Analysis Of My Papa's Waltz By Theodore Roethke

“My Papa’s Waltz” by Theodore Roethke describes a young boy’s relationship with his father. The use of imagery throughout shifts the way in which the reader interprets the poem. The relationship between the father and the son appears to be strained, only holding on by a thread. The descriptions of the father help the reader understand the reason behind the strained relationship. His father is a hardworking blue-collar worker who comes home drunk but still has to put on a good face for his son. The continuous use of imagery helps describe the moderately strong relationship between the father and son which gets constricted due to the father’s job, the sons’ quality of life, and the fathers drinking habits. While the fathers line of work is not specifically told, the use of imagery leads us to the conclusion that it is labor intensive. “The hand that held my wrist was battered on one knuckle,” (705). This enforces the …show more content…
Why he feels the need to drink heavily before coming home to his family is beyond atrocious. However, this could have to do with the unknown relationship between the mother and father. It could be an unhealthy relationship and he drinks because of it. Nevertheless, it effects the relationship between the father and son too. “The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy; but I hung on like death: such waltzing was not easy,” (705). This lets the reader know that the young boy is fully aware of what is happening with his dad. He has to grip onto his father “like death” because of the lack of coordination and motor skills caused by the fathers drinking. “At every step you missed my right ear scraped a buckle,” (705). The son is becoming physically effected by his father’s drinking habits now. A belt buckle is scraping him because they are dancing together, but because of the lack of coordination it is physically harming the boy too, as well as emotionally from seeing his father