Papa's Waltz

"My Papa's Waltz" is a poem filled with literary elements depicting the broken abusive family of a small boy. The waltz described through out the poem could be a symbol of the constant abuse the boy received from his father. Through the use of imagery the father seems like a giant and the son can be pictured as a small defenseless boy. The way the boy describes his ear hitting against the buckle allows the reader to see that the boy has to be quite short for such a thing to happen. The speaker also mentions his fathers hands holding his wrists and the reader can picture these monstrous strong hands holding his little fragile hand. By depicting the father with negative attributes you get a sense of a small broken family. He describes his father's breath smelling of alcohol and dirt covering his palms. He also mentions his mother briefly letting on that she is aware of the abuse going on and is unhappy with it. But we get the sense she does nothing to stop it or that she too is enduring this abuse. By calling this abuse a waltz the speaker hints that this is something that happens back and forth quite often and is just a part of their routine.