Proof - Who do you pity?
Uploaded by James Wang on Jun 09, 2004
Celia, Martin and Andy all deserve our pity at sometime in the film. Martin is a blind man who is isolated from the world. Andy is a naïve young man who trusts too easily and is often used by other people. However, the one who retains out pity at the end is Celia, as she remains unchanged, locked in her obsession.
Martin certainly deserves out pity. He is a blind man who is isolated from the world, he is isolated not only because that he’s physically blind but also because of his metaphorical blindness. Martin has been physically blind since he was born; he lives his life through touching and feeling things. Martin doesn’t trust anyone, he is too obsessed with the truth with what he thinks is the truth. This is Martin’s metaphorical blindness. His metaphorical blindness destroys any possibility of any relationship between him and his mother, and between him and the rest of the world. His mother used to tell him about an old man raking up leaves in the garden, but Martin never believed his mother. He took a photo and keeps it, he want to keep it as a proof, proof that his mother was lying. It really is a pitiful thing that one can’t simply trust someone who gave him life. Martin’s photos do not mean anything; he relies on other people to describe the photos for him. In addition, the description is only in 10 words, it is simply impossible to know the complexities of what’s on the photo and what does it mean in 10 words. Another reason that we pity him is he keeps Celia on despite the fact that he hates her. However, at the end, Martin moves on. He fires Celia and reunites with Andy, more importantly, he learned to trust. Therefore, we feel that he does not need out pity anymore.
Andy also deserves out pity. He is a naïve young man who does not seems to have a future and is often used by other people. Martin uses him to describe the photos to him, and uses him as a tool to get involved in the world. Celia uses Andy as a way to obtain Martin’s trust. Because if Andy is there for Martin, Martin will never trust Celia. She tries to break up their friendship. Celia pretends to love Andy, but she’s only doing it...