After reading ‘’My Papa’s Waltz,’’ by Theodore Roethke, I have come to the conclusion that the adult narrator is writing about his fond memories of his father whom he calls “Papa” in his earlier years. The narrator is comparing his time with his father to the “waltz”, which is a “highly popular ballroom dance”. ”With whisky on your breath” gives a sense of imagery for the reader as they realize the father enjoys drinking alcohol heavily. The narrator, describing the scent of alcohol that is coming from the fathers breath, seems to be proof that the father may be drunk, considering the comment that the smell alone could ”make a small boy dizzy;”. I believe that the boy genuinely enjoyed his waltz with his father and did not want to let the moment go, the narrator explains “But I hung on like death:” The narrator explains that keeping up with his father’s drunken steps was tough, and “such waltzing was not easy.” The comment, “We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf;” explains to me that the father and his young son would spend long periods of time waltzing through out the house bumping into household objects making a careless clutter.
The interpretation of “my mothers countenance could not unfrown itself” explains the mothers anguish over the muddle the father and son are creating in the kitchen and possibly even the dissatisfaction of Papa being intoxicated. I believe that Papa could possibly have been a hard working laborer that just returned home from work given that the narrator explains “The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle;” I believe that the son was a petite boy who was tall enough to see just above his fathers buckle on his pants. With this observation, I believe this is why the boy receives scrapes on his face, although the boy seems to be explaining a painful experience, the boy does not seem to show any sort of hatred for his father. My observation is supported by the statement, ” At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle.” I believe the commentary, “You beat time on my head” explains the amount of the young boys time the father has consumed for the night. Once again, I do not believe that the boy is suffering from any real pain or anguish because he continues to speak in a pleasant tone. I also speculate that this statement may conclude that the son will never forget these fond recollections he spends with his Papa. “With a palm caked hard by dirt,” yet again gives the explanation that Papa is a hard worker and his hands take much beating. The poem reveals that the father and son spent a great deal of quality time in each others company waltzing until it was time for the son to retire to his room for the evening. This observation can be established in the note “Then waltzed me off to bed”. “Still clinging to your shirt” once again gives proof that the father and son had a very close knit relationship and in addition the son did not desire to be separated from his father. My over all view of this poem is a great description of a young boy’s love for his father.
The Essay on Father and Son Relationship, Angela’s Ashes
One of the strongest things in this world is the love that forms between a father and his son. Many boys grow up with the desire to be just like their fathers but for Frank McCourt having an alcoholic father causes him to grow up with the mentality of being the opposite of him. In Angela’s Ashes the interesting relationship between Frank and Malachy creates positive and negative impacts on ...
