for nearly a mile around, was instantly and seriously burned.Oppenheimer · 2023 — Chapter 22 of 28 · 1'58" · C1
Oppenheimer Refuses the Super Bomb, Explained: curse the name of
The war is over, and the film turns to the aftermath: burns, radiation, and the line that the bombings were "the first act of this cold war." Teller asks Oppenheimer to back the Super; he answers, "I neither can nor will." His farewell speech warns that pride must be tempered with concern.
What happens
After the bombings, the film describes the human cost in burns and radiation, and notes that a physicist called the attacks the first act of the Cold War. Teller asks Oppenheimer to push for the Super, and Oppenheimer refuses, saying it is not the right use of their resources. At the Los Alamos farewell, he warns that pride must be tempered with concern.
Listen for
neither can nor willguru of the atomtempered withcurse the name of
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Phrase of the scene
curse the name of
咒骂……的名字；对……恨之入骨
奥本海默在演讲里预警：若把核武器继续塞进各国军火库，将来人们一定会咒骂洛斯阿拉莫斯。
Years later, residents would curse the name of the factory that poisoned the river.
Also in this scene
- neither can nor will
既没有能力、也没有意愿（做某事）
- guru of the atom
原子领域的宗师、（被神化的）权威
- tempered with
被……调和、冲淡
Everything marked in this scene
29 notes across 33 lines
passive
for nearly a mile around, was instantly and seriously burned.There were many who thought themselves lucky, who climbed out of the ruins of their homesonly slightly injured.from the radium-like rays emitted in great numbersflap
from the radium-like rays emitted in great numbersat the moment of the explosion.liaison
at the moment of the explosion.Did you read this crap in the papers?Did you read this crap in the papers?A British physicist is saying the atomic bombings were not the last act of World War IIbut the first act of this cold war with Russia.He may not be wrong.Stimson is now telling me we bombed an enemy that was essentially defeated.Robert, you've all the influence now.Urge them to continue my research on the Super.I neither can nor will, Edward.It's not the right use of our resources.Is that what you really believe?Sphinx-like guru of the atom.I hope that in years to come you will look back on your work here with pride.I hope that in years to come you will look back on your work here with pride.But today, that pride must be tempered with a profound concern.But today, that pride must be tempered with a profound concern.stress
But today, that pride must be tempered with a profound concern.be-to
If atomic weapons are to be added to the arsenals of a warring world,then the day will come when people will curse the name of Los Alamos.then the day will come when people will curse the name of Los Alamos.relative clause
then the day will come when people will curse the name of Los Alamos.Oppenheimer Refuses the Super Bomb, explained
What's really going on
The scene is where the film's argument becomes explicit. The war ends, and Oppenheimer's triumph is immediately reframed as danger: a physicist reads the bombings as the opening move of a cold war, and the men around him want the next weapon. His refusal—"I neither can nor will"—is the hinge of his later downfall, because it puts him against the program he built. The farewell speech states the film's view of him in one line, "that pride must be tempered with a profound concern." Even his own warning—that people may one day "curse the name of Los Alamos"—reads as prophecy, since his name will be the one dragged through hearings. He ends the war as a hero and starts his afterlife as a suspect.
Theme
GuiltThe aftermath and the farewell speech turn Oppenheimer's achievement into a source of dread.
PowerHe refuses to keep chasing weapons, and the refusal sets him against the state that made him famous.
Listen for
- emitted in great numbers — flap
- at the moment of — liaison
- a profound concern — stress
But today, that pride must be tempered with a profound concern.His farewell line: the achievement should not be celebrated without deep worry about what it means.
I neither can nor will, Edward.A flat, formal refusal: he is unable and unwilling to support the next weapon.
Stimson is now telling me we bombed an enemy that was essentially defeated.A report that questions the justification, suggesting the enemy was already beaten when the bombs fell.
I hope that in years to come you will look back on your work here with pride.He asks the team to remember the work with pride, before immediately qualifying it.
Questions about this scene
What happened in the bombings, as described here?
People within nearly a mile were instantly and seriously burned, and many who thought themselves lucky because they were only slightly injured died days or weeks later from radiation.
Why does Oppenheimer refuse to support the Super?
He tells Teller he neither can nor will help, adding that continuing the research is not the right use of their resources.
What does Teller call Oppenheimer?
He calls him a Sphinx-like guru of the atom and says nobody knows what he really believes, pressing him to reveal his true position.
What is the warning in Oppenheimer's farewell speech?
He says pride in the work must be tempered with profound concern, and that people may one day curse the name of Los Alamos.
What does "neither can nor will" mean here?
It means he is both unable and unwilling to do something; used here, it is a firm, formal refusal to support the Super.
Oppenheimer · 28 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 23how the game is playedPlanning Oppenheimer's Downfall
Chapter 1leaves a little to be desiredBohr Sends Oppenheimer to Göttingen
Chapter 2the man for the jobStrauss Offers Oppenheimer a Job
Chapter 3seek outRabi Meets Oppenheimer on a Train
Chapter 4a vicious cycleOppenheimer Starts His Quantum Seminar
Chapter 5wiggle roomPolitical Debate at a Party
Chapter 6wring your neckOppenheimer Names Los Alamos
Chapter 7from moneyOppenheimer Explains Empty Space
Chapter 8herd intoLawrence Shuts Down the Union
Chapter 9point takenGroves Offers Oppenheimer the Job
Chapter 10a point of no returnOppenheimer Asks Einstein About Doomsday
Chapter 11pass onChevalier Suggests Passing Secrets
Chapter 12the business at handTeller Pitches the H-Bomb
Chapter 13Thanks for nothingCondon Quits Los Alamos
Chapter 14drop in and outOppenheimer's Last Night With Jean
Chapter 15a cock-and-bull storyOppenheimer's Cock-and-Bull Story
Chapter 16took a wrong turnBohr Warns of the Aftermath
Chapter 17go down this roadThe GAC Debates the H-Bomb
Chapter 18a lot of latitudeThe Target Committee Debates the Bomb
Chapter 19gallows humorWaiting Out the Storm at Trinity
Chapter 20blood on my handsOppenheimer Meets President Truman
Chapter 21A man of convictionThe Fuchs Spy Case Comes Up
Watching · Chapter 22curse the name ofOppenheimer Refuses the Super Bomb
Chapter 23how the game is playedPlanning Oppenheimer's Downfall
Chapter 24MermaidsRabi Defends Oppenheimer
Chapter 25cuts both waysBorden Reads the Accusation Letter
Chapter 26made mincemeat out ofHill Blames Strauss at the Hearing
Chapter 27Haven't the slightest ideaKitty Testifies Before the Board
Chapter 28moral scruplesOppenheimer Is Cross-ExaminedChapter 22 of 28 · about 16 min to go