Guyette, a longtime journalist, received a bachelor's degree in English writing from the University of Pittsburgh. In this essay, Guyette discusses how Auburn highlights the uncertain nature of human existence by contrasting it with the certainty found in mathematics.

In his Puliter Prize—winning play Proof, Auburn brings into high relief the uncertain nature of life by contrasting it with the world of mathematics, where the truth or falsity of an idea can be proved with absolute certainty. In the world of numbers, two plus two always equals four; there is no doubt involved. But in matters of flesh and blood, especially in the way people relate to the world around them, there is no formula for absolute knowledge.

The tenuous nature of reality as perceived through human eyes is vividly depicted in the play's very first scene. Catherine, the troubled daughter of Robert, a brilliant...