A literary text can be interpreted in numerous ways depending on how the reader decides to approach it. The poem “My Papa’s Waltz”, written by Theodore Roethke has a deeper significance beyond being simply about a waltz shared between the narrator and his Papa. To discover the poem’s meaning, it must be broken down into its smaller components.  Although the narrator never directly states it, the diction and striking imagery used in “My Papa’s Waltz” alludes to the poem’s higher meaning. This poem attempts to highlight common but unspoken issues families endured during this time period: a loving relationship between a father and his son poisoned by alcoholism and physical abuse. 

Despite what the title indicates, the meaning of the poem itself is not simply about a waltz, however, the structure and rhyme scheme of the poem follow the rules of the dance. The poem has an ABAB rhyme scheme, meaning that the last word of every other line rhymes. Similarly to the beat needed in a waltz, poems require a beast as well as fluidity to appease reading and comprehension of the poem.  Comparable to the rhyme scheme of the poem “Annabel Lee” by Edgar Allan Poe, the rhyme scheme lifts the mood of the dark natured poem. It does so by making the reading experience more pleasurable even though the topic may not be. Without the rhyme scheme, the poem would lose its dance-like tone, which would take away from the poem itself.  

This waltz is much more than a typical waltz. The imagery used in the poem paints a picture of the ups and downs the boy and his father encounter throughout this dance, which is analogous to their life. The narrator’s Papa is a hardworking man, his “palm[s] caked hard by dirt” portray how hard he works to provide for his family (Roethke 14). The use of words such as “death”, “battered”, “scraped”, and “beat” insinuates abuse occurring. All of these words uphold a negative connotation. The author’s use of these words throughout the poem paints a clear picture of what is actually occurring between the father and son. None of those words would be normally used to describe a waltz. Holding ones hand is a gesture of love and affection but the line “The hand that held my wrist, Was battered on one knuckle;” portrays an image of aggression and violence (9-10). His battered knuckle indicates that violence has occurred before. The addition of alcohol to the mix of his pressure and stress from work only makes the situation more volatile. Research shows that between twenty-five and fifty percent of domestic violence incidents begin with drinking (Pugh). The first few lines of the poem, “The whiskey on your breath, Could make a small boy dizzy;” are a direct indicator that alcohol is present and there are no positive connotations along with it (Roethke 1-2). The mention of a strong scent of alcohol, specifically whiskey, emphasizes that the household environment the boy is living in is a dysfunctional one. 

This poem simultaneously paints a picture of an alcoholic and abusive father yet expresses the love between a father and son. Dancing in poetry symbolizes love, and a waltz in particular is usually an intimate dance shared between two people. Although “Such waltzing was not easy,” behind all the violence is a loving relationship between a father and son (4). The boy loves his father even though he hates what he does to him. The boy says, “At every step you missed, My right ear scraped a buckle,” (11-12). This line symbolizes not only the pain occurring in that moment by the missed step, but also the pain; both physical and emotional he has endured because of his father. We see the love lingering because after everything his father has done he “Still cling[s] to [his] shirt,” before going to bed (16). At the end of the day, his father is a hardworking man and is attempting to provide for his family.

The mother accepts the situation and there is not much she can do about it. However, as she watches the boy and his father “[romp] until the pans, Slid from the kitchen shelf;” her “countenance, Could not unfrown itself” (5-6). She is discontent about all of the racket and the mess made of the kitchen but is too afraid to speak up in fear she will add fuel to the fire and anger her drunken husband more. She has this permanent frown upon her face because of the environment she is constantly living in. It is not a healthy one but it seems that she has given up hope on taking her son and leaving her husband. This is the man that provides for her and her child, she may have no other options, so she continues to be unhappy and stay there bound to him and this life.      

Without breaking down and dissecting the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” into its smaller pieces, the reader would be blind to the true meaning of the poem. They would fail to recognize that this poem is about more than the son recalling a positive memory from his childhood of waltzing with his father in the kitchen. Rather, this poem insinuates the boy’s childhood was negative, contrary to his recollection of this waltz he shares with his Papa. The diction and striking imagery used in “My Papa’s Waltz” alludes to the poem’s higher meaning, one that includes a loving relationship between a father and son affected by alcohol and physical abuse.
