o her husband’s abusive behavior and has therefore decided to ignore them. This again increases the sorrow throughout the story. On the other hand, the opposing side may view the poem differently. Some people may believe that the father is not abusive, but is just having fun. They may also believe that the father and son are actually dancing together and having a good time. Moreover, that the father and son are actually bonding together and there is no mistreatment occurring to the little boy. However, through the poems words and phrases there is clear evidence that the father is abusive and they are not having a good time. For example, when he states, “You beat time on my head”, no matter how much fun they are having, a father is not going to beat his son on the head. Also when Roethke says, “I hung on like death” it clearly proves that the boy is scared for his life, and he is being mistreated. Many actions take place that causes this poem to become sad and negative. All of these actions cause hurt and grief in the little boy’s life, and do in fact prove that the father was drunk and beat his small son while the mother stood nearby watching. Theodore Roethke’s poem is an emotional and negative one that portrays a father who is abusing his son....
