Only a few weeks have passed since the Italian release Oppenheimer Christopher Nolan’s latest film telling the story of the “father of the atomic bomb”. And for many viewers, the wait was worth it. However, as is often the case with Nolan’s work, there has been no shortage of criticism regarding his portrayal of female characters, often amounting to superficial characterization and even the American director’s latest film not giving them the prominence they deserve, despite the historical significance of the real-life characters .
Let’s start with Katherine “Kitty” Oppenheimer, a botanical biologist and wife of a physicist since 1940. In the film, played by Emily Blunt, Kitty’s character is primarily portrayed as a woman with strong alcoholic tendencies and violent tendencies. But even more striking is the case of Jean Tatlock, brought to the stage by Florence Pugh, a brilliant psychiatrist, journalist and activist, and the real great love of a scientist, whose character in the film is reduced to a simple sexualized lover, a victim of violence. the protagonist’s destructive desire. Her rare on-screen appearances show her virtually naked, and she has little opportunity to express the historical significance of her character. However, reality shows a completely different picture.
Jean Tatlock was born on February 21, 1914 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the daughter of John Strong Perry Tatlock, a well-known and respected professor of English literature, and his wife Marjorie. From a young age, Jean developed a deep interest in art, politics, literature and science. While attending Vassar College, she was described as the “most promising girl” in her class, destined for “something great.” His initial education focused on English literature, following in his father’s footsteps, but he also dabbled in journalism, contributing to the university literary magazine. He subsequently wrote a series of reports for the Western Worker, a newspaper associated with the Communist Party of the USA, which highlighted social injustice and inequality.
After completing his studies at Berkeley, where he took the courses required for admission to Stanford Medical School, he completed his residency in psychiatry in 1941. His interest in the subject began during a trip to Europe in the early 1930s, during which he spent an extended period of time in Switzerland with his mother’s friend, a devoted follower of the psychoanalyst Carl Jung.
Jean Tatlock met J. Robert Oppenheimer during his Berkeley tenure at a fundraiser for Spanish Republicans hosted by Mary Ellen Washburn. It was 1936. Oppenheimer, who taught physics at the university and was a friend of Jean’s father, who valued his literary knowledge, was fascinated by the young graduate student. She was 22 years old, he was ten years older, but from the first meeting a strong and deep connection was born.
“Jean was Robert’s truest love. He loved her more than anything in the world. He was devoted to her,” we read in the chapter of the Oppenheimer biography on which the film is based; describing in a few words the strong feeling that bound the two of them for about three years. She, “a free-spirited woman with a hungry and poetic mind” and “the only person who remained unforgettable in whatever room she was in, under any circumstances”, is remembered as his greatest love, as well as a decisive figure in history. implementation of the Manhattan Project.
However, their love was not without torment. Both suffered from unstable mental balance, which caused them to separate several times for short and long periods of time. She wanted independence, a career, recognition, and she twice rejected his marriage proposals. It is believed that Jean also struggled with her sexuality, which caused her to often suffer from depression. Moreover, Tatlock’s political passion and affiliation with the Communist Party led the FBI to keep her under close surveillance, fearing that she might radically influence Oppenheimer or even act as a Soviet spy. These events, depicted in the film, were used as evidence against Oppenheimer during the hearings in 1954. Thus, they officially separated in 1939, a year before Katherine came into Oppenheimer’s life. But they continued to have a series of casual love affairs until her tragic and untimely death due to an alleged suicide in 1944. Thus, the life of Jean Tatlock is a story of talent, passion and tragic fate. Although his contributions to the worlds of medicine, politics, and culture have been partially eclipsed by the fame of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the circumstances of his death, his legacy remains a fascinating and important part of 20th-century history.