
Being a child, it is habit to look up to the people that raised you and believe that they are the most amazing people in the world. It is hard to see their faults for in our eyes. They are right in everything they do. In “My Papa’s Waltz”, Theodore Roethke illustrates how the truth of a father’s addiction as well as physical and emotional abuse is shadowed by the love of a young boy. With the emphasis of the pattered feet scampering away from the possible pain enforced by the father, the fear is overlooked as an act of love due to the unconceived notion that it is quite the opposite. With the help of dramatic irony, diction, metaphors, and similes, as well as imagery, the unhealthy relationship between a man and his son are clearly addressed in the poem. In a close reading, these important components are highlighted and allow a clear interpretation of the meaning of the work of literature. 

With the use of many literary devices, Roethke effectively allows us to fully comprehend the meaning behind his poem. The use of dramatic irony is very substantial in the overall purpose of the poem. The effectiveness of the dramatic irony creates an emotional connection between the audience and the young boy. It is very evident that the father is an alcoholic and abuses his son and wife, but the boy is unaware of this, mistaking it for love and affection. Roethke explains how the father “beat time on my head with a palm caked hard by dirt, then waltzed me off to bed still clinging to your shirt” (13-16). Through this, it is shown that the boy is not aware of the wrongdoing of his father and still loves him. Knowing that this type of relationship is unhealthy but not having a voice in the matter allows the readers to form a relationship with the boy and want to free him from this emotional and physical torment.  

The metaphors and similes in this poem are very powerful and crucial to the understanding of the type of abuse the young boy and his mother had to suffer through and endure. The anguish and misery the family had to do was exhausting and how the boy “hung on like death” (Roethke 3) draws the audience’s attention to the fact that it is a very serious matter. Comparing the father and son’s relationship to situations that are so drastic to what normal relationships should be puts an idea into the reader’s mind that this is not a healthy situation and that the comparisons are not what they should be. 

Allowing imagery to take place in the audience’s mind creates a more relatable connection. Images of waltzing around the house, avoiding the possible outburst of anger that could lead to possible violence due to the alcoholic and emotional issues of the father, the “pans slid from the kitchen shelf” (5-6). Imagining the environment the family lives in creates a connection between the audience and the characters. Whether the reader interprets the household as a beautiful, grand home or a one bedroom, dingy apartment is up to the minds of the reader. The flexibility of the poem’s imagery allows the audience to make up what they believe is the situation the family is in.

Diction plays a very important and substantial role in any work of literature. It can help determine the mood and tone of the plot, as well as showcase the author’s message and purpose. In “My Papa’s Waltz”, Theodore Roethke captivates the audience with stellar vocabulary and diction. Contrasting words such as “battered” (10) and “waltzed” (15) allows the readers to understand the extreme relationship in which the father and son have. It shows how a father who is supposed to be loving, caring, and waltz a child around a living room, yet can also beat and torture the same young boy is astonishing. The diction of the poem also sets the tone for the entire message and purpose of the writing: how a father can manipulate his son into believing that his alcoholism and physical abuse is an act of love and affection. The tone of the writing is not only somber, but devastating for the helpless child. The contrasting word choice and graphic verb usage produces a variety of emotional attachment for the child who has to endure this inexcusable pain. 

Theodore Roethke effectively strategizes multiple literary devices to engage the audience to connect with the characters in the work of literature. With the help of dramatic irony, metaphors and similes, as well as strategically placed diction, the message and purpose of the poem was successfully addressed to the audience. The author appropriately addresses the meaning and purpose of his work in the creative and effective literary devices used.

In conclusion, “My Papa’s Waltz” is a very powerful work of literature that captivates its readers in a sense of emotional support and desire to help the child in need. The use of dramatic irony allows the audience to see a side that the victim clearly does not. The innocence of the boy is clearly evident as he is not aware of the unhealthy relationship that is in his home. In order to effectively produce this irony, Theodore Roethke used an excellent balance of metaphors and similes to relate to the readers. Comparing death to the boy’s relationship with his father can be interpreted in many ways. Hanging on for the real relationship they have, where the father carries the boy to bed every night to tell him a bed-time story, as that concept is slowly fading from the boy’s memory, or the idea that the torture and exhaustion has finally caught up to the boy and it feels like their relationship is nonexistent. Diction also plays a vital role in the success of “My Papa’s Waltz”. The vocabulary choice allows the readers to create imagery and a personal connection with the plot of the poem. 
