Poetry is fantastic in the sense that there is almost always more than one way to interpret a piece. There is no piece in which that statement is more true than in Theodore Roethke’s My Papa’s Waltz. Some readers may read the piece and see a wonderful memoir about a cheerful father and son duo dancing in the kitchen enjoying their time with one another. However, some readers can interpret the piece as a snapchat into a horrible time in the narrator’s life because of words that imply abuse and suffering. While it is impossible to definitively say what the narrator is trying to describe in this piece, by looking at several key words and lines in the piece, it is clear that there is some confusion between the message of positivity and the message of love of pessimism and pain. 

The first two lines of My Papa’s Waltz are clearly a red flag towards the idea of abuse. “The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy” (Roethke 1) instantly brings in the symbol of alcohol to the piece along with all of the negative connotations that comes with that symbol. Alcohol and abuse go hand in hand and whenever alcohol is mentioned in a scene with a parent and their child, it automatically triggers the idea that abuse or negligence could be an issue. It is worth noting that his father died when Roethke was only 14 years old which is an event that would obviously affect the pieces that Roethke would create and would certainly bring a melancholy tone in his work. While there is no clear description of abuse, it seems like the more logical explanation of the poem is that narrator is having a difficult time dealing with a father who may drink too much. 

There is a big difference between playing too rough, and actually abusing a young child, and when taking a closer look at the words Roethke chooses, it doesn’t seem like he is explaining a scene of abuse. One word that clearly distinguishes a time of playfulness and fun rather than pain and suffering is the word “romped” (Roethke 5) which is in the fourth line. Romped is too positive in meaning to be chosen in describing a scene of abuse, it would make much more sense to use “romped” in describing a scene of a drunken father badly trying to teach his young son how to dance.  However, there is also signs that point to abuse. The word beat used in the line “You beat time on my head” (13). In context this seems witty, since the waltz of course has musical beats, however there is no definition in the verb form that would fit the context except for the violent form of the word. This line is the closest thing to a confession of abuse throughout the entire poem, but doesn’t completely prove that the child is being abused. 

The metaphor “But I hung on like death” (Roethke 3) builds on that idea that the son is holding on to his father tightly because his father is too drunk to be in control and it’s very difficult for the young son to hang on. It seems as if the son is struggling to understand if he should be afraid of his father’s drunkenness or should be enjoying the quality time with his father. The line “My mother’s countenance could not unfrown itself” states that the mother is looking on to the scene of her husband and son dancing and is obviously upset with what is going on. It makes more sense that she is upset that they are creating a ruckus rather than an abuse scene because a mother most likely would have a face of horror instead of a frown if her child was being physically hurt. While a frown does imply a sense of disapproval, a more accurate description of a mother who is out of control with no possible way of helping her child would be a face of horror. If the child was truly scared of his father abusing him, it doesn’t seem logical that he would be concerned about his mother’s facial expressions. It seems like the child is actually more concerned that his mother will make them stop dancing. 

The last line of the poem, “Still clinging to your shirt” (Roethke 16) might be the most powerful line of the poem and really opens the reader’s eyes to what is the perceived message. The word “clinging” is a very powerful because it implies helplessness, which goes back to the idea of how the child lacks control in the situation. As mentioned before, Roethke’s father died when Roethke was only 14 years old during, a time where Roethke was probably already going through some tough times like all teenagers do. I believe that the narrator is looking back on this tough time as an adult and is trying to pick through the motions of the reality of his childhood. He seems like he is confused on what way he remembers his father: affectionately or a bit afraid. At such a young age, it can be difficult to know what is right and wrong. In life, growing up consists of realizing how our childhood experiences made impressions on us as adults. The dance in the kitchen is obviously a story that stuck with narrator in his later years and is a story that he thinks is important because it shows a quick snapshot into his and his father’s relationship. Since the poem was written many years after this scene occurred, and memories are often forgotten or remembered in a way that isn’t completely accurate, it makes sense for an adult to be confused in how he actually remembers his father and could give a story that gives mixed messages. The narrator states that he is clinging on to his father and I think that’s a cry from his heart saying that he misses his father and is clinging on to the memories of his father and a wish that he could physically cling on to his father once more.  
