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Act Two, Scene 2
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Proof, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Genius and Mental Instability
Family and Heredity
Sexism
Proof, Trust, and Credibility
Caretaking and Sacrifice
Summary
Analysis
The next day, Hal knocks on the door and calls for Catherine. Claire steps onto the porch and explains that she had to delay her flight because Catherine is refusing to eat or leave her room. Hal wants to see Catherine, but Claire doesn’t let him—she thinks it would be a bad idea.
Catherine appears to be undergoing a mental breakdown: she isn’t eating, and she is isolating herself. The cost of Hal and Claire’s skepticism, then, is Catherine’s mental health.
Active
Themes
Claire asks why Hal slept with Catherine, suggesting he took advantage of her. But Hal insists that it was consensual and asks again to see Catherine. When Claire doesn’t budge, he angrily tells her it’s not right to take Catherine to New York against her will. Hal suggests that seeing Catherine would help her, but Claire snaps that he—like all mathematicians—isn’t thinking. She promises to give him her New York phone number once she gets Catherine settled there.
The audience gets a glimpse of what Claire is like as a caretaker. She refuses to let Catherine have contact with anyone else, deciding for her that seeing Hal would be a bad idea. She doesn’t try to check in with Catherine to see whether she would like to see Hal, but instead dictates the terms on which Hal can contact Catherine.
Active
Themes
Hal agrees, but he doesn’t move, since he has another reason for coming. To his surprise, Claire hands him the notebook, saying he can have it. Hal is confused—he thought that he’d have to argue for it. Claire snidely suggests that the notebook is the main reason he came, which Hal denies.
Active
Themes
Claire says she trusts him with the notebook, adding that he should call her when he has more information. As Hal begins to leave, Claire asks him to explain the proof to her. Hal asks how much math she knows, and she responds that she, a currency analyst, is pretty good with numbers—but she has only a fraction of Robert’s genius. Catherine is more gifted, although Claire isn’t sure how gifted.
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