chief. He and the townsfolk do not implicate the minister in Hester's shame and the "A" they saw last night meant only "Angel," a heavenly recognition of Winthrop's death.Chapter 13: Another View of Hester Chapter 14: Hester and the Physician Summary Seven years have passed since the book's opening and the narrator tells us about all that has happened in Hester's life since. Hester has not withdrawn from society but has become more active in it: bringing food to poor people's doors, nursing the sick, helping in times of trouble. She is still often looked down upon, but more people are beginning to think the "A" on her chest means "Able." Hester herself (not just the way people see her) has also changed. She is no more a tender woman, but has been burned by the "red-hot brand" of the letter to become only "a bare and harsh outline." Hester has also become more speculative, thinking about how something is "amiss" in Pearl, about womanhood in her society, and about the wrong she may have done the minister by keeping Chillingworth's secret. She therefore resolves to talk to the leech and ask him to stop tormenting Dimmesdale. She tells Chillingworth that she has to tell the minister the truth. The old leech, the narrator observes, has transformed himself into the very embodiment of evil. In a moment of self-awareness, Chillingworth realizes how gnarled and mentally deformed he has become. He recalls the old days in which he was a benevolent scholar; he has changed from a human being to a vengeful fiend, a mortal man who has lost "his human heart." Saying that it is her fault, Hester begs him to give up this revenge and become a human being again. "It is our fate," he responds. "Let the black flower blossom as it may. Now go thy ways, and deal as thou wilt with yonder man."Chapter 15: Hester and Pearl Chapter 16: A Forest Walk Summary As the leech walks away, Hester goes to find Pearl. She realizes that she hates Chillingworth,...
