Analyse af Richard Mathesons novelle 'Button, Button'

The story starts in New York. Outside Mr and Mrs Arthur Lewis’ apartment is a package. In the package was a push-button unit fastened to a wooden box, and the button was all covered by a glass dome. Also on the wooden box, there was a piece of paper taped to the box. “Mr Steward will call on you at 8.00 P.M.” was standing on the piece of paper.

When the clock got eight o’clock the doorbell rang.Norma went out and opend the door. A small man stood in the hallway. Mr Steward was his name. When Norma heard Mr Steward said it could be valuable, and that they could earn some money, she let him into the house. Mrs. Lewis thought Mr Steward was a sales pitch, and she didn’t want to buy anything. But then he told Norma and Arthur, that if they pushed the button there was in the package outside the apartment in the morning, someone, somewhere in the world, they didn’t know would die, and in return they would receive $50,000 monetarily.First Arthur asked Mr Steward if it was a practical joke. But Mr. Steward made it very clear that it wasn’t. After that Arthur went mad, ant said that Mr. Steward should better leave their house. Before going, Mr. Steward left his card on their table, so they could call him if they changed their opinon. Norma was a little bit interested in what Mr Steward said, but Arthur wouldn’t talk about it because he thought it was immoral, so every time Norma asked about it, Arthur rejected to talk about it.Next day Norma called Mr Steward, and told him that she didn’t quiet believed him, and that she was curious. After telling him that, she hung up. The first thing she mentioned when she got home was the package with the button unit. It was lying in front of their house. She took the package in and said she would through it away later. At the dinner, Arthur and Norma talked about the facts there would happen, if they puss the button unit.Norma said that she would do it, if some old Chinese peasant or some poor native in the Congo would die. Arthur didn’t belive what Norma had said, and said that he didn’t wanted to discuss it anymore. He went into the living room, and was very disappointed of Norma’s way to look on life.