History Main / BurnBabyBurn

* In the film ''Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou'', Everett casually tosses a newspaper on the nightly campfire, and as the front page burns away, it momentarily reveals [[ChekhovsGun an article he would have been ''very'' interested in reading]].

* ''Literature/FindersKeepers'' : [[spoiler:Pete's solution to his problem]].

* ''{{Series/MASH}}'' had an episode where the gang threw Col. Potter a surprise mortgage burning party at the request of Mrs. Potter, after she successfully paid off their mortgage six months early.

* Mamimi in ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'', watching the elementary school she was bullied in burn. Though she isn't seen setting the fire, she's the only character shown carrying a lighter.

-> '''Michelangelo''': By the way, Mom, [y]ou're looking good tonight.\\
'''Tang Shen''': Thank you, sweetie, but I'd rather not keep something Shredder offered. You can help me burn it later.\\
'''Michelangelo''': Sweet!

* In the opening episode of ''Series/{{UFO}}'', the main character Straker is introduced as a US Army colonel with a briefcase chained to his wrist, containing unseen evidence that he shows to a British government minister en route to a conference. Their vehicle and escort are then attacked by a FlyingSaucer. When the vehicle goes off the road Straker is thrown clear and wakes up to see the evidence (a photograph of the same kind of flying saucer) burning up in front of him.

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'', the titular character burns the doll of her parents that the Other Mother made.

* ''WesternAnimation/Injustice2021''. Black ops soldiers working with Mirror Master kidnap Jonathan Kent as a hostage, then torch the house, with a shot of a family photo of the Kents being consumed by the flames.

* ''Manga/ShonanJunaiGumi'': Ryuji decides he needs to let go of the past, and burns [[spoiler:the pictures of him and Ayumi that she gave him]].

[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Disco}} FIIIIIIRE!]]]]

* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'': [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]] and [[PlayedForLaughs played for laughs]] in Chapter 28, original version. '''Stacks''' of letters from angry noblemen are being used as kindling for the fire thanks to [[spoiler:Evetta taking a page from [[VideoGame/DarkSoulsIII Firekeeper's]] book]], much to Grace's consternation. Eventually the flames are tended to so thoroughly that Kyril's office starts to swelter.

* In 2002, a Colorado forest ranger allegedly chose to burn some letters from an estranged husband despite a fire ban. The fire escaped the pit and resulted in the Hayman Fire, the largest forest fire in Colorado history.

* ''Manga/OnePiece''
** [[spoiler: The crew burns the broken Going-Merry in a Viking funeral fashion.]]

* Mamimi in ''Anime/{{FLCL}}'', watching the elementary school she was bullied in burn. Though she isn't seen setting the fire, she's the only character shown carrying a lighter.

* In the Manga/LoveHina cross-over fanfic Fanfic/ContractLabor just before Keitaro leaves for [[Manga/BlackLagoon Roanapur]] he burns his pictures of his girlfriends [[Manga/YoureUnderArrest Miyuki and Natsumi]]. Gaz (his partner) tells Seta (his mentor/friend) ''"Where he (Keitaro) is going, he does not want them to follow."''
* In the ''{{Series/Emergency}}'' fic [[http://audreys-efanfic.freeservers.com/lostandfound.html "Lost and Found"]], John Gage is abducted and held captive by a deranged serial killer for 18 months. Tortured and mentally manipulated, John eventually feels he has no choice but to willingly play his captor's "game" to avoid being killed by the torture and dumped like the other victims. After his escape, he is depressed and humiliated by the fact that, among other things, he let himself be a subject in the guy's pornographic photos. He becomes desperate to destroy the photos, and despite not wanting Roy to know, Roy coaxes John into allowing him to come with. After John's injured leg stops him getting into the house, Roy goes in and gathers the photos, along with the photos of the other victims, and after helping John inside, the two burn them in the fireplace. It brings peace to John, and both men know it will prevent the other victims' memories from being ruined should anyone else get the images.

* In ''Fanfic/RobbReturns'', [[spoiler:Upon acceding to the Seastone Chair, Asha burns her father's plans for revenge on the North.]]

* In ''Film/TheBourneSupremacy'', [[spoiler: Marie has just been shot dead by a sniper. Bourne proceeds to burn her false passports in a fire. We get a lingering shot of her passport slowly burning up.]]
* ''Film/{{Memento}}'' had a scene like this, in which Lenny burned some things that had belonged to his late wife, including her favorite book.
* In ''Film/TheTerminator'', Sarah Connor's picture burns in a symbolic manner in one of Kyle's dreams.

* In the movie of ''Film/TheHuntForRedOctober'' Ramius burns the submarine's ''real'' orders.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Coraline}}'', the titular character burns the doll of her parents that the Other Mother made.
* In ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', Alfred burns Rachel's letter to Bruce (saying she was going to marry Harvey Dent, and that they can only be friends due to him never giving up on being Batman) after the police declare a manhunt on Batman.
* In ''Film/PumpUpTheVolume'', when Mark decides to stop broadcasting as Hard Harry, he has a symbolic burning of his notes and letters that he was keeping as a pirate DJ. This is interrupted by his romantic interest, Nora, who is upset because many of the things he was burning had been written by her as "the Eat Me, Beat Me Lady."
* In the movie ''Film/HardBoiled'', the police do this with the ID papers of cops who die in the line of duty (such as Tequila's partner from the opening shootout and [[spoiler:Alan at the end of the movie]]).
* ''Film/{{Highlander}}'': Conner [=MacLeod=] burns the home he shared with his mortal wife after burying her, leaving his clan sword beside the grave.
* In ''Film/CitizenKane'', the last shot is of Kane's childhood sled burning. Ultra close up on the sled's name, which is Rosebud but come on, [[ItWasHisSled you should know this already.]]
* At the end of ''Film/TheBigRedOne'' the squad burns a propaganda pamphlet to provide light so they can give first aid to a German sergeant Creator/LeeMarvin's character stabbed. The flame is shown consuming the words saying that Germany has just surrendered and the war is over.
* Jean Leloup, a popular Québecois rock musician, made a documentary called ''Exit'' in which he chronicled his last tour under his stage name and cool-but-fake stage persona. At the end of the film, we see him put a guitar on a little raft, which he sets on fire and casts adrift in a mock VikingFuneral. (He went on to release one album under his birth name, Jean Leclerc, before reverting to the Jean Leloup act. So much for the symbolism.)
* Used as {{Bookends}} in ''Film/{{Malone}}'' (1987). The protagonist, a former CIA hitman, burns his driver's license before taking on a new identity at the start and end of the movie.
* ''Film/TheMonumentsMen''. When the Nazis destroy an art depository with flamethrowers, ''Portrait of a young man'' by Raphael is prominently displayed as it burns.
* In ''Film/TheRocketeer'', [[TechnologicalPacifist when Howard Hughes refuses to rebuild his (presumed-)destroyed jetpack for the US Army]], he throws the blueprints into his office fireplace.
* At the end of ''Film/TheButterflyEffect'' we see Evan burn the time-travel journals that caused him and the people around him so much pain.
* In ''Film/BlackPanther2018'', [[spoiler: Killmonger orders the burning of the garden of heart-shaped herbs that grant Wakandan kings the powers of the Black Panther, as he [[ItsAllAboutMe sees no reign]] [[TheSociopath beyond his own]]]].
* In ''Film/TheKingOfMarvinGardens'', Jason and Sally gleefully throw their winter wear into a bonfire as they plan to move to Hawaii.

* In ''Literature/TheScarletPimpernel'', one of the Pimpernel's partners tries to burn a piece of paper with his instructions by holding it to the flame of a candle. Unfortunately for him, a sneaky woman that wants to discover the identity of the Pimpernel (and who just happens to unknowingly be the Pimpernel's ''wife'') snatches the paper out of his hands, pretending to believe he was trying to use the smoke of the burning paper to revive her from a dizzy spell.

* ''Literature/{{Misery}}'' has Paul setting the finished manuscript of the novel Annie forced him to write on fire... and then takes it one step further by having Paul [[spoiler: [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome SHOVE THE BURNING MANUSCRIPT DOWN HER THROAT.]]]] Subverted when he gets home, [[spoiler: since he saved the real manuscript so that he can publish it.]]
* ''Literature/TheCatWhoSeries'': In book 22 (''The Cat Who Robbed a Bank''), Qwilleran discovers a series of letters from his mother to his "Aunt" Fanny, and reads them. At the end, he discovers the truth about what happened to his DisappearedDad. [[spoiler: In a desperate act to get money for his family, the elder Qwilleran was shot while trying to rob a bank.]] Qwill angrily throws the letters into the fireplace, declaring that "The past is dead!"
* ''Literature/FindersKeepers'' : [[spoiler: Pete's solution to his problem]].
* In ''Literature/TheBridgeOfClay'' the Dunbar boys take their parents' bed out to an abandoned field behind their house (their mother is dead, their father has left them and they finally get to clearing their bedroom). Their first attempt is thwarted by strong westerly wind and risk of setting the whole field on fire and they finally do it a few years later, when it becomes even more symbolic.

* In one Valentine's Day episode of ''{{Series/Friends}}'', the girls ritualistically burn some items from their various ex-boyfriends in a "cleansing ceremony." The fire gets a little out of hand and the fire department is called in. The firemen even comment that due to all the "Boyfriend Bonfires", Valentine's Day is their third busiest time of the year, only surpassed by the 4th of July and Halloween. The girls then dated the firemen.

* In ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003''

** Around the same time, [[spoiler: Starbuck]] burns [[spoiler: her own corpse]] on a pyre.

* ''{{Series/Cracker}}''. Jane Penhaligon burns her clothes after she's been raped, causing Fitz (who's unaware of the reason) to quip that burning a bra is "a bit too [[TheSixties Sixties]]."

* Annie burned all her memorabilia of Owen after [[spoiler:learning that he was her killer]] in ''Series/BeingHumanUK''. Unfortunately, due to her housemates being subject to a mistaken PaedoHunt at the same time, she caused a little panic that the house might be on fire...
* Averted in ''Series/{{Misfits}}'', when the long-suffering [[TheWoobie Woobie]] Simon had a major FreakOut and tried to burn down the (currently empty) house of the guy who bullied him through school. He started the fire but realized there was a cat inside the house. Not wishing to kill an innocent creature, he put the flames out by urinating through the letterbox. Um...aww?
* In the two-part season 5 opener of ''Series/TheXFiles'', a man surveilling Agent Mulder's apartment from the next floor up realizes he has been found and tries to burn incriminating evidence, which doesn't work quite as planned.

* ''{{Series/MASH}}'' had an episode where the gang threw Col. Potter a surprise mortgage burning party at the request of Mrs. Potter, after she successfully paid off their mortgage six months early.

-->"As far as I'm concerned
-->You're just another picture to burn!"
* A brief scene in Music/VanHalen's "Right Now" has
* In the video for Music/GeorgeMichael's "Freedom '90", one of the models sets fire to his iconic leather jacket from the "Faith" video, to symbolize that he is moving on from the image he had made for himself around the time of his first solo album. Two other items from the same video -- a jukebox and his acoustic guitar -- are set to explode during the chorus.
* Two songs, both titled "Smoke On the Water," are true stories about fires but their specific purposes are as different as their respective genres:
** The earlier of the two was a World War II-era country hit for Red Foley, and forecast fire as a means to the destruction of the Axis Powers, including Japan, Germany and Italy, and calling out their respective dictators as mercenaries of terror who would eventually be brought to their knees. In addition to Foley's multi-week No. 1 song from 1944, there was a cover version by Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys that also topped the country chart, this time in 1945, just weeks before victory came to Europe.
** The Deep Purple song from 1973 is a staple of classic rock and classic hits radio. That song describes the true story of a fire in 1971 at the Montreux Casino, where "some stupid with a flare gun" fired at the ceiling, igniting a fire that destroyed the casino and the equipment of the rock band Mothers Of Invention.

* In the original play as well the off-Broadway incarnation of the musical ''Theatre/SpringAwakening'', Moritz dramatically burns Frau Gabor's letter [[spoiler: right before he kills himself]].
* In ''Theatre/LaBoheme'', Rodolfo, desperate to get a fire going in his frigid flat, decides to burn one of his plays. He and his friends reflect on the drama going up in flames, act by act.
* In ''Theatre/HeddaGabler'', Hedda burns Lovborg's "lost" manuscript after sending him off with one of her guns to [[DrivenToSuicide commit suicide]].
* In ''Theatre/{{Hamilton}}'', Eliza burns the letters she wrote to her husband Alexander during their courtship - letters that might have redeemed him following her husband's publishing of the Reynolds Pamphlet where he admits to cheating on her - in the aptly-titled song, "Burn". We don't know for certain whether the real Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton also burned those letters, but it is true that nearly all her personal letters to Alexander are lost to history.

* At the end of Episode 1 of ''VideoGame/LifeIsStrangeBeforeTheStorm'', Rachel burns the photo of [[spoiler:her father because she thinks that he is cheating on her mother]], throws it in a waste bin, then angrily shoves it over, starting the forest fire that is prevelant in the following episodes.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Homer torches his high school diploma after he gets accepted into college.

* ''[[Literature/TheCatWhoSeries The Cat Who Robbed a Bank]]'' ends with a furious Qwilleran throwing the journal he's been reading throughout the book into a fire, saying "Let the past stay dead!" [[spoiler:One can hardly blame him, given he'd just learned from it that his father had tried to rob a bank and been shot by the police for it.]]

[[folder:Anime]]