Button By Richard Matheson

The Price of Your Choices and Your Unnecessary Desires
"Button, Button" is a short story by Richard Matheson that explores the theme of morality and the consequences of our actions. The story follows a couple, Arthur and Norma Lewis, who receives a mysterious box from a stranger named Mr. Steward. The box contains a button, and Mr. Steward tells them that if they press it, they will receive $50,000, but someone they do not know will die. In his conversation with Norma, Arthur expresses his strong opposition to pressing the button: "It offends me... It's immoral" (Matheson). Arthur and Norma are faced with the decision of whether or not to press the button, and ultimately, Norma presses it, despite Arthur's strong suggestion and demand not to.

However, after Norma presses the button, she receives a phone call that Arthur has died in a subway incident, and she argues with Mr. Steward, to which the story ends with Mr. Steward saying, "My lady, do you really think you know your husband?" (Matheson). Norma's choice to press the button to live a more luxurious life was horrible, and now she has to live with the result of her husband being dead because of her ignorant actions. Another decision Norma could have made was listening to Arthur and not pressing the button. This would have changed the story drastically because if Norma had listened, she would have lived everyday life with no real pros or cons. Through Arthur's death and Norma's choice to press the button, the story reveals that our actions have consequences and that we must be willing to accept responsibility for them. It also stresses the danger of blindly pursuing wealth and

In "The Necklace," Madame Loisel's desire for a luxurious lifestyle leads to her obsession with owning expensive jewelry and attending high society events. This desire ultimately causes her to borrow the necklace and lose it, which results in her and her husband's financial ruin. In "Button, Button," Norma's desire for money leads her to make a decision that results in the death of Arthur. Both their decisions ultimately reveal the conflicts that come with their desire for material possessions and highlight the consequences of pursuing wealth at any cost. However, Madame Loisel shows change and acceptance of her actions throughout the story by "[knowing] the heavy work of the house, the hateful duties of the kitchen... fighting for every wretched halfpenny" (Maupassant). This shows that she started to work to repay her mistakes. However, readers know Norma stayed the same because she complained to Mr. Steward and did not see that she was the problem. Another similarity between the two stories is the symbolism of the objects. The necklace and the button play significant parts in the stories' plots and themes. The necklace is a symbol of Madame Loisel's downfall. She borrows the necklace and loses it, leading to her and her husband's financial collapse as they work to pay for a replacement necklace they do not have the means to afford. The