The speaker is most likely the poet himself. He is a Northerner living during the Civil War. On Christmas Day he hears the bells ring out and is hopeful and glad, but when the South's cannons thunder he despairs. The bells ring louder, though, bringing him back to a feeling of peace.
The Question and Answer section for Christmas Bells is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
The speaker is an unnamed Northerner.
Longfellow wrote Christmas Bells with the purpose of inspiring people to hold onto hope in times of despair.
Christmas Bells is set on Christmas Day in the North during the Civil War. The year is 1864.
