Patel 1
Rima Patel
English
Frost
05 December 2013
An Analysis of Mood & Characters
My Papa’s Waltz is a charming and quaint short 16 line poem written by great Harvardian
literary figure, Theodore Roethke, detailing an episode in his early childhood in which his
inherited father takes a hold of him and begins a lovely rendition of the waltz in their kitchen one
late night while his mother is silently at the side observing all the raucous. There are various
aspects that can be analyzed within the lines of this charming story, but I am merely going to
focus on two aspects that I notice have been more prevalent within this poem. There seems to be
indications of a tranquil, peaceful, yet jovial mood within the atmospheric sound of Roethke’s
exquisite writing as well as deep innuendo like description of the personality and depiction of the
characters. These will be the two themes I will analyze using this literary piece of eloquent
entitlement in hopes that when I am through with this article, My Papa’s Waltz might contain a
deeper and more profound sense of jolly compassion in order to connect with the poem at a more
intellectual level.
In brief summary, My Papa’s Waltz is written in a quad stanza format with 4 lines in each
segmented fragment detailing the random event of one night. From the title of the piece, My
Papa’s Waltz, we can say with all certainty that the piece is a personal poem that has to do with
his father. With that said, the first part of this poem introduces us to the notion that is Roethke’s
father is drunk, very drunk from too much whiskey, so much indeed that Roethke thinks he
Patel 2
might get drunk off the fumes of the alcohol. After that fact mentioning the state of his father is
mentioned, we learn that they have collided into some kind of jovial intertwining waltz and are
making a mess in the kitchen area, as suggested by the second stanza. Roethke’s mother is idle
and motionless on the side with a scowl due to the drunken fiasco, but at the same time is
enjoying the sight of her son and husband in a spontaneously cherishing family gathering. The
third stanza suggests as to the time frame of this particular memory in Roethke’s mind by the
description, “every step you missed my right ear scraped a buckle.” This can literally be
understood as the height Roethke’s was when this happened, possibly 4 – 6 years old based on
the details. The final stanza describes that they have terminated their impromptu choreography
and his father is now waltzing him into his bedroom to his bed because it is late at night and
Roethke needs his good slumber.
The nonchalant mood Theodore Roethke has since the commencement of the randomly planned
dance with his father makes this story feel a sense of tranquility. Tranquility because the narrator
is just going with the natural flow of his intoxicated father’s lightheartedness and not forcing
anything, simply letting the event unravel itself to whatever sprouts into. It is as though Roethke
does not care of the consequences of dancing with a drunk man are, but then again he is a tired 4
– 6 year old boy that is probably exhausted and drained from the long day and it is late night.
The mood that Roethke’s father suggests he is a vivacious and animated man that wants to finish
the end of his night with a wonderful dance with his only son. The fact that he is drunk can also
imply to the mood of the story as an indication of serendipity actions to try and make the best of
an otherwise ordinary night. The mood of the mother’s “countenance” without any repellence
can be taken as a state of conformity. All of these settings of moods interweave together
perfectly to demonstrate this epic night in the memory of Roethke’s early childhood.
Patel 3
The character development within Theodore Roethke’s poem, My Papa’s Waltz, is a greatly
simplistic, at initial sight, portrayal of how his parents were. As the narrator himself, Roethke,
behaves in a passive manner as just accepts the fact that his drunk father got a hold of him and is
now in a juvenile collision with him in an animated ballet. He doesn’t care at all about where
they are going or what they are doing; his main infatuation is the splendor experience that he is a
part of at the particular moment. As for Roethke’s father, he Is uber drunk and could care less of
what is happening, just mainly focusing on the singular fact that he is having an amazing time
dancing a waltz with his son. The fact that his actions are manufacturing a messy disorder within
the household is not of his worries and he intends to see his dance all the way through until its
conclusion when he carries his son to his bed. His mother on the other hand, she is frowning,
obviously reflecting the inner fury she is holding within because her intoxicated husband is
making a mess of her kitchen. But, she is wise to not interfere with a drunk man at the middle of
the night and chooses to remain silently and unresponsive momentarily until the circus parade
has naturally come to a stop and both her spouse and son have gone to bed.
In conclusion, the prolix charming disposition and the development of characters can be further
analyzed to paint a more peculiarly interesting intellectually understanding of this piece. These
are the two literary themes of which I felt made a relevant contribution to the depth of
complexity within Theodore Roethke’s poem, My Papa’s Waltz. The great accomplishment of
this poem is that its minimalistic approach to the word choice, the literal suggestion, and the
clarity of idea can be easily interpreted by anyone and make rational sense of it. But, there are
deeper aspects that can be explored with more vigor to add more intensity behind the magical
episode Roethke’s experienced on that random night. Although it occurred when he was 4 – 6
years of age, it was so meaningful to him because he obviously had to of remembered it to write
Patel 4
this genuinely heartwarming poem. Hopefully once you read or reread Roethke’s piece, My
Papa’s Waltz, you will have a more emotionally involved sense of familiarity and intimacy with
it, like if it was something you were well acquaintance with.
Patel 5
Bibliography
1. McRoberts, Patrick. "Roethke, Theodore." History Link. N.p., 03 Mar. 2003. Web. 05
Dec.
2013. <http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=5410>.
2. "Poet Theodore Roethke." Office of Research. University of Washington, 1997. Web. 04
Dec. 2013. <http://www.washington.edu/research/showcase/1947b.html>.
3. "THEODORE ROETHKE." Friends of Theodore Roethke. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.roethkehouse.org/>.
4. "Theodore Roethke." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2013.
<http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/13>.
5. "Theodore Roethke." : The Poetry Foundation. The Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 05
Dec. 2013. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/theodore-roethke>.