Fire by Deepa Mehta essays

Fire by Deepa Mehta essays In Deepa Mehtas film, Fire, symbolism is used to show the struggle between tradition and new ideas. This struggle, which Radha defeats with her choice for lesbianism, is symbolical paralleled by the reoccurring scenes of her as a child. The film is a tale of two vital, beautiful women breaking their cultural obstacles and being reborn through the passion they express for each other. Their relationship is forbidden, but it is by giving into their feelings that they find the strength to defy their husbands and turn their backs on tradition. 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 traditions 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 Radhas lover, represents this new voice through youth and resistance to oppression. She is symbolic of the fight against 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. Radhas inner struggle is revealed to the audience through clever flash backs and camera angles that imply hidden messages in the scenes. 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 girl. This sc...