Pearl does not like other children, and H. underlines the extreme aggressive behavior of this one child. But the dislike for them seems justified, because of the description of those "the children of the Puritans looked up from their play,... or what passed for play with those sombre little urchins... and spoke gravely one to another." they are described are children of PURITANS, remarking that they were almost evil because of their parents' tradition.
"But Pearl, who was a dauntless child, after frowning, stamping her foot, and shaking her little hand with a variety of threatening gestures, suddenly made a rush at the knot of her enemies, and put them all to flight.
She resembled, in her fierce pursuit of them, an infant pestilence, the scarlet fever, or some such half-fledged ANGEL of judgment, whose mission was to punish the sins of the rising generation. She screamed and shouted, too, with a terrific volume of sound, which, doubtless, caused the hearts of the fugitives to quake within them."
why an angel? it must be a leif-motif, since it is the third, fourth time we find comparisons with angels.
Maybe her peculiar features are meant to be a good example for the others, she might be the person which children should learn from, and not a symbol of evill.
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