Proof

Act II begins four years prior to the events of Act I. Robert is on the porch, having a drink and resting his eyes. Catherine enters, and Robert addresses her without opening his eyes. She is going to the store and asks what he wants for dinner. Neither can decide, but Robert pontificates on how tired he is of pasta. Robert offers to shop, but Catherine declines. He suggests that they go for a walk to the lake and then stop at the store together. She agrees.

Catherine tells Robert that she is planning to start school at Northwestern at the end of the month. Robert asks why she isn’t going to University of Chicago, and Catherine explains that “it’s too weird, taking classes in your department” (51). Robert tells her that the commute to Evanston is a long one, and she tells him that she’d live there. Northwestern is covering her tuition, and Claire has offered to help with other expenses. Robert worries that she might not be able to handle the competitive nature of the math department at Northwestern, pointing out that she’s at least a year behind.

Exasperated, Catherine exclaims, “Look, I don’t know if this is a good idea. I don’t know if I can handle the work. I don’t know if I can handle any of it” (52). She promises that she can always take time off if Robert needs her. Robert insists that he won’t, but he notes that everything is happening very quickly. Catherine tells Robert that she was waiting to talk to him about it when she was sure that his lucid phase would last. Robert becomes upset when Catherine brings up how bad his paranoia had gotten thanks to his mental decline.

Hal enters, and Robert tells him that he interrupted their argument about dinner, asking if he has any recommendations. Hal suggests a pasta place, eliciting an adamant “No!” from Robert. Catherine replies, “That is a brilliant idea” (53) and asks for the address. Hal offers to come back later, but Robert insists that he stay. To Catherine, Robert says, “Let’s back off the problem, let it breathe, come at it again when it’s not looking” (54). Robert introduces Hal to Catherine and invites him to have a drink with them. Hal has been working on his dissertation for a long time, and he hands Robert an envelope with his latest draft.

Hal tells Robert, “it feels done,” and Robert responds, “Wrong. If it feels done, there are major errors” (55), but he reassures Hal that they will fix them, and Hal will finish and move on. Robert mentions that Catherine is in the math department at Northwestern and says to Catherine that there are good professors at Northwestern who will “work [her] ass off” and that she’ll “have to run pretty hard to catch up” (55). The two come to a peaceful consensus that she’s capable of succeeding at Northwestern.

Hal thinks that Catherine must be excited to start school, “all the new people, new places, getting out of the house” (56). Catherine is abashed at the mention of leaving home, but Robert interjects, “Maybe I want to have the place to myself for a while, did that ever occur to you?” (56). Catherine promises to return once a week to make him pasta, and Robert replies amicably that he will “drive up, strut around Evanston, embarrass [her] in front of [her] classmates” (56).

Hal asks Robert what he is working on, and Robert tells him that he’s not currently working on anything but is enjoying the time off: “I’m not doing much right now. It does get harder. It’s a stereotype that happens to be true” (57). Catherine suggests that Robert might “get lucky” but Robert replies, “Maybe you’ll pick up where I left off” (57).

Robert offers them both another drink, but Hal needs to leave. Robert makes an appointment to speak to Hal in a week, encouraging him to take the time off. Realizing the date, Robert becomes embarrassed and wishes his daughter a happy birthday, apologizing for forgetting. Then Robert insists that they are going out for dinner. Robert thanks Hal for reminding him of the date and invites him to dinner. Hal considers but declines. Catherine goes in the house to change clothes, and Robert writes the entry in the journal about Catherine’s birthday that Hal will, in four years, attempt to take from Robert’s office to give to her as a gift.

Scene 2 picks up where Act I ended, the day after Robert’s funeral. Hal is incredulous at Catherine’s claim that she wrote the theorem. Catherine tells him that she started working on it when she left school, and by the time she finished it, Robert was too ill to look at it. In disbelief, Claire asks, “You wrote this incredible thing and you didn’t tell anyone about it?” (60) Claire thinks the book is written in Robert’s handwriting. Catherine insists that it’s her handwriting and looks to Hal–who has been poring over Robert’s handwriting for weeks–for confirmation. Hal is unsure. Claire suggests that Catherine explain the proof, but Catherine replies, “You wouldn’t understand it” (61).

Annoyed with Claire, Catherine again appeals to Hal, who knows that there was nothing like this proof in Robert’s notebooks. She offers to go through the proof with him, but Hal replies that this won’t prove that she wrote it; Perhaps Robert wrote it and explained it to her. Hal suggests that he show the notebook to “three or four guys at the department, very sharp, disinterested people” (62) to get their opinions. Claire approves of this idea, but Catherine refuses. Hal explains that he’s trying to understand what the proof is and where it came from, and Catherine retorts, “I’m telling you what it is” (63). Hal also thinks that the handwriting is Robert’s. Quietly, Catherine tells him that her handwriting looks just like her father’s. She says, “I didn’t show this to anyone else. I could have. I wanted you to be the first to see it. I didn’t know I wanted that until last night. It’s me. I trusted you” (63).

Hal is still doubtful. The proof is in one of Robert’s notebooks, and there aren’t any blank ones in the study. Catherine insists that she bought Robert the notebooks and took one to write in. Even if she proves that it’s her handwriting, Robert might have dictated the proof to her. Hal insists that she hasn’t had the formal education to have produced something this profound. Catherine replies, “My education wasn’t at Northwestern. It was living in this house for twenty-five years” (64). Hal counters that the work is so advanced that even he doesn’t understand all of it. Catherine scoffs at him, saying, “It would be a real disaster for you, wouldn’t it? And for the other geeks who barely finished their PhDs, who are marking time doing lame research, bragging about the conferences they go to” (65). Hal exits angrily, and Catherine attempts to rip up the pages. Claire manages to stop her, and Catherine throws the book to the ground and walks out.

Scene 3 opens the following day. Hal approaches the empty porch and knocks on the door, calling for Catherine. Claire enters. She has delayed her flight. Hal wants to see Catherine, but Claire tells him that it’s a bad time. Catherine is asleep and has been since yesterday. Claire is staying until Catherine is ready to travel. She won’t let Hal speak to Catherine.

Hal and Claire talk about what happened the day before and how they both failed to give Catherine the reaction she wanted. Claire asks why Hal slept with Catherine, and Hal bristles. Claire accuses him of taking advantage of Catherine, and Hal accuses Claire of forcing Catherine to go to New York. Hal insists, “She’s tougher than you think, Claire” (67). He suggests that Catherine might want to talk to him, which makes Claire angry. She reproaches him, declaring, “Jesus, you fucking mathematicians: you don’t think. You don’t know what you’re doing. You stagger around creating these catastrophes and it’s people like me who end up flying in to clean them up” (67).

Claire reiterates that Catherine needs a change of scenery and tells Hal that he can talk to Catherine on the phone after she is in New York. Claire dismisses Hal, but Hal hesitates, saying, “There’s one more thing. You’re not going to like it” (67). Claire surprises Hal, immediately responding by offering him the notebook. He explains his professional responsibility to investigate this possible breakthrough the proof offers. Claire agrees that someone needs to look at the proof, and she wouldn’t know what to do with it. She tells Hal to call her when he has studied the notebook to tell her what they ought to do with it. Hal starts to leave, but Claire stops him. She asks him to explain the proof. He tells her, “It would take some time. How much math have you got?” (68) Claire admits that she’s good with numbers but not nearly as good as her father or Catherine.

Scene 4 occurs three and a half years prior to the last scene. Robert is on the porch, writing in a notebook. Catherine calls from offstage and then enters. She comments on his clothing: he’s wearing a t-shirt in 30-degree weather. Robert agrees that he is “freezing [his] ass off” (69), but the house is too dry and hot, and he can’t work inside. Catherine has skipped class to drive to Chicago and check on Robert because her calls to him have gone unanswered. Robert tells her that has been ignoring the phone because he was trying to concentrate. Robert explains that he is working, exclaiming, “The machinery is working. Catherine, it’s on full-blast. All the cylinders are firing, I’m on fire. That’s why I came out here, to cool off. I haven’t felt like this for years” (70). Catherine is incredulous.

Abruptly, Robert changes the subject and asks about school. Catherine shifts back and asks to see his work. Robert is thrilled that Catherine is interested in what he is doing. He tells her how afraid he was that he would never work again, and he mentions that, although Catherine has her own work, he could use her help. Robert hands Catherine the notebook, warning her that it is rough. Catherine reads, closes the notebook, and sits down, urging him to go inside. Robert pushes Catherine for her thoughts, and she continues to try to get him inside. Finally, she opens the notebook, reading aloud at his request. It is nonsense. Robert begins to tremble, admitting that he is cold, and Catherine helps him up to go inside. Robert pleads with her to stay, and she promises that she will.

Scene 5 is once again in the present. Claire sits on the porch with two cups of coffee in cardboard cups, checking a plane ticket and flight itinerary. Catherine enters from the house with luggage. They drink their coffee, and Claire rambles about the great coffee in New York. Claire comments on how nice it is to sit on the porch. Catherine is cold, and Claire asks if she wants to go in the house. Clair offers a jacket, which Catherine finally accepts. They talk about the weather and Catherine’s move to New York; which Catherine agrees listlessly is the right decision. Claire goes on about the exciting culture of New York, listing museums, Rockefeller Center, and Broadway musicals; Catherine adds, “Restraints, lithium, electroshock” (77). Claire reminds Catherine about the great schools in New York that Catherine might attend. Catherine is sardonic, describing the psychiatrist she imagines that she will see and how she will blame all of her problems on Claire.

After a moment, Claire tells Catherine not to come. She asserts that Catherine can’t take care of herself in Chicago, reminding her that she stayed in bed for a week, sleeping and refusing to speak, and Claire nearly had her committed. Catherine replies that she didn’t want to talk to her sister. Claire, upset and nearly crying, repeats, “Stay here if you hate me so much” (78).

Claire goes back into the house, and Hal appears, exhausted and disheveled. He is out of breath, excitedly telling Catherine that her proof is correct. Catherine knew it was right and tells Hal that can do whatever he wants with it. Sarcastically, she suggests that he ask Claire for permission to publish it: “have a press conference. Tell the world what my father discovered” (79).

Hal tells Catherine that he now believes she wrote the proof. The math in the proof is advanced, using “a lot of newer mathematical techniques, things that were developed in the last decade” (79). Also, Robert wrote dates in his notebook, and the proof has no dates. Sometimes a child can have handwriting that is very similar to a parent.

Catherine admonishes, “It’s what I told you last week” (80). She accuses him of manipulating her both into bed and into giving him the notebook. Hal begs Catherine to talk about the proof, but she refuses. He points out that she’ll have to talk about it at some point when it’s published. Hal tries to give the notebook back to her, but she doesn’t want it. Catherine tells Hal that he should have believed her in the first place without evidence.

Hal urges Catherine to stay in Chicago, and Catherine admits, “Being taken care of, it doesn’t sound so bad. I’m tired” (81). Hal insists that there’s nothing wrong with her. Catherine worries that she is like her dad, which Hal sees as a positive, and she sees as something to fear. She describes working on the proof at night when Robert was asleep, explaining, “It was just connecting the dots. Some nights I could connect three or four. Some nights they’d be really far apart, I’d have no idea how to get to the next one, if there was a next one” (82). She feels that her proof is “lumpy,” and her dad’s work was “way more elegant. When he was young” (83). Hal asks Catherine again to talk through the proof. After a moment, she opens the notebook and begins.