“My Father's Waltz” by Theodore Roethke is a poem that tells the story of a young boy who admires his father despite his actions and character of his father. This is a common situation in society as young boys are raised with a father as the head of the household and grow up aspiring to be like their father. The narrator of Theodore Roethke's "My Papa's Waltz" is a young boy who blindly admires his father despite the horrible acts he performs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Roethke never blatantly introduces the reader to the narrator, but he conjures up the image of a little boy by introducing the poem with “The whiskey on your breath could make a little boy dizzy; » (1-2). While the word "might" in the quote above makes it difficult to prove that the narrator is a little boy, Roethke's ambiguous allusion to the narrator allows for a better understanding of the character. Obviously, from this line, the narrator does not identify himself as a little boy; but then again, what does a little boy do? Most young children, boys in particular, are trained by society to become big and strong as soon as possible. Therefore, being a little boy is degrading and insulting. As the narrator admires his father, he separates himself from his own identity in an attempt to adopt his father's identity. Throughout the poem, the narrator's language shows that he is not fully aware of the exact situation that is occurring. . The whole metaphor of the waltz illustrates this perfectly. While his father is drunk and destroys everything in his path, the narrator explains the strange situation with his understanding of a waltz. He clings to his father to help his mind accept this fantasy. He considers every aspect of the situation, the falling pots, the bruises and the cuts, as part of the waltz. This shows how innocent the narrator is and how far he is willing to look to see his father as the man he wants him to be. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized paper now from our expert writers. Overall, the poem develops a melancholy tone because the narrator's longing for his father is so sweet, yet desperately sad. The poem takes a situation that is so often seen in a negative light and presents it from the perspective of a hopeful child. This allows you to understand the situation completely differently than it usually is. This adds a whole new layer of desperation as the little boy desperately hopes his father will just waltz away. Until the end, the boy refuses to accept reality and continues to blindly admire his father because he "always clings to your shirt »..”