J The main components of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer revolve around Robert Oppenheimer’s personal and professional lives. We learn more about his intricate relationships in the film, including his romance with Jean Tatlock, who is portrayed by Florence Pugh.
Who was Jean Tatlock?
Psychiatrist Jean Tatlock was well-known for her close friendship with eminent physicist Robert Oppenheimer. She was the offspring of UC Berkeley’s John S. P. Tatlock, an authority on Chaucer. Her father taught at Harvard, and she grew up in Cambridge before transferring to Berkeley.
The psychologist and Robert Oppenheimer met at UC Berkeley, where they eventually fell in love and dated for many years. When Robert wed Kitty, their relationship was considered to be over, but Tatlock’s influence on Robert’s life persisted even after they were no longer together. Later in his career, his issues with her specifically stemmed from her connections to the Communist Party.
A friend remarked, “Jean was Robert’s truest love in American Prometheus. She was his favorite person. He loved her so much. According to Biography, Robert twice asked her to marry him, but she turned him down each time.
Tatlock was reportedly a towering figure and a rising star in her industry. She was well known for both her attractive appearance and sharp intellect. However, she did go through some very bad depressive episodes, and her family members kept worrying about her mental state.
By 1943, Tatlock had gained a solid reputation and was working as a psychiatrist at San Francisco’s Mount Zion Hospital. Another thing that drew attention to Tatlock was her membership in the Communist Party. Particularly after Oppenheimer was given control of the top-secret Manhattan Project, she allegedly came under FBI surveillance.
Jean Tatlock committed suicide in her San Francisco home on January 4, 1944. She had just turned 29. Her father rang the doorbell and when she didn’t answer he came in the window and found her. She allegedly had her head in the bathtub when it was only partially full.
There was a suicide note on her dining room table. According to the coroner’s report, she consumed some barbiturates and had a full dinner the previous evening. There was some chloral hydrate in her blood. It’s thought that Tatlock’s remains are interred at a family plot in Albany County, New York.
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