
In Theodore Roethke’s poem My Papa’s Waltz, the author paints a picture of his father dancing around the kitchen with him as his mother watches. When read at face value, the poem may seem like an innocent childhood anecdote, but the underlying emotion is much more dark. Through his use of dance analogies, Roethke connects concise stanzas to an overlying theme of his alcoholic father’s abusive behaviors. 

The first four lines feature two interesting elements to his story. The first two “The whiskey on your breath, could make a small boy dizzy” clearly establishes that the writer’s father is drunk at the time of the contact. This is important foreshadowing to the story as it sets a root of the story’s main problem. It also serves as an interesting focal point to the main theme of the story because it is only one of two times that the theme of abuse is referenced directly. The third line of the story “but I hung on like death” plays an integral role in the development of the character’s submission to his father’s abuse. Although the scent of alcohol is heavy enough to disgust the author, he has no choice but to hold on during the conflict An insightful reader could infer that this is not the first time the author has encountered this and could possibly consider it routine. The last line of the four, “such waltzing was not easy” is the first instance of the author using a dancing term to refer to abuse. The action is not an easy one for the author to go through, as he is holding on during the “waltz.” This line sets the tone for the rest of the poem as it is the beginning of the abuse at the hands of his father being downplayed.

In the next four lines, some of the intensity of the abuse is referred to, as Roethke describes the progression of the dance as “we romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf;” The term “romped” is used in this instance as the dance term, and it is explained that it is done so long and vigorously that all the cookware falls from the shelves. This relates to the main theme as it shows that this happens frequently, and the action itself left a great mess in its wake. The next two lines “My mother’s countenance could not unfrown itself.” is especially interesting because it brings a third party into the action, while also not specifying her involvement in the conflict. Her role can be interpreted in several different ways, and is open to the reader’s interpretation. She could be seen as another victim of the father, upset at the mess that was being created in her kitchen, or as an accomplice who is frowning at her own child. Because there is no further detail on the mother, it makes her a much more open ended and interesting character. 

In the third stanza, Roethke increases the intensity of his writing during the climax of the story. In the first line, “The hand that held my wrist” shows that the author is being physically restrained by his father. In a typical dance, the partner's hand will be held by the partner, rather than the wrist. This shows that the father is holding the boy in an uncomfortable position, further adding to the fact that he is being abused. The next line “was battered on one knuckle” shows that he has been physically assaulted and had marks on himself from the fact. These lines relate to the overarching theme by showing that assault may seem like a dance. The next lines, “at every step you missed, my right ear scraped a buckle” show that every time the author messed up, he was assaulted by his father. At this point in the story the whole thing has become much more dark, as physical abuse is becoming much more common between the author and his father. The end to this stanza relates to the overarching theme as it uses the term “with every step you missed” In dancing, every missed stepped implies the dancer messed up. Within the context of the story, it is implied that the son has messed up within his own life, prompting the father to respond with a physical attack. The last line shows the physical abuse that he felt at the hands of his father.

The final stanza begins with, “You beat time on my head.” This is a very telling line as it uses a dancing term relating to timing, while also referring to the father beating his son. This shows that with every move around the kitchen, the father hits his child on the head. The next line “with a palm caked by dirt” provides a background on the father. With a mention of his palm being hard and dirty, it can be assumed that he may have a low paying labor job, or is involved in blue collar work. This is the first time in the poem that the father is mentioned directly, as his actions had previously just been referred to. The next line “then waltzed me off to bed” shows that after the beating ends, the father quickly puts him to sleep, to get ready for another day that will presumably end the same way. The final line of the stanza, “still clinging to your shirt” shows that although the father is beating him, the child will simply not let go of what is familiar to him. This relates to the theme as it shows that while the child is being abused, he has no choice but to take it. A depressing reality for him indeed. 

Throughout the poem, My Papa’s Waltz, time and time again the reader is left to decipher clues about the author’s home life by how his father behaves. While the author uses many terms from the world of dancing to explain his home life, a diligent reader can safely assume that the author had a very tough upbringing. Through the use of figurative language, the author is able to establish a theme of dancing, while also dealing with the harsh realities of child abuse in a subtle way.  