Ambiguity in My Papa's Waltz

Ambiguity in
“My Papa’s Waltz”:

Just What Kind of Dancing Was Happening?

Theodore Roethke uses ambiguity throughout “My Papa’s Waltz”, effectively leading the reader to, at first, believe that there is actual fun and waltzing happening between a father and son. However, as the reader continues, it becomes clear that the true idea Roethke conveys is actually not waltzing at all, but a son being brutally beaten. The entire poem is full of ambiguity, taking the reader on a roller coaster ride, from high points described by words such as “romped” (Meyer, 880) and “waltzing” (Meyer, 880) to low points described by such phrases as “I hung on like death” (Meyer, 880) and “My right ear scraped a buckle” (Meyer, 880). In actuality, the words “romped” and “waltzing”, though seemingly light and fun, are ambiguous allusions to a different kind of dance: a dance of survival in an abusive home. Roethke uses ambiguity to weave a picture, seen by interpr...