“My Papas Waltz” by Theodore Roethke details a physical struggle between a father and his son. However, it is not made immediately clear what it is that they are doing. This leaves some room for interpretation by the reader. The story is told from the point of view of the son thereby giving the reader a first-person glance into the son’s experience. However, it is not able to be determined when it is that the story is being told as it is written in the past tense. Therefore, the son may no longer be a kid when the story is being told. A major interpretation of this poem is one of a father beating his son. The argument of the son being beaten by his father in the poem is supported by the quotes, clues given about both the son and father, as well as the way certain elements of the poem are described. 

A first concept that strongly supports the interpretation that the son in this poem is being beaten are the striking quotes throughout the poem. The author does a great job at painting a vivid image for the reader throughout the work. A first example of this can be found in the first two lines, “The whiskey on your breath. Could make a young boy dizzy." Here we get a good idea of the current state of the father. He is obviously too intoxicated at the moment. The whiskey on his breath being strong enough to make a “young boy dizzy” tells that he has had more than a few drinks. Therefore, he is not in a decent state of mind while dealing with his son. This certainly supports the interpretation of the father beating his son. Often, alcohol and violence go hand in hand and it appears that is what is being portrayed here. Another striking image that stands out is a few lines further where the son states, “We romped until the pans; Slid from the kitchen shelf." This portrays a violent scene taking place in the kitchen. This is the first part of the text where it can be inferred that this is a scene of violence on part of the father. The image of pans falling from the shelf gives the reader an idea of something strong and long lasting taking place. Romping is defined as playing roughly or energetically. Although it is not clearly stated, a small child would most likely not be having “rough” play with his intoxicated father. This leads one to believe that this is not exactly “play” in the sense that the child is having fun, rather the father is most likely being rough with his son. This strongly supports the interpretation that the father is beating his son in this poem.

The next striking image that supports the interpretation of the father beating his son is the age of the child. It can be determined from how the height of the son is described that he is a young child. This is inferred from the lines “At every step you missed; My right ear scraped a buckle." From this it is seen that the boy can be no taller than the fathers belt buckle, as it is scraping him on the ear. Therefore, unless the father is extremely tall, the son is most likely no older than eight years old. This image adds to the evidence that what is being depicted is a father beating his young son in a drunken rage. Further evidence to support this can be found in the lines just above where the child’s height is described. The lines state “The hand that held my wrist; Was battered on one knuckle." The image of the battered knuckle suggests the thought that this is not the first time the father has done this. A battered knuckle, while it can be the result of many possible things, often is the outcome of punching something or using violence. Therefore, the father has most likely used violence in the past and is no stranger to having to raise his fist, even to his own son.  The next bit of support of this interpretation is seen in the line “You beat time on my head" followed by the next line, “With a palm caked hard by dirt.” This tells that the father is a rugged man. He most likely works outdoors if his hands are so battered and caked with dirt. So therefore, it can be assumed that the father is of a strong build and very masculine. The father also clearly did not have time to wash his hands telling us that the beating happened soon after he returned home, presumably from his blue-collar job. From this it can be put together the image of a strong, masculine father beating his small, helpless son.

Another type of support for this interpretation comes from the author repeating certain words. In this poem, the author repeatedly describes the boy “hanging on. It is first described in the third line where it is stated “I hung on like death”. This shows the child hanging on to his father with all his might, with no chance of letting go. Death is used as a comparison in this case to show the gravity of the situation and what it would mean to let go. An image of the son holding on is used a second time as well. This time coming in the last line, it states, “Still clinging on to your shirt”. This shows that the child may almost feel comfort in clinging on to his father. That even when the beating is over the child continues to cling onto his father for acceptance. The word “cling” tells that the child is hanging on almost desperately. It is possible that even though he was beaten by his father, he still finds some sort of comfort in clinging onto him. 

The evidence examined for the support of the interpretation of the father beating his child is overwhelming. The drunkenness of the father to start is a key telling point that there is some sort of violence taking place. This suspicion is then solidified a few lines later when the pans are described as falling off the shelves from what is taking place. This is vividly depicted for the reader to get a clear picture of what is going on, the father violently beating his son in the kitchen. Next, the belt scraping the child’s ear makes the reader aware of the major height difference and sheds light on the youth of the child. The constant beating the father is giving is then described with “Beating time on my head” which draws attention to the steady beating the child is enduring. Finally, the author leaves us with the image of the child clinging. The clinging is important because it gives the reader a glimpse into what the child is thinking after receiving such a brutal beating. All this leaves the reader with the thought that the child, through all of this, still longs to find comfort through his father.