Asandare talking at a
window of the home they share,sees the two men and says to her mother, ,
Come away, mother! Come away, or yonder old Black Man will catch
you! He hath got hold of the minister already. Come away, mother, or he will catch you! But he
cannot catch little Pearl!
The Puritans often referred to
the Devil as the Black Man, referring figuratively to the darkness of sin and evilness of deeds.
Thus, when Pearl calls Chillingworth by this appellation, she seems to be identifying his
sinfulness and wickedness. She actually equates Chillingworth with the Devil himself, and though
she believes that he will not harm her, she fears that he will be able to harm her mother. It's
pretty insightful and astute: Chillingworth has already declared that he has no wish to harm the
child, and though he has no desire to harm the mother, either, the actions he takes against
Reverend Dimmesdale do, in fact, pain Hester. Therefore, Pearl recognizes not only his malice,
but also his intent to harm others.
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