Warning: This article contains mentions of suicide.
Summary
Jean Tatlock is one of the most mysterious characters inOppenheimer, and though her death seems straightforward, some have theories that violence may have come into play. Released in 2023,Oppenheimermade waves in Hollywood for its massive star-studded cast and scale. After sweeping at the 2023 Academy Awards, theChristopher Nolan moviewill likely go down in history as one of the best movies of the decade. However, due to its sheer size and story, there are still aspects ofOppenheimerthat need picking apart and analyzing for more meaning.
Jean Tatlock is onemember of theOppenheimercastwho could certainly use more investigation. Played by Florence Pugh,Tatlock was a real woman who lived from 1914 to 1944and was best known for her ties to the Communist Party USA and her relationship with J. Robert Oppenheimer. Though she doesn’t appear too often in the three-hour movie, her influence on Oppenheimer is important. Tatlock creates tension in Oppenheimer’s relationship with his wife, Kitty. Furthermore, her death sends the physicist into an emotional breakdown. Tatlock’s significance increases when discussing how exactly she died.
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Jean Tatlock Died By Suicide In 1944
Tatlock Took Her Own Life
The most common belief aboutwhat happened to Jean Tatlockis that she took her own life. In January 1944,Tatlock was being treated for clinical depression(viaBrotherhood of the Bomb). One day, Tatlock’s father came to her apartment, and when she wouldn’t answer the door, he climbed in through a window (viaAmerican Prometheus).He soon found Jean dead with her head submerged in the bathtub (viaJ. Oppenheimer: A Life). An unsigned suicide note sat beside her, detailing how she felt like a"paralyzed soul,"(viaThe Curious Death of Oppenheimer’s Mistress).
Streshinsky and Klaus’sAn Atomic Love Storydocumented that Jean Tatlock struggled with her sexuality, and at times, believed herself to be a lesbian.
According toAmerican Prometheus,an autopsy was completed following Tatlock’s death. The coroner concluded that Jean’s cause of death was suicide.Her stomach contained traces of chloral hydrate, a compound which causes sedation. Due to Tatlock’s job as a psychiatrist, it would have been easy for her to access this drug. Therefore, it was assumed that Tatlock consumed chloral hydrate before taking her own life via drowning. However, despite this open and closed case, several people questioned whether this explanation truly made sense. Some individuals theorized that something - or someone - else might have been at play.
Why There Was A Theory Jean Tatlock Was Killed
Tatlock Was Under FBI Surveillance
Although Jean Tatlock’s death was ruled a suicide, some believed she was a victim of murder. InAmerican Prometheus,it was revealed that Tatlock’s brother, Hugh, was a major proponent of this theory. Historians who came after also examined the validity of this idea. The main detail supporting the murder theory is that Jean Tatlock was under FBI surveillance (viaAn Atomic Love Story). Due to her role in the Communist Party USA,the U.S. government kept a close eye on Tatlock. They had her phone tapped, and she was often tracked by FBI agents.
If Jean Tatlock was murdered, the culprit certainly got away with it.
If Tatlock was murdered, the circumstances of her death still make sense. Although Tatlock could have taken the chloral hydrate herself,it is just as likely that someone else could have given Tatlock the drug. From there, her attacker could have staged her suicide in the bathtub. Her suicide note was unsigned, which could indicate that her attacker wrote it, but did not want to risk forging her signature. Ultimately, if Jean Tatlock was murdered, the culprit certainly got away with it. Despite this theory, most believed that Tatlock died by suicide in 1944, including Oppenheimer (viaAmerican Prometheus).
How Oppenheimer Leans Into The Conspiracy Surrounding Jean Tatlock’s Death
Christopher Nolan Offers Several Possibilities
As a historical epic,Oppenheimerattempts to showcase real events the way they happened, but when it comes to Jean Tatlock’s death, Christopher Nolan slyly shows both sides of her history. When Tatlock’s death is revealed in the movie, Oppenheimer is shown imagining her death. At first, he sees her suicide as it was described in history. However, he briefly sees her potential murder as well. For a flash,audiences see Tatlock’s head being pushed into the bathtubby a black-gloved hand.
By portraying this alternate death,Nolan is not confirming what he thinks happenedto Jean Tatlock. On the contrary, he is subtly nodding to those who believed Tatlock’s death to be a murder.Oppenheimer’sblack gloveis a very smart inclusion from Nolan, who succeeds at showing all the history he can in just a few small details. Although Tatlock’s death is mostly believed to be a suicide, the wayOppenheimerconsiders both sides proves how slippery the details of history can be.
Sources:Brotherhood of the Bomb,The Curious Death of Oppenheimer’s Mistress,An Atomic Love Story,American Prometheus
Oppenheimer
Cast
Oppenheimer is a film by Christopher Nolan, which follows the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy will play the titular role, with the story based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.
