Emotion and New York Essay

In Proof, thither is a contrast presented amongst the abstract and tangible aspects of life. Claires life revolves around e trulything that is realistic period Catherine relies more on things that are theoretical. These choices cause problems in each infants life in that they are both disconnected from the real subr protrudeine world and neither open fire relate to former(a) people, including each other.Catherine focuses on the theoretical, letting her life revolve around things that are non tangible, things that other people cannot necessarily see. Early on in the play, Catherine figures out that the number of days she has wasted because of her depression is a mathematically significant number. maths is a very abstract science and this scene steers how mathematically disposed(p) Catherine is. It also shows how easily she is able to think abstractly. Her father helps her mathematically belie this number right before he admits that he is, in fact, asleep(predicate) at the time of this conversation. Again, Catherine is relying on something intangible, the mental representation of Robert. While Robert was ill, Catherine stayed with him to take up through care of him emotionally. She did not typically wash dishes, clean the house, or lucre bills, Catherine was taking care of her fathers emotional state. In her mind, she was making sure he stayed rise by having someone to rely on for the intangible aspects of life.Because Catherine lives in the abstract, she is unable to relate to people who live in the real world. Because of this and other reasons, she has no fri curiositys. She tells her father, in order for your friends to take you out you generally have to have friends. Most 25 year olds would go out with friends on their birthday the fact that she has no friends is odd and causes the interview to worry. In the end of shape 1 Scene 1, Catherine calls the cops to keep Hal from stealing one of her fathers notebooks even though, as she admits in the blood line of Scene 2, she didnt really want them to come. The cops come back the adjoining morning and are not happy. This shows that she does not relate well with the practical world and its consequences.Unlike her child, Claire is overly practical, completely engrossed in physical aspects of life. While Catherine is at home with their father,Robert, Claire moves to New York to continue her education, get her receive place, and have a job. She pays all the bills from New York, but does not learn herself with other aspects of taking care of their father besides encouraging Catherine to sit him in a full time care situation. Bills are very visible and concrete, showing how much Claire relies on tangible aspects of life and how well she can fill out with these things. When Claire is visiting Catherine for their fathers funeral, she tries to get Catherine to guess a conditioner she likes. When Catherine asks Claire for some scientific facts about the Jojoba in the condit ioner, Claire replies, it makes my hair feel, look, and sprightliness good. Thats the extent of my information about it. Claire doesnt know whatever scientific information about the Jojoba, only how it physically affects her hair.Claire values material objects over immaterial things like emotions, which makes it difficult for her to connect with people and deal with them appropriately. At the party after the funeral, Claire tries to out drink the theoretical physicists and fails miserably waking up with a horrible hangover. Claire does this because she believes, incorrectly, that she is better than the theoretical physicists establish on their lack of grounding in the practical world. At the end of Act 1, Claire tells Catherine, its not your fault. Its my fault for letting you do it. This implies that Claire thinks she can control Catherine. Claire believes she can control people like she can control things. Claire also decides she wants Catherine to move to New York so she can ke ep a better eye on her. She tells Catherine it would be much easier for me to get you set up in an apartment in New York again showing how she wants to control Catherines life and does not show go steady for Catherines emotions such as Catherines desire to stay in her home town and her sense of belonging there.Due to Catherine and Claires antithetical priorities, they do not relate to each other and have a disconnected relationship. This is established early on in the play when Catherine says to her father, she is not my friend, she is my sisterAnd I dont like her. It is clear from this line that Catherine does not feel connected to Claire. At one point Claire goes so far as to accuse Catherine of being insane, claiming that Catherine has made upHarold Dobbs. She ulterior meets Hal and does not even apologize to her sister. Sadly, this is not the only thing Claire does to show complete disregard for her sisters feelings. When Hal shows up in Act 1 Scene 2, Catherine makes a big scene and Claire completely ignores her.CATHERINE ok? I really dont need this, Claire. Im fine, you know, Im totally fine, and then you swoop in here with these questions, and Are you okay? and your soothing tone of voice and Oh, the poor policemen I think the police can handle themselves and bagels and bananas and jojoba and Come to New York and vegetarian chili. I mean it really pisses me off, so just save it.(Beat.)CLAIRE (smoothly to HAL) Im Claire. Catherines sister.Clearly Claire is ignoring Catherines emotions and chooses to not try to deal with her sisters fit. This is also an example of how Catherine inappropriately deals with her own emotions and her sisters attempts to help. Claire cannot be there for Catherine if she wont deal with any emotions and Catherine chooses not to react calmly to Claires assertions.Neither sister has found the surpass way to live their life, they need to find a happy mass medium between the practical and theoretical aspects of life so that they can intention properly in the real world and relate to the people nutriment in it.Works CitedProof by David Auburn