In the first stanza, the boy had a tantrum, "splashing" his "bare feet" around a puddle. The father doesn't approve of this, and "struck(s)" a "quick slap" across his son's face. However, the father refuses to show any signs "of guilt or sorrow" for what he has done. The father is regretful but thinks it is more important for his son's development that he remains staunch. The boy is waiting for his father to apologise, but his father refuses to give in, because he doesn't want to give his son the idea that he can get away with more incidents like this. This gives the impression of a boy wh…
