“Button, Button” by Richard Matheson, Book Review Example

From the first lines of the story, the reader’s attention and interest is drawn by some strange package lying at the front door of the apartment Mr. and Mrs. Lewis. The note informing that Mr. Steward will contact them accompanies this push-button object inside the package. Obviously, the author deliberately applies the depiction of some mysterious thing to create the sense of intrigue and interest. The short story “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson authentically reveals the mastery of the author in creating the credible image of suspense inflated with deep ethical issues and disclosed on real and unreal levels.

To generate the effect of suddenness Matheson uses different literary devices. The elements of plot surely carry an important message; each of them fulfils a specific function. They add to the construction of atmosphere of reality or surreality and singularity of happening. In the exposition, the necessary background of prosiness of life is created. The story begins with vivid representation of a usual flow of trivial domestic events of a family of two, Norma and Arthur Lewis. Readers learn that Norma puts the meal in the broiler, prepares herself a drink, and settles on the couch. Nothing seems to predict anything unusual. The symbolical detail “it was just getting dark” slightly alludes at something mysterious and sudden that is going to happen. What turns the tide is the arrival of Mr. Steward. However, both spouses take this proposal for an odd joke or psychological test. In the complication, the events do not develop dramatically; Norma and Arthur express their attitude to the proposal in conversations. Such portrayal of usual events, usual speed of action development provides perfect basis of comparison with totally unexpected blow at the end of the story when it turns out that Norma killed her own husband by pushing that button.

The story “Button, Button” grounds on the striking correlation of real and unreal (better to say surreal) aspects. The plain, preferably conversational language emphasizes the realistic character of the events described. From the first sight, the story reads about an ordinary family, living an ordinary life which is underlined by multiple details concerning household (broiler, couch, kitchen, slippers, hall, slippers, dishes and many others). The unreal phenomena bursts into the life of Norma and Arthur with a frightening proposal of a stranger, which he explicates simply: “The bell is connected to our office…If you push the button…somewhere in the world, someone you don’t know will die. In return for which you will receive a payment of fifty thousand dollars” (Matheson 5). If it were not for striking meaning of these words, they could sound like a trivial business proposition. One more reference to triteness is the title “Button, Button” refers to children game “who’s got the button”.

Richard Matheson manages to consider a significant ethic problem within the short story “Button, Button”. The plot filled with suspense and intrigue investigates possible reactions of people to temptation and how much is that temptation. The problem provokes a series of questions every reader may ask himself: Would I push the button? What price is sufficient to yield to such proposal? Is the man authorized morally to realize such deeds? The problem realizes in different attitudes of spouses to the possibility of pressing the button and, hence, causing someone’s death. The husband regards this idea offending and rejects it from the very beginning. He “picked up the button unit and the envelope and thrust them into Mr. Steward’s hands” (Matheson 6). Arthur’s opinion of the proposal is definite. He identifies it a murder: “The point is… that who you kill makes n difference. It’s still a murder” (Matheson 10). Arthur holds his ground and states that amount of money does not matter. When Mr. Steward leaves, Arthur tears his card in halves.  As big is Arthur’s unwillingness to talk about it, as big is Norma’s curiosity about the proposal of Mr. Steward. This curiosity and compensation of fifty thousand dollars make Norma save the card and phone him the next day. After their conversation, the package with button device appears at the apartment door again. It leads to Norma’s recurrent thinking over. She seeks Arthur’s support and tries to convince him that it could be beneficial for them. She also attempts to justify her decision: “If it’s some old Chinese peasant ten thousand miles away? Some diseased native in the Congo?” (Matheson 10). Though Arthur throws out the idea to kill someone for money, Norma supposes it a possibility to make a voyage to Europe or purchase a cottage. From this standpoint, her words about selfishness are ironical. She convinces Arthur that wants to do it for two of them: “Like for us to have a nicer apartment, nicer furniture, nicer clothes. Like for us to finally have a baby, for that matter” (Matheson 12). The purposes she points out stagger the reader. Norma wants to give birth to a child. However, she does not think about a person she is going to kill. She still tries to find an excuse of her decision. She persuades Arthur that they will not kill anyone in this research project investigating the feeling of guilt or anxiety.

According to above mentioned, the short story “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson bases on the perfect alliance of reality and surreality, on succession of plot elements aimed at generating of the complete image of suspense, on ethic issue thoroughly thought over by readers in the process of reading. They prove the author’s talent of evoking thoughtful reading while admiring the sense of mystery disclosing anticipation.

Works Cited

Matheson, Richard. “Button, Button”. 1- 15.