The poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is a poem where the author reflects on a childhood experience involving his father. It is able to be interpreted in many different ways. Some readers may view it as a poem of affection, while others could interpret it as a sad, upsetting poem. Although the tone of the story may go from negative to positive and there are multiple ways that the story can be viewed, the author is clear on his feelings for his father, and all he wants is to be accepted by him.

At the initial reading of the poem, the author is portrayed to the reader as a young boy who is abused by his alcoholic father. By using context clues, the reader would likely interpret that the “waltz” that the author’s papa does is actually just him drunkenly stumbling throughout the house. The cuts explained on his knuckles are likely seen as being from abuse towards his son. The phrase “you beat time on my head” (line 13) further solidifies that sense of abuse that the son is receiving. The author continuously mentions how he clings to his papa’s shirt. Many readers would most likely believe that the author was saying that although his father is an abusive alcoholic, he still craved a sense of love and affection from him. He constantly clings to his papa’s shirt hoping that one day, his papa will reciprocate his love. The smell of the whiskey is absolutely unbearable for the child, however he tries his best to tolerate it in order to be with his father.  This causes abuse to be a main theme in the poem. Although the author does not directly say that his father is abusive towards him, there are hints of violent tension throughout the poem. The author’s subtle word choices, using words like “beat” and “battered” instead of words with a more positive connotation, leads the reader to believe this. These word choices further prove the fact that no matter how much negativity the author’s father brings into his life, all he craves is love and a sense of acceptance from him.

By looking at the writer’s words while reading the poem more thoroughly, a reader may be able to see that the father may not be an alcoholic, abusive man after all. This is important because the father’s true intentions may actually be interpreted multiple ways. For example, “papa’s waltz” could very well be the drunk father stumbling into the house after a long night, due to context clues. However, “papa’s waltz” could also have a more enlightening meaning – maybe it is an actual dance that the boy does with his father every night when he gets home. When the author says “my mother’s countenance could not unfrown itself” (line 8), he may be referring to the mother actually being disappointed at her husband’s drunk rowdiness; the frown also might be a joke of disapproval coming from the mother due to the father and son roughhousing in their home. Although “the hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle” (line 9) is at first seen by the reader as a sign of abuse towards the sun. However, upon a closer reading, the father’s knuckles may be scraped up because he does a job involving manual labor all day. The father also has “… a palm caked hard by dirt” (line 14), that could further prove the fact that he works in a job that involves physical work. When the author’s “… right ear scraped a buckle” (line 12), the reader likely assumed on the first reading that the child was being beaten with a belt. However, if the father does in fact work in a field involving manual labor, he may have been wearing a tool belt. When the child went up to hug his father by the waist after a long day, his face and ear likely grazed the side of the tool belt’s buckle. In line 3, the child “hung on like death” to his father. This may have been because of fear, however it could also be because he didn’t want to let go or fall away from his father while they were dancing and playing in the kitchen.

The first two lines of “My Papa’s Waltz” set a precedent for the whole story. When the author wrote “the whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy” (line 1), most readers automatically assumed that the poem would be about a drunken father. However, reading deeper into the text, the reader becomes more aware to the fact that it could be interpreted in multiple different ways. This poem is seen as very controversial, because some words or phrases used clearly establish that the father is drunk. The word usage throughout the story often conflicts with each other – after using harsh words such as “beat” and “battered”, the author uses words like “romp”, a playful term. The author also refers to his father as “papa”, which is seen as a loving nickname. After more observation, the reader can see that although the first half of the poem has a negative tone, the second half of the poem becomes more uplifting. Any reader is able to see, however, that no matter how you interpret the story, the author consistently expresses his strong love for his father. The reader’s opinion of the author and his papa could greatly change between the first and second reading of the poem. Since this poem is likely autobiographical, the only one who really knows the true meaning is the author himself. Clearly, there are definitely proven to be conflicting emotions throughout the story, and it is up to the reader to interpret the words however they choose to.
