In the first scaffold scene Pearl was an infant, in this chapter she is seven years old. Hester and Pearl have been “familiar objects to the townspeople” now for many years (110). Hester Prynne changes from being an outcast to now helping out in the community. She is “kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, [and] so comfortable to the afflicted” (111). In the community more people begin to see the letter A as a sign of “able” no longer is it seen as a sign of “adultery”. Hester is no longer a gentle and compassionate woman but rather a cold hearted and harsh woman. The statement “ the scarlet letter had not done its office” means the letter was suppose to make her an outcast but now she is no longer an outcast. The letter was also supposed
