Hal and Catherine's relationship is fraught with mistrust and suspicion throughout much of David Auburn’s “Proof”. Though Hal is immediately romantically interested in Catherine, he also grows very concerned when confronted with her claims of writing a mathematical proof so profound that he is certain it is beyond her capabilities. When she also begins to display symptoms of the mental illness that her father suffered from, his worries only grow, as does his suspicions about...
Hal and Catherine's relationship is fraught with mistrust and suspicion throughout much of David Auburn’s “Proof”. Though Hal is immediately romantically interested in Catherine, he also grows very concerned when confronted with her claims of writing a mathematical proof so profound that he is certain it is beyond her capabilities. When she also begins to display symptoms of the mental illness that her father suffered from, his worries only grow, as does his suspicions about the origin of the proof. Catherine for her part is very mistrustful of Hal’s career ambitions, as he has confessed to her his feelings of inadequacy and worries about possibly being too old to make a real contribution in mathematics. Catherine learned math from her father, but lacking solid academic credentials, she is reluctant to trust Hal with her work; it would be very easy for him to pass it off as his own and the temptation to do so is very strong, as the implications of the proof are career-making. This dance of mistrust and suspicion giving way to love and collaboration makes up the journey that Auburn charts for these two. The play ends, not with a complete resolution, but with the beginnings of a more positive, trusting relationship between them.
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