The film “Oppenheimer”, which caused a wide public outcry, was created by the famous director Christopher Nolan. It tells about the long life of Robert Oppenheimer, a real historical figure, a man who is called the “father of the atomic bomb.” The picture shows how this scientist developed the atomic bomb, which was then used to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Subsequently, Oppenheimer was denied access to secret archives.
The film ends with a dialogue between Robert and Albert Einstein. The latter tells the interlocutor that one day he will receive awards and recognition. Oppenheimer replies that he has created something that can destroy the entire planet. Einstein leaves, and Robert imagines how the Earth is being destroyed.
Why the cases of Oppenheimer and Strauss were heard in parallel
Lewis Strauss was constantly angry and disgusted with Robert Oppenheimer. This feeling intensified after the scientist’s ridicule against him, and Strauss decided to act. He did not want to be the head of the AEC, because then his opponent would still have influence on government decisions regarding atomic weapons.
In many ways, Strauss acted out of petty grievances rather than common sense. It is no coincidence that the director showed the hearings of the two characters running parallel to each other. Thus, Christopher Nolan was able to present the viewer with two radically opposite points of view.
The hero did not feel regret from the fact that he “had a hand” in the creation of nuclear weapons. Robert did what he was ordered to do. He perfectly understood that this was an evil deed, and more than once said that the atomic bomb should never be used.
The meaning of the hero’s last conversation with Einstein
Strauss managed to destroy Oppenheimer’s career path, but he himself did not achieve the success that he would like to achieve. He did not receive the coveted place due to the fact that he was actively opposed by other researchers. Among them was Kennedy, who later assisted in the rehabilitation of Oppenheimer.
The hearing also revealed that Oppenheimer had changed his mind about the use of nuclear weapons for military purposes. He protested against the development and practical use of the hydrogen bomb. Increasingly, the scientist said that the use of nuclear weapons is unacceptable.
During the conversation that took place between Oppenheimer and Einstein, there is a clear parallel between the lives of these great people. Speaking with a colleague, Robert acknowledges the fact that his developments were the impetus for the start of an arms race. And the invention of nuclear weapons greatly increased the danger looming over the world, and the scientist was no longer able to do something. Einstein says that he himself does not fully understand what he started. In his words, one can trace the idea that his theory of relativity became the ancestor of the scientific directions that led to the invention of atomic weapons.
Albert Einstein predicts that Robert will still receive his medals. However, this will not become a symbol of recognition of his genius: in this way, at least in part, they will make amends for those who were involved in Oppenheimer’s deception.
Einstein and Oppenheimer appear before the viewer as two people whose research led to devastating consequences. Both of them did not have the opportunity to somehow stop or control the monstrous processes that were not started of their own free will.
Explanation of the final frame
The last scenes of the film do not actually unfold, but only in Oppenheimer’s imagination. Horrifying scenes of the consequences of nuclear explosions unfold before him. The earth is destroyed, and the hero sees in front of him only a certain quantum world, reflected in the raindrops in front of him. He became the creator of what he feared most in his youth.
The creation of the atomic bomb was only the beginning of an imminent catastrophe. Due to the destructive power of nuclear weapons, the planet has turned into a complete chaos, and nothing can be returned.
What happened to Oppenheimer after the events described
Having lost access to classified materials, Robert Oppenheimer became very distant from public life. Together with his family, he moved to a quieter place. But, without speaking to the general public, he continued to give lectures, in which he spoke much more freely about the destructive power of certain scientific discoveries and inventions. He also, together with Albert Einstein and other influential researchers, became the founder of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Oppenheimer wrote a book that actively defends the position against the use of scientific inventions to achieve political goals. However, he never gave public speeches in which he expressed an open protest against the atomic bombs. The scientist continued to engage in scientific activities, although he avoided any collision with politics.
For his services, Oppenheimer received prestigious awards. But the scientist passed away quite early, at the age of 62. His life was taken by a severe oncological disease.
Is Oppenheimer worthy of forgiveness?
Robert Oppenheimer is a great scientist who honestly performed his civic duty. His life and reputation were forever broken because of the betrayal of people whom he considered his friends. Oppenheimer did not resist the hearings and later spoke openly about his opposition to the development of the hydrogen bomb. Despite all this, the scientist’s wife stated that the world community would never forgive what he invented.
Even decades later, the consequences of the tragedy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are making themselves felt. The question of whether the world will forgive the scientist remains open.
