The burning train is a crucial plot point because it propels three characters—Jivan, Lovely, and PT Sir—on the fringes of society into the limelight. It is because of the burning train that Jivan’s activities on Facebook are brought to the police’s suspicion, and as the ensuing trial turns Jivan into a national pariah, it provides Lovely and PT Sir with opportunities for success. The burning train also symbolizes several of Majumdar’s larger criticisms, such as government ineptitude, police corruption, an divided public, society’s reliance on scapegoats for institutional problems, and the reality of terrible violence. The burning train haunts every subplot in this novel, symbolizing opportunity for Lovely and PT Sir, but a slow and long imprisonment for Jivan.

In A Burning prison is both a physical location and a state of mind. Jivan spends all but the first chapter imprisoned with other women of various backgrounds, criminal records, and states of mental health. For most of her imprisonment, Jivan feels hope that she can convince the nation and the courts of her innocence. Thus, although Jivan is separated from her ailing parents, stripped of her freedom, and vilified by her country, she tries to focus on her future instead of the realities of prison.