Theodore Roethke, via his narrator, describes a childhood memory in which the father and son have a difficult relationship that, “was not easy” (Roethke 91). That relationship is represented by a waltz in the poem, where the son and father dance around the house and the son struggles to hold on. The underlying themes of this poem are family and admiration. The theme of admiration is shown through the narrator’s effort to cling to his father and accepting his father’s faults. Throughout the poem these flaws are hinted at, however the son seemingly ignores said flaws, in an attempt to keep his relationship with his dad. A theme of family is displayed by the son’s inability to lose sight of his father. This son recognizes his father’s apparent problems, but ignores them to keep a cherished memory. The son and dad are spending time together in this memory, which the narrator cherishes later in life, regardless if it is considered abuse or not. Overall the poem depicts themes of family and admiration, in which a son recalls a beloved, but skewed memory. Furthermore the memory is skewed because boy confuses a past memory with his father as playful dancing, when in reality it is child abuse.

The memory the narrator has of his father is meant to be positive, but shows underlying signs of abuse. The man is said to have had enough whiskey that “the whiskey on (his) breath could make a small boy dizzy” (Roethke 91). This line by itself shows that the father may have a drinking problem, which can also contribute to the possibility of him having abusive tendencies. This possibility is further developed by how the dance is described. The poem specifically states that they, “romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf” (Roethke 91). The word romped implies that the dancing was rough and since the pans directly fell because of their actions it must have been more than just playful dancing. Furthermore the father grabs the son by the wrist to dance this waltz, “The hand that held my wrist” (Roethke 91). This indicates the possibility for abuse because it is rare that someone is grabbed by the wrist in a positive manner. It is also said that the hand of the dad “was battered on one knuckle” (Roethke 91). This continues the idea of abuse because the father’s hand is described as battered meaning it was hurt by an action that would require force. This forceful action may have been beating the boy’s mother because she is described as being unhappy. The mother is said to have had a, “countenance” that needed to be “unfrown(ed)” (Roethke 91). This need to be cheered up could mean that she is upset with her husband because he continuously abuses her causing his battered hand. The action that may have brought her some joy maybe that the boy stepped in on the sire’s abusiveness to defend his mother, which in return leaves the son beaten by his father. Although the lad is most likely beaten by his dad, he continues to hold on and refuses to give up on his love for him. 

The unconditional love and innate admiration that the narrator has for his father prevents the narrator from seeing his sad childhood. Theodore makes it obvious that the man remembers that “waltz” as a wonderful childhood memory he shared with his father in several ways. In the title alone it shows the child’s admiration for his father by calling him “Papa”, which makes it seem that the narrator respects his father and loves him deeply. The narrator also talks about how he held “on like death” and continued to stay “clinging to your (his) shirt” (Roethke 91). This is parallel to the thought process that the boy continues to love his father regardless of his actions. This inability to see the fault in his father is like many abusive relationships, where the victim refuses to see the awful things in the one abusing them. Therefor the narrator’s recollection is inevitably perplexing as it troubling.  

The narrator also mentions that the father kept missing steps in the dance of their relationship, “at every step you missed” (Roethke 91). The steps the father missed can easily mean that the father wasn’t there for the boy nor was he a good role model for his child. The narrator also implies that the father took away the boy’s childhood by “beat(ing) time on my head” (Roethke 91). In this it can be inferred that the child also had to mature faster because of the time lost and accept that his father lacked traits of a loving father. Another important part of this line is the word choice of the word beating, which contributes to the idea that the father is beating the son. The writer could have used a variety of words, but settled for beating, which is again a negative and aggressive choice of words. These indications that the son realizes actually contrasts what is originally thought of the poem, and how the narrator remembers this incident. 

By the narrator seemingly understanding, accepting, and pitying his father in a way he puts himself above the maturity level of his father. The pity the boy has for his father can be displayed in the boy ignoring his father’s bad parenting, and only focusing on not what their relationship lacked, but what they did have together. The father may have abused the boy, but he still spent time with his son, worked, and cared enough to tuck him in. His father’s employment can be proved by the narrator describing the palm of his father “caked hard by dirt” (Roethke 91), meaning that his father most likely worked manual labor. His father also spent time with the boy, by waltzing him around on his feet after a hard day’s work. After the dance his father even took the initiative to dance him to bed. Ultimately all of the traits of the father and the choices he makes, are not that of one that deserves such admiration or love, but the boy ignores them to have a father in his life. The narrator does this by “clinging” to his father and remembering this waltz with his father as a positive memory (Roethke 91). 

By choosing to deny his father’s faults, the boy continues to alter his memories of childhood to avoid old problems. In doing so the boy shows his unconditional love for his dad. All of this relates back to the major theme of family and admiration. If the child looked back at his past and only focused on the negative, he wouldn’t have a father or someone to admire. The boy also wouldn’t have much of a family in his life and he might have lived his life completely differently. Conclusively it can be inferred that the narrator skews his memory for the sake of having a family, and keeping admiration for someone he innately loved. 
