In "Frost at Midnight," Coleridge is concerned with one specific family member: his infant son, Hartley Coleridge. Everyone else is asleep in the cottage, and Hartley is the only person in the room with Coleridge, as his thoughts bounce around, gradually concluding in his high hopes for Hartley. Specifically, he wants lil' H. to grow up close to Nature, having the kind of spiritually-inspired childhood Coleridge wanted to have (but didn't, because he had to go to school in London). Also, Coleridge reflects on how he wished different family members (like his sister, Ann) would pay him a surprise visit while he was stuck in school. We know: isn't that sweet?
Questions About Family
- How would you describe Coleridge as a dad?
- Do you agree with Coleridge that it's better to raise kids in Nature than in the city?
- If you happen to read up on Hartley's later life, do you still think Coleridge's ideas held up (if you thought they held up in the first place)?
- Is it significant that the "stranger" Coleridge is imagining is actually someone he knows? Is there any greater symbolism to this?
Chew on This
Family is the most important thing to Coleridge, even more important than Nature.
Actually, Coleridge is just "using" poor lil' Hartley here. His real focus is on Nature; his son is just a hook to get us interested in the natural world.