The persona in Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz” reveals a case of childhood maltreatment that occurred previously in his life. He exposes the abuse through the use of specific words and by noting the activities that occur during a “waltz.” In his poem, Roethke explains to the reader that “My Papa’s Waltz” depicts an instance of child abuse. The creation of this persona informs us about the occurrence of child abuse through descriptive language.
For example, when he writes that his father “whirled me off my feet,” Roethke is referencing the fact that his father grabbed him by the waist and spun him around. Additionally, when Roethke writes about his father grabbing his hair and slamming his head into a door, it is clear that this was not a normal occurrence. Roethke also uses words to create an image of the child abuse in the poem. For instance, when he writes that his father “threw me down,” readers can visualize the child being thrown violently to the ground.
The persona says, “I clung to life like death: such waltzing was not simple,” indicating that he is being beaten severely but still alive (Roethke 3,4). He also refers to his father’s knuckles as “battered on one knuckle” (10). The term “battered” was used in the phrase describing the persona’s father’s knuckles because it generates a realistic visual image of the beating. When a person batters another individual, his or her knuckles are frequently bruised.
This phrase gives the reader a clear picture of what is happening in the poem. The persona also uses the word “waltz” to describe the beating. He does this to show that even though it is a violent act, there is still a certain level of rhythm and order to it. This is further emphasized by the fact that his father always performs the same routine each time he beats the persona.
The title of the poem, “My Papa’s Waltz,” is significant because it provides insight into the relationship between the persona and his father. The title suggests that even though the persona may be afraid of his father, he also admires him.
The father’s errors lead to the son’s right ear “scraping a buckle,” demonstrating that the father is transferring his own dissatisfaction with himself onto his child (12). The father, as we shall see, punishes his son for his own shortcomings. It’s possible that the father is intoxicated from whiskey and becomes enraged when he misses steps in the Waltz with his son, or whenever the persona dodges one of his dad’s beat-up fists, her right ear scrapes against her dad’ belt buckle. Roethke uses “beat” as one of last words in this poem to flag up child abuse.
In the final two lines of the poem, Roethke writes, “And my right ear scraped his buckle / My mother’s mourning was for me.” In this line, the speaker is emphasizing how his mother was a victim of child abuse just like him; she mourned for him because he was a victim of child abuse just as she undoubtedly was.
Theodore Roethke addresses the issue of child abuse in his poem “My Papa’s Waltz.” The speaker recalls memories of being waltzed by his father and how his father would miss steps, leading to the speaker scraping his right ear on the buckle of his dad’s belt.
Roethke emphasizes the child abuse throughout the poem through words such as “beat” and how the speaker’s mother “mourned for me.” This poem is important because it sheds light on the issue of child abuse, which is often hidden from society. Roethke allows readers to see the effects that child abuse can have on someone and how it can stay with them for their entire life.
“His head was beaten on” (15). The phrase “beat time on [the boy’s] head” implies that the father is thrashing the son by striking him in the head (13). Roethke chooses “beat” because of the images of violence one might associate with child maltreatment. Roethke goes into greater detail about certain actions performed by characters in the poem to imply that it addresses child abuse.
The boy is described as “cowering” (9) and being “whipped” (10), which are both signs of someone who is being abused. In the final two lines of the poem, Roethke writes, “He kissed me on the mouth and said/my sweet, my pretty one,/my own courageous boy” (14-16).
This passage reveals that the father not only physically abuses the son, but also calls him names and degrades him. The father in this poem is a clear example of an abuser, and Roethke does an excellent job of exposing the child abuse hidden in this seemingly innocent poem.
“The whiskey on [his] breath / might make a small boy dizzy,” the father drinks, implying that he may be an alcoholic (1,2). Any amount of alcohol consumption has an impact on a person’s behavior. The father could very well be an alcoholic who becomes more aggressive and violent after drinking, thus beating his child. The father and son “romped until the pans / slid from the kitchen shelf,” suggesting that the father is actually hurling his son and as a consequence, the kitchen pans fall off the shelf.
The father is roughhousing with his son, but it is clear that the son is not enjoying it; he has a “scared look in his eyes” (5-6). The poem also seems to suggest that the abuse is an ongoing issue, as the speaker says that he was “throwing him down / and punching him up” (7-8), which suggests that this was not a one time event.
The title of the poem may be referencing the child abuse that is happening. The phrase “My Papa’s Waltz” can be interpreted in two ways. On one hand, it could mean that the speaker’s father waltzed him around lovingly.
However, the phrase could also mean that the speaker’s father was waltzing him around in a way that was harmful, as is shown by the abuse in the poem. The title is ambiguous, and it leaves it up to the reader to interpret what it means. This may be intentional on Roethke’s part, as he may have wanted readers to question what was really going on in the poem.
