Proof written by David Auburn is an exceptional literary work that met, and surpassed, all expectations I had for it. The protagonist of the story is a 25 year old woman named Catherine, who is a mathematical genius and struggles to maintain her mental stability at times. The story is set in Chicago, at the home of Catherine’s recently deceased father, Robert, who is a well renowned mathematician and former professor at the University of Chicago. Catherine has spent the recent years taking care of her father as he struggled with a delusional mental illness. From the early stages of the play Auburn shows us that Catherine herself is not completely mentally well, and that the time she has spent taking care of her father has not helped in this
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He tells her that he now knows she wrote the proof because it is written differently than Roberts work was. This moment serves as the climax of the story as Catherine’s claims are validated, and the audience sees that she is indeed a mathematical genius. With this Catherine achieves her super-objective of proving to herself among others that she is mentally stable and not delusional like her father had been. Though the resolution of the story is somewhat incomplete and leaves many questions for the reader to decide themselves, we clearly see that Catherine is truly able to overcome the odds. The doubts of others are quieted, and her own doubts quieted simultaneously. Though she gave up so much to care for her father and truly put her own life on the backburner in many circumstances, she is able to achieve something far greater than what many individuals will ever achieve in their life. With all this Auburn achieves an almost perfect sense of catharsis, as many people have felt invalidated at some point or another in their life. Proof is a beautiful story which I feel speaks to the unseen resilience which many people carry without ever receiving any type of recognition from others. It brings into the light the struggle which people who care for a mentally ill individual face every day, and the sacrifices they make in order to do so. This play started out as a required assignment for me and has truly turned into my favorite piece of literature that I have ever
He tells her that he now knows she wrote the proof because it is written differently than Roberts work was. This moment serves as the climax of the story as Catherine’s claims are validated, and the audience sees that she is indeed a mathematical genius. With this Catherine achieves her super-objective of proving to herself among others that she is mentally stable and not delusional like her father had been. Though the resolution of the story is somewhat incomplete and leaves many questions for the reader to decide themselves, we clearly see that Catherine is truly able to overcome the odds. The doubts of others are quieted, and her own doubts quieted simultaneously. Though she gave up so much to care for her father and truly put her own life on the backburner in many circumstances, she is able to achieve something far greater than what many individuals will ever achieve in their life. With all this Auburn achieves an almost perfect sense of catharsis, as many people have felt invalidated at some point or another in their life. Proof is a beautiful story which I feel speaks to the unseen resilience which many people carry without ever receiving any type of recognition from others. It brings into the light the struggle which people who care for a mentally ill individual face every day, and the sacrifices they make in order to do so. This play started out as a required assignment for me and has truly turned into my favorite piece of literature that I have ever