Analysis Of My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

Reminiscing On Fond Memories: An Analysis of “My Papa’s Waltz”

Theodore Roethke first published his poem, “My Papa’s Waltz”, in a magazine in 1942. Over the years, this poem has sparked many debates between people of all ages and statuses. There are two common interpretations of this poem: one being that it is a story of an abusive alcoholic father and the other, that it is a fond memory of the speaker’s childhood. George Hillocks, Jr. states, in his book, Reading, Natural Learning, and the Interpretation of Literature, “Theodore Roethke’s "My Papa's Waltz" is a straightforward, simple statement of the speaker's reminiscences of his childhood romps with his father. . . .” (Hillocks) A small group of critics agree that this is a fond memory;

however none have taken it upon themselves to properly analyze the poem to prove their theory. The only way to truly understand even a portion of this poem is to dissect it. Each word specifically chosen, each line written creates its own scene, and each stanza brings about a larger picture of the events taking place. Nevertheless, when carefully examined, the poem can clearly be seen to be a pleasant joyful memory of childhood.
The first two lines of this poem start off, “The whiskey on your breath/ Could make a small boy dizzy;” (Roethke Line 1-2) The speaker begins by describing the strong smell of whiskey on his father’s breath. The poem in no way states the quantity of whiskey he had consumed so there is no solid proof that the father was indeed drunk. The fact that whiskey is a very strong smelling drink also helps to support the idea that the man would not need to drink in excess to smell strongly of whiskey. Also, to a small child whiskey, in even just a small amount, can seem to smell very strong. In the time period it was not uncommon for a man to come home and have a drink after work, especially with the stress of the World War 2 being a part of their daily life.
Roethke, when writing this poem, was very careful and particular when it came to the words he used and the images he presented. There are two original manuscripts of this poem the MS-A, and the MS-B and there are many surprising differences in these two manuscripts. The first notable difference is that in “MS-A” the child was not a boy, when in fact it was a girl. Even in the beginning of “MS-B” the child was still a girl, but later crossed out and changed to a boy. This change makes sense given the fact that the father and child were "romping", as mentioned in line 5, a more rowdy playing, which in the time period was more suitable for a boy and not a girl. Consequently, this romping with a young girl could be taken much more as an abusive relationship; where with Roethke’s change to a boy creates a more positive charisma. (McKenna)
The lines, “But I hung on like death: / Such waltzing was not easy.” (R. Line 3-4) complete the first stanza. The boy hung on to his father as they danced in circles around the room. Hung on like death, he clung on tightly so as not to fall. The phrase “hung on like death” could be likened to someone on an amusement park ride who is both terrified and thrilled all at the same time and is hanging on for dear life as the ride carries them through all its gyrations. (R. Line 3) At the end, when asked about their experience, the person would remark how much fun they had.
The second stanza begins, “We romped until the pans/Slid from the kitchen shelf;” (R. Line 5-6) The term romp usually means to play roughly and energetically, as in “The kids romped through the park!” The word carefree comes to mind in this regard. The word is not usually used to signify something sinister or dark. “My mother’s countenance/ Could not unfrown itself.” (R. Line 7-8) His mother got annoyed that they knocked the pans off the counter and was fussing at them to settle down. A frown on someone’s face usually indicates annoyance or disappointment. This word would not as likely be used if there was real physical abuse going on. A mother would not just be frowning, but would more likely have a very angry and terrified expression on her face. The word choice here is not one that is appropriate for an abusive situation.
“The hand that held my wrist/ Was battered on one knuckle; begins the third stanza. (R. Line 9-10) His father’s hands were bruised and callused from hard labor that most men in this time period preformed. So it is not unusual that his hands would be battered. Even rough hands, however, can be tender and gentle as the father holds on to his son. The second half of the stanza goes, “At every step you missed/ My right ear scraped a buckle.” (R. Line 11-12) The small boy was standing on his father’s shoes and when they missed a step the boy’s ear scraped against his father’s belt buckle. “You beat time on my head/ With a palm caked hard by dirt,” (R. Line 13-14) Another notable change Roethke makes in his manuscripts is that in line thirteen the word “beat” was originally the word “kept”. This change ties together the idea that they’re performing a musical dance.
The line goes, “You beat time on my head”.

(R. Line 13) The phrase “beat time” has a very musical connotation. The word “beat” is often taken to mean physical abuse when in fact, in this situation, the wording makes more sense in association with a beat of a song. As it is said the father was beating the time on the boy’s head, which in no way conveys physical abuse, but simply keeping the time or beat by tapping on the boys head to the song. (McKenna) The use of the phrase “beat time” could be construed as some sort of physical abuse such as hitting the child on the head. However, this term is commonly used in musical circles as a reference to keeping time with music by using the movements of one’s hands or feet to stay on the beat or keep time with the music. So to say “You beat time on my head” could simply mean keeping time with the music, whether actual music or imagined. (R. Line 13) The author does not tell us if music was playing, but the music could easily be playing in the father’s head as he danced with his son. And the father could have easily been gently tapping or lightly patting his son’s head as a means of keeping time. His father tapped on his head keeping time with the song by using his hands that are hardened from working with dirt in the green houses all day. The indication is that his father is a hardworking man who uses his hands extensively in his work, and those hands have become hardened and calloused over time. Even still, he enjoys the opportunity

to be with his son having a good time.
Roethke ends the fourth stanza with a picture, “Then waltzed me off to bed/ Still clinging to your shirt.” (R.

Line 15-16) “[…] this image of swirling movement and musical accompaniment […]”, in this context seems to indicate a more playful attitude. (Zbikowski) An alternate word choice could have been the word dragged if the intent was to convey that the father was being abusive in his actions. Had the father been abusing his son in some alcoholic rage, it does not seem reasonable that his son would be clinging to his shirt at all, much less “still clinging”. The more likely scenario if this is about abuse is that the son would be attempting to disengage from him and try to not near him. The language here suggests that the son had been having a wonderful time with his father and simply did not want to let go so that the wonderful moment of closeness could be extended for as long as

possible.
This poem relies heavily on word choices to set the tone and meaning. The analysis of these choices leads to the conclusion that this was a time of joyous play between a father and his son. The imagery displayed shows a loving and caring father who takes great joy and pleasure in his son. While it may be possible to see just the opposite of this analysis, the word choices, especially tend to lead down the path of peace and happiness, not darkness and abuse. The waltz is truly a moment when a father and his son connect in a most memorable fashion. The son remembers it very fondly and writes about it in such a way that the picture comes alive and makes us experience the tender moment when he and his father danced. This is a memory that will last the son a lifetime.