Many authors write because they want to make a point. They have something to say; something that they want to express to the reader. Roethke’s poem My Papa’s Waltz is an interesting piece because he leaves the interpretation up to whoever is reading it. In the poem, Roethke seems to be recalling a memory with his father, but it is difficult to determine whether it is a positive or a negative one. The words that he uses could easily have connotations that could go either way depending on how you look at them or want to perceive them. Reading this poem, it became clear that it could be either. The first time glancing over the piece, it seemed obvious that it was a negative experience. After reading over it a few more times it became apparent that it truly depends on whether you as the reader take the words from Roethke’s poem literally or figuratively.

Let’s think literally here for a moment. “Waltzing” and “romped” both seem to be fairly positive words. When you combine them with sentences talking about a father and a son dancing together it all comes across as a very fond time in which the narrator is reminiscing upon a memory with his father. When Roethke was just 14, his own father died of cancer. This makes it easy to assume that the narrator wanted to add some memories of his late father in order to really appreciate and think back on the man who raised him, perhaps reminiscing on his personal life as a child. The whole poem itself feels like a night in which a little boy is waiting on his hard working dad to get home so they can spend some time together. Roethke’s “Papa”, as he appeared to call him, also owned a twenty-five-acre greenhouse which could have been where some ideas for this poem came from, perhaps even the reference of dirt in the final stanza reading “You beat time on my head/ With a palm caked hard by dirt/ Then waltzed me off to bed/ Still clinging to your shirt” (13-16). When reading this stanza the second time around, it became surprisingly evident that this sounds like something any child would enjoy. The father gets home from a long work day, the son steps on the dad’s work shoes so they can dance together, the father pats the child’s head to the time and rhythm of the dancing, and then takes him to bed while they are still spending their time together. This all just seems to be some innocent poem written by some reminiscent author.

Now, let’s start over from the beginning of the poem. This time we will take a figurative approach to the author’s words. We can even use a line from the same stanza to compare how big of a difference perspective makes. “You beat time on my head” (13) could also be referencing an abusive relationship, as this is exactly what came to mind the first time reading it. Another example comes in the very first line of the poem. The author from the beginning sounds like he is not too fond of this memory as he recalls “The whisky on your breath” (1), referencing the father. This made the impression that all the events in this poem happened out of a drunken rage and the mother was forced to watch idly by as it states “My mother’s countenance/ Could not unfrown itself” (7,8). The father was not only abusive to the son but to the mother as well, leaving her no reason to try and stop his actions. This being said, when read figuratively, the poem appears to come across as being about an abusive father-son relationship.

Trying to decide whether the author enjoyed this memory or if he is haunted by it is a very difficult thing to determine. Each time you read the poem you can interpret it differently than you had the time before. While reading through it around the third time, it suddenly became clear that you don’t have to decide on one or the other at all. Through personal experiences in my life I have witnessed people who I know try and defend someone’s actions that they love, sometimes they even try to change the story to make it sound better than it really is. This could be exactly what Roethke is doing in this poem. The author loves his dad, he respects him, he would never want to make it seem like his father was a bad man after everything he had done for the family. This is exactly why Roethke might want to look back on his life and think of everything as a positive. As a young boy you want nothing more than to grow up to be just like your dad. He is your first hero and you strive to make him proud. The author almost seems to be suppressing this memory by changing all of the negatives into positives so that he can recall warm, fun memories with his father rather than negative ones because he wants to think of his dad as a great man. 

After further reviewing of this poem, it became evident that this memory could be a positive or a negative one; maybe even both at the same time. Everybody who reads this poem could interpret it differently. Different outlooks could be presented on the poem each time it is read. Because the piece was viewed from both ends of the spectrum, it led to the conclusion that it honestly just comes down to the fact that depending on whether you take Roethke’s words literally or figuratively is going to decide whether you as the reader believe the piece is positive or negative.
