Oppenheimer’s Dilemma: A Marxian Examination of Power Dynamics and Ethical Justifications in Nolan’s Oppenheimer

Abstract

This paper scrutinizes Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer through the lens of Marxian literary theory, revealing a rich tapestry of power dynamics, class conflicts, and the moral quandaries that arise from the pursuit of destructive technological progress. While Oppenheimer is lionized as an emblematic figure of the atomic age, the narrative concurrently casts him as a tragic figure ensnared in a web of political, economic, and military machinery. The film unravels the inherent contradictions of capitalism and its commodification of scientific prowess for warfare. Ultimately, the Marxian reading of Oppenheimer sheds light on the commodification of knowledge and the ethical grey zones of war, illuminating the human propensity to humanize and justify the architects of devastation. The paper also argues the control of the resources of entertainment by the capitalist forces making art and cinema a medium of propaganda to further the elitist agenda of the exploitation of the masses.