The Real Meaning of "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke Poetry is made to express the feelings, thoughts and emotions of the poet. The reader can interpret the poem as he sees fit. Critics are undecided on the theme of Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz." Some people believe that the poem represents a happy exchange between father and son. The most convincing interpretation is that it contains a hidden message of parental abuse. A careful analysis of the key words and each individual verse confirms this theory of child abuse by an abusive, drunken father. The key word of the poem is fun. Roethke states that “we went wild until the pots / slipped off the kitchen shelf” (5-6). The word is usually associated with happy, boisterous and energetic running or dancing. A second definition is rough and lively play. Alcohol would cause a person to act so harshly. In athletics, a game is an easy victory over an easy opponent. This means that one party is clearly superior and beats the competition with fury and ease. The father may be seen as a dominating and domineering force for a young child. The younger son could not have reacted to the older father, especially with the additional influence of alcohol. Further reading of the poem will confirm that the meaning of the poem is to illustrate parental abuse. The first verse sets the scene with clear imagery. The father appears to be in a highly intoxicated state because the son can smell the "whiskey on your breath" (1). The reader knows that the drinking is excessive because it has almost made the boy dizzy. Clearly the father is in a heavenly state of drunkenness because someone else is feeling the effects of his drinking. Critics will say the son was having fun... middle of paper... it's a happy moment between a father and his son. Upon careful reading, this interpretation is invalid. In 1948, actions like this might have been a part of life. Maybe that's why Roethke wrote the poem this way because the event was probably happening in many families and people back then could relate to this. Thanks to the vivid images, the reader can feel the boy's pain and fear towards his father. In this case the waltz is not a moment of bonding between a father and his son. People would now identify with the son and feel hatred for the father because of the mental and physical toll this could have on a child. The father dances "waltz" on top of his son. Works Cited Roethke, Theodore. "My Father's Waltz." Discovering literature: stories, poems, plays. Ed. Hans P. Guth and Gabriel L. Rico. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997, 536.