At the beginning, we find Hester with the scarlet "A" on her chest, this "A" stood for adultery. At first, she could hardly live with the “A”. It almost seemed to consume her with grief. The only thing he had left was his little Pearl, the child born from this illegitimate relationship. As the story continues, we see Hester begin to soften and find her purpose. She moved to a small cabin by the sea and took up sewing. She made all the luxury clothes for all occasions except weddings. That’s when the “A” changed to mean “able.” She was now able to support herself without needing a man or even society. Hester and Pearl could survive on what they made and live by the sea. However, Hester still seems hurt by the "A", and every time we pay attention to her, she relives all the pain and the grief that this brought him. She didn't recover from the scarlet letter, but learned to deal with it better. Later in the story, as Pearl gets older, Hester begins to feel mocked by Pearl and wonders if she might be a devil. Hester thinks this because whenever Pearl does something sweet, kind, or caring, she immediately does something rude, usually drawing attention to the letter "A" on Hester's chest. Towards the end of the story, the “A” changes its meaning again. This time it changed to “Angel”. At the end of the story