History Main / BreakupBonfire

The break up bonfire is usually ceremonial and perhaps even a little spiritual. As fire is a symbol of rebirth, a break up bonfire typically represents starting anew for the character. Note the [[TheUnfairSex Unfair Sex]] nature of this trope. A woman doing this is celebrating her freedom from an oppressive male. A ''man'' doing this is...an oppressive male, and a spiteful destructive bastard at that. As such, most examples below are from female characters burning her ex's things.

The break up bonfire is usually ceremonial and perhaps even a little spiritual. As fire is a symbol of rebirth, a break up bonfire typically represents starting anew for the character. Note the UnfairSex nature of this trope. A woman doing this is celebrating her freedom from an oppressive male. A ''man'' doing this is...an oppressive male, and a spiteful destructive bastard at that. As such, most examples below are from female characters burning her ex's things.

The break up bonfire is usually ceremonial and perhaps even a little spiritual. As fire is a symbol of rebirth, a break up bonfire typically represents starting anew for the character.

* In ''Literature/TheAeneid'', Dido and her sister set fire to Aeneas's things after he abandons Dido.

* In ''Film/{Clueless}}'', Tai and Cher burn mementos from Tai's relationship with Elton.

* In ''{{Clueless}}'', Tai and Cher burn mementos from Tai's relationship with Elton.

* The TaylorSwift song "Picture to Burn" is about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin burning up pictures of her ex.]]

* ''Literature/{{Emma}}'' by ''Creator/JaneAusten'': Harriet Smith throws her rather pathetic mementos of Mr Elton into a fire after having shown them to Emma, her friend she looks up to. They were not exactly a couple, but Harriet was in love with him.

* ''Literature/Emma'' by ''Creator/JaneAusten'': Harriet Smith throws her rather pathetic mementos of Mr Elton into a fire after having them shown to Emma, her friend she looks up to. They were not exactly a couple, but Harriet was in love with him.

* After Lebron James left Cleveland for Miami, Cavaliers fans became disillusioned, and began to [[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWsjD-VSrmM burn his merchandise in public]].

* After Lebron James left Cleveland for Miami, Cavaliers fans became disillusioned, and began to burn his merchandise in public.

* In an episode of ''{{Friends}}'', Monica, Phoebe, and Rachel burn mementos of their exes when they find themselves all single on Valentine's Day and decide to do something to "cleanse" their bad luck. The firemen who attend when it inevitably gets out of control tell them that Valentine's Day is one of their busiest nights of the year, for exactly that reason.
* In ''{{NCIS}}'' Season 5, Tony throws the letter of his LoveInterest into a bonfire after the relationship went way, way, way south due to him BecomingTheMask.

-->'''Jellyfish''', "The Glutton of Sympathy"

* The GreenDay song "Whatshername" is about the singer reminiscing about an old girlfriend who's name he can't remember. In one line, he mentions that he "made a point to burn all of the photographs."

* In ''TheAeneid'', Dido and her sister set fire to Aeneas's things after he abandons Dido.

* In ''{{Jimmy Two-Shoes}}'', after Jimmy's ObliviousToLove nature leads him to dating a Heloise look-alike, Heloise angrily rips up her StalkerShrine of him and tosses the remains in a furnace.

* In ''{{Jimmy Two-Shoes}}'', after Jimmy's ObliviousToLove nature leads him to dating a Heloise look-alike, Heloise angrily rips up her StalkerShrine of him.

The break up bonfire is usually ceremonially and perhaps even a little spiritual. As fire is a symbol of rebirth, a break up bonfire typically represents starting anew for the character.

A variation of the DefenestrateAndBerate trope.

* In {{Clueless}}, Tai and Cher burn mementos from Tai's relationship with Elton.
* In WaitingToExhale, the woman dumps all her man's belongings in ThePreciousPreciousCar and sets it all on fire.

* In TheAeneid, Dido and her sister set fire to Aeneas's things after he abandons Dido.

* In an episode of {{Friends}}, Monica, Phoebe, and Rachel burn mementos of their exes when they find themselves all single on Valentine's Day and decide to do something to "cleanse" their bad luck. The firemen who attend when it inevitably gets out of control tell them that Valentine's Day is one of their busiest nights of the year, for exactly that reason.
* In {{NCIS}} Season 5, Tony throws the letter of his LoveInterest into a bonfire after the relationship went way, way, way south due to him BecomingTheMask.
* In TheSimpsons episode where Milhouse's parents get divorced, Luann carefully boxes up all of Kurt's possessions and then sets fire to the box.

* The TaylorSwift song Picture to Burn is about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin burning up pictures of her ex.]]