Throughout time the interpretation of literature has been disputed between individuals. Often the meaning of a poem can be deciphered in different way depending upon the person and their experiences.  In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, a young boy describes the situation that unfolds when his father comes home drunk. This piece takes a light elegant topic such as waltzing and contrasts it with the dark topic of abuse. The poem talks about the waltz the boy and his father complete before bed. Throughout the entire poem, Roethke uses both light and dark words to hide an abusive relationship as well as contrasts abuse with the. The interpretation of this poem is that the young boy is comparing a waltz to the abuse he gets from his father. Although some may initially view this poem as a loving interaction between a young boy and his father, the diction, imagery, and phrases in the poem brings the reader to the understanding that the boy and his father have a malicious relationship. 

Roethke uses naive diction that help the reader to develop the rest of the story. He uses “battered”, “scraped” and “beat”, all giving the reader a negative outlook on the situation. The diction can easily be drawn to the idea of abuse, as these words give a negative connotation and are associated with pain. A child narrates this story, as he talks about the smell of the father’s breath “could make a small boy dizzy but I hung on like death”, the immediate idea of child abuse pops into one’s head. The choice to use “beat time on my head” gives the impression the child has an abusive relationship with the father.  However, he does combat that with the use of “waltzed me off to bed”, which has a lighter connotation. This brings a sense of innocence to the piece, as the child is relating this with a positive memory despite the abuse that is taking place. This explains why the wording is contrasts because the young boy is trying to process this horrible experience that is creates by a father he loves. The poet purposely utilizes innocent diction so the reader can have a glimpse into the young child’s mind and the way in which he perceives the situation. 

One of the first things that people think about when talking about abuse is the alcohol can be involved and influence on the abuser to do something they normally would not. Roethke opens the poem with “the whiskey on your breath” which alone gives the reader a negative image of the father. The next line confirms exactly what is going on, “could make a small boy dizzy.” These are the first two lines of the poem and already let the reader know that the father is drunk and reeks of liquor, so much so the young boy can smell it.  Knowing this in the beginning sets the stage for the rest of the poem. From here the reader can suspect that this is not a pleasant reunion for the father and son. 

The whole poem is about a waltz, which is normally viewed as graceful and elegant.  In the poem, the waltz is anything but delicate. The use of the line “we romped” displays the waltz as rambunctious and destructive. By saying, “At every step you missed” the young narrator portrays the father as being clumsy and falling all over himself. Already knowing the father is drunk makes this sound like the recipe for a horrible waltz, the narrator tells the reader “such waltzing was not easy”. The author uses the dance as a metaphor as a paradox for the father and son's relationship. Therefore, when analyzing, the waltzing and the abuse, are complete opposites as one is elegant and beautiful, and the other is dreadful and ugly. This allows the poet to highlight the situation that is going on without explicitly saying it. Also, when thinking about it from the young boy's perspective, it displays how naïve one is a young age.

Another interesting point is even though the young boy is afraid and going through this horrible situation, he still wants to be with his parent. This is best shown in “still clinging to your shirt." Even after what had happened the young boy still loves his father. Although a child is treated poorly, they still want to be with the loved ones because there is a connection. The line “but I hung on like death” also brings up the same idea of still wanting to relate to his father even though he is abusive. In this poem, specifically there are only two lines out of all 16 that mentions the mother. The mother is not significant to the young narrator when the father is present as is seen by the lack of her mentioned throughout the poem. This proves that his father is more important to him overall. The young narrator displays how important the relationship with his father is because even though he is harming him, he describes it as a waltz as if to protect his father from what he has been doing. This goes along with the idea that the boy still looks up to his father and wants to have that connection with him.

In the poem “My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke, he uses naïve diction, useful imagery, and certain lines to portray an abusive relationship to the reader.  Although, there are positive aspects of the relationship, it is an overall negative dependency due to the gravity of the abuse that takes place.  The young boy, the narrator, is abused by his father and while it only lasts for a short time, it impacts the boy a lot. The poem should be interpreted as a scary, abusive situation narrated by a young boy who is tossed around in his kitchen by his father. Even as his father’s return home results in repulsive actions the young boy is still desperate to spend time with the father who “waltzes” with him. 
