Proof Essay Questions

How do the flashback scenes contribute to the story?

In the first scene, Catherine speaks to her father and he encourages her to take better care of herself. By the end of the scene, we have learned more about their relationship, but we have also learned that the Robert we are meeting is a figment of Catherine's imagination; the real Robert died a week earlier. From then on, Robert becomes a character that other characters talk about. To Hal, he was an incredible mathematician, but to Catherine, he was her closest friend and also the person who she had to take care of. The flashbacks show Robert in varying states of mental health or mental illness, and they reveal more about his special relationship with Catherine, and about the sacrifices she has had to make to take care of him.

What is the importance of Hal's character in the play?

When Hal comes into the play, his primary interest is in Robert's work. As the story unfolds we learn that he has a deeper connection with Catherine. He remembers meeting her several years earlier and he harbors a little crush on her. As they begin a romantic relationship, Hal's attention and affection revitalizes Catherine and gives her a confidence that she hasn't felt in years. After years of taking care of her father, Catherine finally finds someone who is willing to take care of her. Their relationship hits an obstacle when Hal doesn't believe that she has written the proof. In this moment, he becomes a villain of sorts, a man who does not believe a woman can possess mathematical genius. But by the end of the play, he has made amends and begun to rebuild his relationship with Catherine, bringing as much of his attention and respect to her work as he did to her as a woman.

How does the title, Proof, hint at the themes of the play?

Proof is a play about a mathematical proof that Catherine formulates in her father's notebook. The proof is innovative and will put Catherine on the map as a mathematician. It is an important feature of Catherine's life because it is evidence of her brilliance and it could change her life in major ways. The word "proof" also refers to all of the other things that Catherine must prove to the people in her life. Throughout the play, she must prove to her sister Claire that she is mentally well and does not need supervision. She must also prove to her (as well as Hal) that she actually wrote the proof in her father's drawer.

What is the significance of the entire play taking place on Catherine's porch?

The setting of the play is the porch of Catherine's home, the home she grew up in and the home in which she had to take care of her father. The family home is a complicated place for Catherine, in that it is a safe space, a familiar place in which she learned to love math and in which she felt close to her father. It is also a place where she was held back, a place she had to return to in order to take care of her father when he was ailing. By setting the play on the porch, a threshold between the home and the outside world, Auburn shows that in the wake of Robert's death, Catherine is torn between her life of seclusion in the house and the outside world that is calling to her and beckoning her to join it.

How are Catherine and Claire different?

A big conflict in the play is the different attitudes of Catherine and Claire. Catherine is intellectual, abstract, and not too concerned with the practicalities of life. She is also prone to depression, and has slipped into an antisocial existence, living alone in her father's home. Claire, on the other hand, is high-achieving, practical, status-conscience, and not in the least intellectual. While the sisters share a wit and intelligence, their temperaments and perspectives could not be more different. While Claire is concerned with rejuvenating shampoo and nice clothes, Catherine doesn't want to be bothered with such details of life. The big and painful difference between them is the fact that Catherine believed her care of her father was helpful to his health, while Claire would have preferred to put their father in an institution.