"American Prometheus"
Bound, unbound... (eventual titan god of Forethought?)
Greetings, with newShrink lenses on Oppenheimer, the man in the movie.
Today closes the week’s two somber nuclear-era anniversaries also recalled by their one-word names: Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The movie’s J. Robert Oppenheimer (illustrated in center column above) was of course the accomplished theoretical physicist in charge of the World War II Manhattan Project lab where his wartime team developed and tested the first-ever atomic bomb.
President Harry Truman’s American military dropped the weapons of mass destruction on the two Japanese sites 78 years ago.
From the 1945 bombing until his 1967 death Oppenheimer was a vocal and committed opponent of hydrogen-bomb development and the nuclear arms race, working toward nuclear disarmament while remaining a supporter of robust American military strength.
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I have come to view the compelling, controversial and deeply multi-faceted Oppenheimer as perhaps more aptly lightning-rod and shooting-star than bearer of stolen promethean fire in the title.
Indisputably and consistent on film and in life, his was a brilliant intellect. And then, the rare ineffable spark of… spirit, heart, some something-else of the psyche?
At luncthime last Tuesday, I did get in that rare (almost never?) quiet, near-solitary first experience of the movie, with predictable ensuing Oppenheimer-immersions ever since. Coming out of the stunning movie is a bit like emerging wide-eyed from a powerful therapy session. And then meeting the film-subject has the psychologist in me in mode of initial therapy-session, with all-things-Oppenheimer on the couch! Having an off-switch for this auto-response would at times be welcome.
But now I am riveted, still processing profound psychological dimensions — a more fleshed-out view of Robert Oppenheimer’s whole-life story and picture, his “capital S-self” in Jung’s terms. Patterns, jolts and repeat-themes surface when considering his own life-milestone-timelines and who-is-who-to-whom alongside those of his important others’. Everybody’s relative ages, a few common dates, events, shared relevant figures and pictures are also helpful reference points.
Along with many ahhhs of new understanding, there are heartbreaking patterns of ungrieved loss, addiction, maddening suffering possibly avoided or prevented even at the time, and through-lines of repeated tragedy. For these latter — among them a pattern of more than just the one suicide sensitively depicted in the movie — discussion in this or future editions will be very carefully considered and will have trigger-alerts and resource information.
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This post and above illustration introduce a deeper-dive Oppenheimer biography shrinkwrap underway, a three-part process from psychological perspectives. It puts focus on the whole individual(s) behind and in midst of news, history and film — and not so much or solely the events and actions themselves.
Most comprehensive in scope and time-consuming in process is the current part 1, depicted at center column above, examining both conscious and unconscious material and patterns in Deep Biography.
Second, Dance of the Archetypes, is considering the ways that relevant unconscious archetypes may surface and help to inform us about the characters, story (or our own.) Here, for a most obvious example, is the Prometheus myth so widely applied in title and public references to Oppenheimer. The myth does have several long, complicated twists, turns and shifts of character fortunes — eerily still managing to suggest Oppenheimer! Also to share soon is the story told through visually compelling images from noted art sources.
And the final section is Toward a New Myth, future-focused after returning to my environmental concerns expressed in closing last week’s comments on “Barbieheimer.” In a compelling Washington Post piece, illustrated above in top right column, an environmental science professor who’s also an engaging writer captures many of my issues about the topic far better than I can, plus some that had not occurred to me.
I’d love your comments on any aspect of Oppenheimer if you’ve seen it. Given so much of the known history and public media chat about the movie, I don’t think spoilers are much of a concern for anyone who hasn’t seen it and plans to. But in future editions the topic should be clear up high or in titles.
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When fresher I will be commenting on the many ways I deeply love, and am paradoxically demolished by, what I strongly agree is a masterpiece film from Christopher Nolan. It’s notable in its astonishing capture of profound interiority within and among these characters. Just one example is the spark of intensely intimate connection between Jean and “Oppie” — conveyed through intellect, ideas and… talking.
Meanwhile, for now I am Oppenheimered, and newShrinked, out.
So, that is all I have! Talk to you next week.
🦋💙 tish
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… it is important that awake people be awake,
or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep;
the signals we give — yes or no, or maybe —
should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.
— William Stafford, “A Ritual to Read to Each Other”