Significance of J. Robert Oppenheimer

The eccentric physicist Oppenheimer embodies the effort to construct the first atomic weapon in time to end the war early: it required unusual thinking, extraordinary work habits, and a willingness to embrace death. Oppenheimer, with his odd habits and vices, willingness to sacrifice family and health, plus his skeletal appearance and penchant for quoting ominous religious texts about death and destruction, becomes a fitting representative of this effort both literally and symbolically.