line 4 helps to provide possible evidence to this point, declaring that “Such waltzing was not easy”. This can definitely be viewed as support for that claim, but this can be dismissed for in the last lines of the poem, the boy is “still clinging tightly to [his father’s] shirt” (line 16) despite being taken off to bed. Even when the dancing is done and it is time for sleep, the boy still cannot seem to let go of his dad. The grabbing imagery could be symbolic of him not wanting to let go of this memory. The son initially grabs on tightly and refuses to let go. This was, without a doubt, such an important and influential moment in his life that may have helped define who he is today. It may be the last memory of his time with his father, or it could just be symbolic of his tight bond with his dad. Regardless, it is apparent that this is a happy memory by every definition of the word. 

Even the title of the poem is yet another inclination of the young child’s deep affection towards his father and this particular memory shared with him. This poem is entitled “My Papa’s Waltz” and while that may seem as if it has little to no meaning, the fact that the “my” is there may stand to suggest otherwise. This work could have easily been given the name “Papa’s Waltz” or something along the same lines as that, but instead a small possessive pronoun was placed in front. The word “my,” despite only being two characters long carries heavier meaning than one may come to believe at a first glance. The word holds a certain element to it that relates too much back to one’s self to not have any meaning in relation to Roethke’s work itself. 

It truly is interesting just how much Mr. Theodore Roethke, “the greatest poet this country has yet to produce” according to James Dickey in 1963 after the poet’s death, has implemented into his work by doing seemingly so little. He has seamlessly stitched numerous miniscule details that carry so much work towards the poem’s end goal and main points. For example, the title of the poem carrying the word “my,” a mere two letters that have so much inclination to them. Perhaps, maybe just observing his impeccable usage of imagery may be more suffice evidence. This poem is a mere 16 lines, but its author is able to capture this young boy’s eternity. The rhyme scheme and meter is also so masterfully done that it could be simply overlooked, despite it having such a deep effect. Even when viewing the poem from a different point of view, these devices still come into play. One considering this piece as one that is a haunting recollection of a less than spectacular father may see the lightheartedness of the meter to be ironic, while one viewing it as previously discussed in the above paragraphs see it as further evidence towards this being a happy memory. It truly is quite phenomenal just how much Roethke could implement into such a small piece of literature. In some cases, this one in particular, it may be safe to say that, in fact, less is more.