Those Winter Sundays And My Papa's Waltz Analysis

Righteousness and Responsibility
What does being a father really mean? The complex role of fatherhood is explored in “Those Winter Sundays” and “My Papa's Waltz.” The two fathers in the poems have extremely different ideas about what being a father truly entails. The distinct differences in the father’s level of responsibility is evident in the time of day in which the poem occurs, the atmosphere they create within their home, their morals, and the appearance of their hands and tasks they perform. The setting of each poem represents the father’s character. More specifically, both poets purposely choose certain times of the day to set each poem. Hayden introduces his setting on a hopeful note: “Sundays too my father got up early” (1). “Those Winter Sundays” is set during the winter time on a Sunday morning. According to traditional literary symbolism, the morning time represents renewal and cleanliness; furthermore, Sunday …show more content…
The fathers create a certain atmosphere within the home according to their actions and presence. In “Those Winter Sundays,” the father creates a warm, loving environment. “When the rooms were warm, he’d call, and slowly I would rise and dress...” (Hayden 7-8). As the father lights the fire, he warms the home and creates environment that lends itself to a sense of unity and responsibility within the family. On the other hand, the father of “My Papa’s Waltz” has an opposite effect on the atmosphere of the home: “We romped until the pans / Slid from the kitten shelf / My mother’s countenance / Could not unfrown itself” (Roethke 5-8). Instead of a calm warmth, this father contributes a frenzied and chaotic heat. This chaos leads to tension in the family’s relations; the mother is clearly unhappy with the father’s actions. Overall, how the father contributes to the atmosphere or environment of the home is a gauge of the level of responsibility of the