“My Papa’s Waltz”, by Theodore Roethke, has a title pertaining to a dance. This may draw the reader to think the next sixteen lines will be rhymes of euphoria, and that the narrator is going to speak fondly of his father. However, the language exerted by the narrator presents a far more negative tone. Thus, contrary to the poem’s title, the memories of the narrator’s past with his father are not pleasant. The poem portrays the life of a young boy with an abusive, alcoholic father. The waltz acts as an analogy for the repetitive maltreatment of the boy by his father as well as a dissimulation of his father’s brutal behavior.

There is much evidence in the poem that suggests the narrator’s father was very violent. The narrator states that he and his father “romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf” (Roethke 91). Romping is not a gentle movement; it is very rough. The fact that their romping caused the pans to fall from their shelves justifies the abrupt, harsh movements. Romping usually consists of forceful stomping and flailing limbs. It is a rather careless behavior, and in this case, disruptive. The narrator’s romping represents a deep contrast to a waltz, which is much more graceful and orderly.

Parents often hold their child’s hand; whether their intent be to guide the child, keep them safe, or just to show affection. The narrator describes his father’s hand as one that held him by the wrist (Roethke 91). Holding somebody by the wrist constrains them. Parents usually hold their children by the wrist when they are misbehaving or being punished. The father in this poem was extremely indelicate and was holding his son’s wrist to restrict him and drag him around the house. He also describes his father’s hand as one that “was battered on one knuckle” (Roethke 91). The narrator uses the word “battered” for a reason. If the condition of his father’s knuckle was the result of hard work or something of a less violent matter, he would have used a word such as “scraped” or “smudged”. Hard work would likely cause only a minor abrasion. The word “battered” has synonyms of “smashed” and “destroyed”, portraying a much more intense state. The narrator used this word to imply his father’s abusive behavior. The word choice of the narrator proves that his father’s “battered hand” is a result of violence and abuse. The father’s battered knuckle is just more evidence that validates his brutal actions.

Many words throughout the poem present a negative tone; death, buckle, battered, beat, clinging, and scraped are some examples. Buckles can be used as a weapon to inflict pain upon someone. Especially in earlier years, some parents would hit their children with buckles or belts as a form of punishment. It would be appropriate to conquer that when the narrator says his “right ear scraped a buckle” he is referring to being beaten by his father (Roethke 91). It seems the narrator would not have mentioned such a small detail if it were not to contribute to the implications of his violent father. 

Domestic violence is a problem for an unfair amount of children. Surprisingly, though, despite the constant beatings endured by these children, some still seek affection and love from their abusers. It is human nature to want to be loved and accepted by a parent, and it is human nature to love and hold on to a parent even if that person can be hurtful. There are many cases of domestic abuse where children try to defend their abusive parent and hide their wounds from questioning authorities in order to protect their mother or father. It is hard for a child to come to admit that the person they love and look up to the most is harming them. This is why the narrator of the poem is “still clinging to your [his father’s] shirt” at the end of the poem (Roethke 91). After all of the abuse, the child still loves his dad and wants affection. 

The narrator may still seek affection from his father because his father is not in control of his actions. The first two lines of the poem say “the whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy” (Roethke 90). If the smell is enough to make someone dizzy, it must be a very strong smell. The narrator is implying that not only does his father drink, but he drinks a lot. Alcohol is another excuse that the boy can use to shield his father’s actions. The amount of alcohol on his father’s breathe must be a large amount if it is enough to disturb those within short distance. This could be the explanation for why the narrator’s “mother’s countenance could not unfrown itself” (Roethke 91). The mother seems to be bothered by her husband’s actions more often than not and can do nothing more than stand there with a frown. This implies that the father’s actions are repetitive, much like an alcoholic.  

Why would the narrator compare something so brutal so something so beautiful, like a waltz? A waltz is a well known type of dance where the pair of partners turn in a roundabout motion, circling across the dance floor. The dancers move to a particular beat and the dance is very repetitive. Alcoholics drink regularly, and domestic violence triggered by alcohol can become a daily routine. This is why the narrator compares his relationship with his father to a waltz. The narrator’s father drinks and abuses him often, making the abusive routine repetitive like a waltz. 

The narrator is recalling his unfortunate boyhood with his father, which certainly was not his happiest of days. If the narrator were to compare his childhood to someone else’s, odds are that his would be far more depressing. This could be a reason why he depicts his violent routine with his father as a waltz. The narrator says “then he waltzed me off to bed”, making his father seem joyous and playful (Roethke 91). He uses the waltz as an illusion to mask his father’s violent ways. His father’s abusive and violent actions are repetitive, similar to the repetitive steps in a waltz. By using a dance as an analogy to his father’s abuse, the narrator is able to chastise his father’s actions in a discrete way, avoiding any potential harm that could come to him for exposing his father. 

Although the narrator has disguised his father to be humane, a closer reading of the poem suggests otherwise. The son narrating this poem is certainly in denial of his father’s abusive ways, but does find a way to demean his dad with a deplorable tone and distasteful language. This poem is much more than a father and son waltz. The dance is one of despair, by an abused young boy. “My Papa’s Waltz” is a poem about the continual misery and agony of a father’s son; it is not a pleasant recollection.
