Wood, Fire and Ashes

There are two ways people react under pressure. People that are paper burn quickly and become ashes at the first touch of the flames. People that are wood turn black and become harder. Both of the types come from a tree, but whether the person has dropped off of the tree or processed into the paper is determined both by the factors in their lives and their natural temperaments. But there is also a deviant to the wood type. Some of the wood types burn too. The fire would consume them and all they see would be the red of the flames. This could manifest in bitterness, depression or the desire for revenge. And after the wood has burned thoroughly, even the ashes would continue to glow, a remnant of the living thing it had been. Are you the wood or the paper? How would the fire change you?