Tradition is one of the dominant themes in the film and is represented by Biji, the mother of the family. This is a good symbolic figure for tradition because her old age represents the ageing of the ideals her generation strictly lives by. With her age she has lost her voice and must ring a small bell in order to display anger or discomfort. This represents the dieing off of old customs and the strength of tradition's voice fading out. This allows for a rise of new ideas because the old ways are losing their power and leavening room for a new voice. Sita, who becomes Radha's lover, represents this new voice through youth and resistance to oppression. She is symbolic of the fight again

st tradition because she openly opposes social issues which Radha has been taught to ignore. As Sita continues to question these traditions Radha finds herself questioning her lifestyle as well. Throughout the film, symbolism and foreshadowing play an important role in displaying the feelings of the characters and the overall message of the movie. Radha's inner struggle is revealed to the audience through clever flash backs and camera angles that imply hidden messages in the scenes.

In the end, the evolution of Radha's true self is complete and the social norms in India are put into a new perspective.

In the fields the mother tells the child that she is happy because she is proud of what the flowers have become. The little girl, or Radha's inner child, says she does not understand. Then the mother tells her to close her eyes, open them slowly and concentrate in order to see the development of the flowers. The child does this but is still unable to see what her mother sees. Here the flowers represent Radha as a beautiful grown woman with inner beauty that has not yet developed. The fact that Radha's inner child could not see what the flowers have become relates to the beginning of the movie. Here, Radha is a beautiful grown woman but has not realized she is being oppressed because customs and traditions have suppressed her desires. This scene takes place directly after Sita kisses Radha, and explains Radha's feelings of confusion and desire to understand herself.

For example, Fire opens with a flashback or dream of a little girl and her parents sitting in a large field of flowers. The child is Radha, one of the main characters, when she was a little

Some common words found in the essay are:
Sita Radha's, Radha Sita, Deepa Mehta's, Radha's Sita's, radha's inner, radha's inner child, little girl, inner child, ringing background, movie radha, true self, beautiful grown woman, sita wakes, social norms, evolution radha's, voice sita, radha beautiful grown,
Approximate Word count = 1131
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)