My Papa’s Waltz

3 Pages 626 Words

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is a poem overstuffed with many mixed
interpretations. Some (other students) say the poem is about a man looking back on happy
times. Some (other students) people even say the poem is a story about a little girl dancing
with her father. Although there are many different ways to interpret “My Papa’s Waltz”,
there are various lines in each stanza to indicate there is an incident of abuse.
“The Whiskey on your breath / could make a small boy dizzy”(1-2), is the opening
line in stanza one. This was the indicator that the speaker in the poem was a boy. In line
four, stanza one; the boy refers to his situation of abuse as a “waltz”. Waltzing is a dance
that is thought of to be intimate. The boy in the poem uses this word to describe what is
going on to make it seem right. It is not unheard of for children whom are victims of abuse
to pretend that their mistreatment is normal. “Such waltzing was not easy”(4), indicates by
using the “such” that this is not the first time that this abuse has occurred.
In stanza two, line one says, “We romped until the pans / slid from the kitchen
shelf”(5-6), this is a vivid use of the words to show commotion. The reader can paint a
picture of a shelf getting knocked down, and all of the pans sliding on the floor, causing
them to make a load hateful noise. Someone whom is not watching out where he or she is
going or not paying attention to what they are doing can easily do this. Perhaps the father
is not realizing his placement in the kitchen because he is so intoxicated. “My Mothers
countenance / Could not unfrown itself”(7-8), shows the mother seems to be used to this
type of chaos and too afraid to even say or do anything to stop it. For this child to notice
his mother’s facial expression demonstrates the child’s own want for help. The boy realizes
though, that his mother will be unable to help h...