Papa's Violent Waltz
Poetry is made to express the thoughts and emotions of the poet. One may share the same feelings or they can interpret the poem however they wish. Many
are undecided about the theme of Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz." Some people tend to believe that the poem is one of a happy exchange between a father and
son. I believe that the more convincing interpretation is that it has a hidden message of
parental abuse. Careful analysis of the keywords and each individual stanza back up
this theory of child abuse by a violent and drunken father.
The word that is key to the poem is romp. Roethke states that "we romped until
the pans slid from the kitchen shelf" (832). The word is usually associated with
happy, rambunctious, and energetic running around or dancing. A second definition is
rough, lively play. Alcohol would cause a person to act in such a harsh manner. In
athletics, a romp is an easy victory over an easy opponent. This means one side is
clearly superior and beats the competition with fury and ease. The father could be
viewed as a dominating and overpowering force to a small child. The younger son
could not possible fight back to his bigger father especially with the added influence of
The first stanza sets the scene with clear imagery. The father appears to be in a
heavily drunken state because the son can smell the "whiskey on your breath" (831). I
believe the drinking is excessive because it almost made the boy dizzy. Clearly, the
father is in a heavily drunken state because someone else is feeling the effects of his
drinking. Some say that the son was enjoying himself, but this does not appear to be so
because the waltz is not easy for him. Later in that stanza he states that he "hung on
like death" (831). Most people would not associate a joyous event and death. Next, the
second stanza gi...