My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roetke

Theodore Roetke’s poem “My Papa’s Waltz” portrays a boy in dance with his father. Much of the poem is left up to interpretation, however, evidence suggests that the boy in the poem is having a negative experience due to the poet’s focus on the boy’s clinging and inability to keep up, the mother’s dissatisfaction, and the rough nature of the dance. The boy in the poem struggles to keep up with his father from the beginning of the dance to the conclusion. At the beginning of the poem Roetke writes, “But I hung on like death: / Such waltzing was not easy” (lines 3-4). Some readers may argue that the boy could still enjoy the dance despite his inability to keep up; however, the statement of hanging on like death suggests that this situation is more serious to him. The poem concludes with the lines “Then [you] waltzed me off to bed / Still clinging to your shirt” (lines 15-16). This quote suggests that the boy never had the chance to refuse as he never caught his balance and was forced into the dance.

During the dance the father and son bounce the pans from the kitchen shelf and Roetke states “My mother’s countenance / Could not unfrown itself” (7-8). Those who believe the boy’s experience to be positive may believe that the mother’s reaction is purely based upon the mess that is made. This is wrong because the mother is unable to cheer herself, she is more likely upset at the father’s neglect. The boy is not enjoying the dance because the mother does not view the situation