A father will always play a crucial part in the development of their young child’s life.   This part can be dramatically changed when the role of father is played by an addict.   It is hard for an alcoholic father to balance their addiction and their parenting, but it can be even more difficult for a young child to grow and understand the complex minds of an addict.  For a parent, addiction is not just a problem they face, but a problem their whole family faces and must overcome.  Through “My Papa’s Waltz,” Theodore Roethke is suggesting a complex relationship between a drunken father and his naïve young child. Roethke’s poetic description of a dance shows the way alcohol effects the father’s actions, despite the love for his son, and the boy’s ability to overlook the negative and love his father unconditionally. 

It is important to consider meter, title, and the overall theme of Roethke’s poem to greater understand the overall hidden messages.  “My Papa’s Waltz” was written in iambic trimeter which is significant because now the poem is a not just about a waltz, but is a waltz.  The three beats in each line mimic the three beats in a traditional waltz dance.  Roethke had many options when selecting the word choice for his title, but settles on “My Papa’s Waltz,” he could have gone with a more formal “father” or a less formal “dance,” but relies on the connotation behind the words to push the narrative forward.  The author’s choice of “My” in the title suggests a more tender, almost possessive nature in how the boy remembers the father.  Roethke’s possessive use of the “waltz” being the “papa’s” in the title promotes the idea of multiple meanings behind a waltz- the dance as a cycle of steps and addiction as a cycle. Through Roethke’s deliberate use of title and form, a connection can be made between the boy’s unwavering love for his father and the cyclical nature of his father’s addiction. 

As Roethke introduces the story line of his poem in the first stanza, he also clearly introduces the father as an alcoholic, what he does not explicitly state is the effect that alcoholism has on the young boy.   If the whiskey on the father’s breath can make his small son “dizzy” (Roethke 90), it reflects what little awareness that the father has.   By his breath alone and without taking intentional actions, the father is affecting his son.  The typical joy the young boy would experience and associate with dancing is overshadowed by the fact that the father is so drunken he can intoxicate him by merely breathing.   However, the child still loves his father, holding on to him in a tight embrace, however; the hold is “like death” (Roethke 90) because we can infer that the father is physically impaired from alcohol consumption, which may scare the young boy.   The use of the word “death” is significant because of its implication that the boy loves his father strongly – to the end of time, no matter how his father behaves.   Throughout the poem, the dancing illustrates a symbol for the intricacies of the father/son relationship.   The literal waltz “was not easy” (Roethke 90) for the couple, this shows that the son's relationship with his father was not easy, it was a literal and metaphorical “dance” between love and fear.  In the poem, a generally easy waltz becomes difficult due to the father’s “dance” with whiskey and alcoholism.  

As the narrative progresses, Roethke uses word choice and character to show the awareness of a responsible adult in contrast to the alcoholic father.  The father in the poem is drunkenly unaware of how much trouble he is causing because he is too busy having fun with his son.   The author’s diction helps reflect the tone of the interaction and show the type of relationship the father and son share.  Roethke could have used “danced,” but chooses to use “romped until the pans/ Slid from the kitchen shelf” (91) to illustrate the loose and playful nature of their waltz.   As the couple is ruining the kitchen, the mother plays a brief role in the story.   She serves to show the rational adult perspective on the relationship between the father and son.   The mother is able to play the role of disapproval while contributing to the reader’s understanding of the joyful relationship the father shares with his son.  The author’s word choice is what helps illustrate this.  Roethke states the mother was unable to stop physically frowning, that her “countenance/ Could not unfrown itself” (91), but the reader should understand that on the inside, the mother is hiding the joy from watching the foolishness of her husband and son. The mother’s pragmatic attitude serves to contrast the father’s care free and boisterous approach to parenting. The author’s use of this character in combination with diction help to further the understanding of the complexities of the family atmosphere. 

Within the next stanza, the son makes very specific observations about the father, this suggests the idolization of the father.  As the young boy dances with his father, he even notices “the hand that held my wrist/ Was battered on one knuckle” (Roethke 91).  With the author’s word choice, this idea is furthered; the father’s hand is referred to as "the" hand, not "your" or “his” hand, an almost god-like idolization of a simple man.  As the dance continues, every time they miss a step, it scratches the son’s ear.   In lines 11 and 12, Roethke states, “At every step you missed/ My right ear scraped a buckle” (91). The scratching from the belt is a metaphor for all of the father’s mistakes he has made life and how they hurt the child, whether physical or emotional.   Roethke’s use of “buckle” is also significant in the poem due to the image it brings.  A small child, only waist high, dancing with his father brings a positive image for the reader and helps develop sympathy for the mildly injured boy.  The father seems to continue along in the waltz, totally unaware of the damage he is doing to his son as they dance.  This contributes to the idea of a submissive, carefree environment; the father may be so drunk that he is missing steps, but the son idolizes him anyway.

In the final stanza of the poem, the father and son relationship is further identified and concluded as the night time dance ends as well.  As they continue the dance, the father "beat time” (91) on the small boy’s head, which refers to the rhythmic beat that he is attempting to teach his young son by tapping his head. Although the father is intending to give the boy a lesson, the use of the word “beat” suggests it goes beyond that and is harming the boy. The father’s intentions directly contrast this harsh outcome. In line 14, the boy makes another unique observation, describing the father’s hands as having “a palm caked hard by dirt,” (91) this continues the idea that the father is very physical and tough due to this continued description, yet he dances around the kitchen with his son. This line helps develop the love he shows for his child due to the generally light hearted connotation behind dancing in general. In the final line of the poem, the boy is “waltzed off to bed/ Still clinging to your shirt.” (91) It was clear that throughout the poem the waltz was not easy, but the boy must have loved his father to want to keep clinging to his shirt.  This finalizes the symbol of dance in relation to the intricacies of the father/son relationship because it shows the reader no matter how tough the dance (relationship) is, the boy still loves his father.  

Roethke’s poetic description of this dance conveys both the father’s love for the son and the son’s fear of his father’s ability, this combination explains why the poem can relate and move many readers.  This chilling poem conveys a message from the author that the father’s love can outlast the difficulties and complexities behind his addiction, and the ability of a father to overcome his addiction only furthered the admiration the son felt.  The boy’s love for his father always outshines the negative consequences of alcoholism. This fluctuating relationship between father and son is best illustrated through the fluctuating dance that is Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz”.
