Chapter 13 Summary

Through her quiet, unyielding charity; through her desperate perseverance to give more than she received; through her willingness to be available, even to those who scorned her- Hester had begun to change the public view of her. Even the leaders of the village begin to look at her in a benevolent way, while private citizens almost look at her as to gift from God to those afflicted with poverty or sickness. In her most private thoughts, Hester even thinks of reforming society, of changing the status of women. Still, she is inextricably woven to her letter and to her fate.

She realizes that Dimmesdale has no understanding of the terrible fate that has befallen him by associating with her husband, Roger Chillingworth. She is now determined to do something about it. She decides to talk to the physician. One day, while walking in...