My Papas Waltz (Reader Interpretation)

Works of literature can evoke contrasting interpretations when read. Theodore Roethke’s “My Papa’s Waltz. Is one of such literary pieces. At first glance, My papa’s waltz can cause the reader to invision a situation of abuse. In contrast, the image fondness may also be envisioned. A careful analysis hoever, would reveal that Roethke’s poem is in fact, a fond recollectionoff his carin father.

The first stanza introduces the speaker and his father. The whiskey on your breathe could make a small boy dizzy; but I hung on like death: such waltzing was not easy. An argument can be made that this excerpt depicts a drunk parent arriving home and initiating abusinve contact with a child. The passage however, does not claim drunkeness or abuse. It rather depicts a father who was out for a drink and compares a child hanging on to his father as death hangs on to the terminally ill. In fullness, this stanza shows a father arriving home and indulging himsel in a dance with his son. By the same token, the image of a child awaiting his father’s return can also be drawn. An abused child would not await his abuser’s return nor would an abusive fatherhave a child as first priority upon his return.

The walts is in full swing in stanza two. A third character is also introduced. “We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf; my mother’s countenacne could not unfrown itself.” With these words , the image of father and son entanged and carelessly moving is drawn. These careless movement s cause pans to to fall and result in the tintroduction of the mother. She has a frown on her face. The word romp in its connotative sense can be negatice and the frown on the mother’s face can be in keeping with witnessing abuse. Romp in its denotation is to playful to be considered abuse. The frown can be attibuted to discontent for the falling pans and rough play. A mother would not watch her child being abused without making some sort of effort to stop it. In this scenario, she simply...