
Theodore Roethke’s mental illness was, as one psychiatrist put it, “the running expenses he paid for being his kind of poet” (Seager 109). Roethke lost his father to cancer and his uncle to suicide at roughly the same time in his childhood. As a young teenager of only 14, the devastation of losing his father was inconceivable. He would purposefully fixate upon the troubles of his childhood, which helped make him the great poet he is, but also caused him to struggle with breakdowns from mental illness. Roethke “viewed these periodic incidents of manic depression as opportunities for creative self-exploration” (Kalaidjian 2) which only made him push harder until he finally could not take it anymore. Roethke showed signs of becoming a prolific writer at a very young age, and it was evident that “Roethke’s verse was shaped by autobiographical themes and key events from his personal life,” (Kalaidjian 1) and “a basic knowledge of the poet’s career, therefore, is important for understanding his writing” (Kalaidjian 1). On the surface, his poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” seems like a horrific story of a father beating his child, but by analyzing the poem and Roethke’s life, another story is revealed. First off, the title refers to a waltz and the poem itself does not have a dreary tone; instead the poem actually sounds like it could be made into a song and waltzed to. Also, Roethke’s “admiration for his father almost reaches a point of adoration” (Seager 42), which is why the boy in the poem was “still clinging to [his father’s] shirt” (Roethke 91). A clear understanding of Roethke’s past, such as his family’s structure, is needed to understand what Roethke was saying in “My Papa’s Waltz” through the use of diction because his biography reveals the true father – son relationship that he had. 

Roethke was considered to be “the greatest poet this country has yet produced” (Harley 90) by James Dickey, so Roethke was probably very capable at using diction to convey a certain message and would have used different words to convey a sense of violence. Firstly, the poem keeps referring to waltzing which is evident in the title and in the poem itself. A waltz is usually in 3/4 time, and by listening close to the poem, it sounds like the poem is in 3/4 time and could be used to waltz to.  The first-time waltzing is mentioned, there are no hints of violence. Roethke writes, “Such waltzing was not easy” (Roethke 90) which sounds less abusive and more like a young child having difficulty keeping up with a more adult thing. If Roethke wanted to use diction to emphasize the violent tendencies of the father, he could have chosen a more ferocious dance such as the tango, but instead he chose the waltz. The other time waltzing is mentioned is, “Then waltzed me off to bed/ Still clinging to your shirt” (Roethke 91) which paints a serene and almost beautiful picture of a father putting his son to bed, and the son holding on to his father tightly as if he does not want the night to end just yet. Roethke also has another clear choice of diction when he says, “You beat time on my head” (Roethke 91). If Roethke wanted to create violent imagery, he could have used punch, slap, hit, etc., but instead he used “beat time” (Roethke 91). Beating time sounds like a something a percussionist or dance instructor would do, maybe even to a waltz, which adds to Roethke’s choice of diction. 

Understanding how Roethke’s family operate is vital to realizing that “My Papa’s Waltz” does not contain an abusive father. Roethke’s father worked in a greenhouse which had the slogan “the largest and most complete floral establishment in Michigan” (Seager 12). Working that hard would explain “a palm caked hard by dirt” (Roethke 91). That line was not meant to create the illusion of the father being gritty, but to help show that the poem closely relates to Roethke’s actual life. Roethke’s parents, Otto and Helen, never fought in front of their children. This was prevented because “If Otto felt that his wife was pressing him too hard…he would laugh, shrug, and walk away” (Seager 17) which most likely caused Helen to resent her husband. Since this was written by Roethke when he was an adult, the lines “My mother’s countenance/ Could not unfrown itself” (Roethke 91) probably referred to her resentment towards her husband, and was most likely included because Roethke shared a very uneasy relationship with his mother after she began to complain about Otto once he died. 

Roethke’s use of diction in “My Papa’s Waltz” must be taken in a literal sense to truly decipher the poem’s meaning. In the first stanza, “The whiskey on your breath” (Roethke 90), does not necessarily mean that the father is drunk. The father could have had a small amount of alcohol after a long day’s work and any amount of liquor “Could make a small boy dizzy” (Roethke 90), so that does not confirm that the father was drinking heavily. Now, the important thing is to realize that the waltz is a literal dance between father and son. When an adult dances with a small child, they usually let the child’s feet rest atop their own, and the child usually just holds on tightly to prevent falling off. Romping means playing energetically, so as they “romped until the pans/ Slid from the kitchen shelf,” the father and son were just energetically dancing around the kitchen. Also, when an adult dances with a child, they usually have to hold the child by their wrists, which would explain why a hand was holding the main character’s wrist in the poem. The knuckle that was battered could have just been from all of Otto’s work in the greenhouse. A small child is around waist high on an adult, so when Roethke says, “At every step you missed/ My right ear scraped a buckle” (Roethke 91) refers to the father stumbling and the child’s ear literally grazes the belt his father is wearing. 

Considering how much Roethke’s actual life influenced his writing and how much he adored his father as a child, one must realize that “My Papa’s Waltz” needs to be taken in a literal sense. Roethke’s excellent use of diction and form helps a reader realize that he is referring to a dance instead of a beating. Understanding his family’s roles and structure helps to point out what parts of the poem are key clues to hint that the poem refers to Roethke’s family. I believe that Roethke’s poem sounded intense and violent because he had mental breakdowns when he delved into his past which misconstrued the tone of the poem, but Roethke was considered to have his most extraordinary works come out of his mental breakdowns, and he was still aware enough to have his message and life story still be evident in his poems. 
