But in embracing the enigma, the song points to the larger problem of women’s history: the public records are thinner, the milieu is mostly domestic, and there’s more need for speculation. Surely Miranda is poking fun at his own lack of primary sources when it came to dramatizing this moment in the Hamiltons’ marriage. Meanwhile, “Burn” also serves as a commentary on the lack of historical material available from Eliza Hamilton and other female historical figures. She destroys what Hamilton values most-his words and legacy. As noted by The New Yorker, “Eliza revenge on Hamilton by destroying their correspondence-which Miranda cleverly casts as a self-aware historical act.” In burning their letters, Eliza undermines the very cause that motivated Hamilton to publish the Pamphlet in the first place. No longer the young girl “helpless” to Hamilton’s charms, Eliza now finds a way to reassert her agency. Over the course of the song, we witness the composed and elegant Eliza transition through stages of anguish and fury at her husband’s betrayal. Eliza takes center stage with no ensemble backing and only minimal instrumental accompaniment, highlighting her sense of detachment from the once-comforting union of marriage. In “Burn,” Eliza delivers her heartbroken response to the “Reynolds Pamphlet,” Hamilton’s public account of his affair.

And your world will burn