Summary Of Humble Button By Richard Matheson

A Review of an Overwhelming Choice
In Richard Matheson’s,”winner of Stoker and World Fantasy lifetime achievement awards[Publishers Weekly]” suspense filled short story,”Button Button” the readers are placed on spot and asked to make a decision to press a button that will kill someone at random in exchange for $50,000. The choice becomes the main conflict throughout the story as the main character Norma Lewis deals with her moral dilemma as she contemplates whether to push the button or not.
The Button gets introduced at the begging of the story where Norma and Arthur lewis received a visit from Mr.Steward where he makes the offer to the couple. Arthur without a second thought turned down the offer and asked Mr. Steward to leave. Mr. Steward managed to leave his business card in the house right before he was escorted out. Norma, fascinated by the offer, discussed the morbid offer with Arthur. Arthur, having his morals, quickly rejected any influences that Norma made towards him and even demanded Norma to forget about the button completely. This whole altercation introduces the readers to the main conflict of the story and shows
This call allows her to get the information necessary to persuade her to push the button. Though she hung up the phone on Mr. Steward eliminating any chance of her obtaining the button. Then there was a knock at the door and Norma went to answer it. She opened the door to find the button. She then tried to destroy it but it magically came back and appeared before Norma. After finding it again she proceeded to hide it in the closet where Arthur would never see it. This once again shows Norma trying to follow through on her husbands demands. Upon finding out that it was impossible to get rid of the button she decided to hide the button and return to it later in the story. This once again shows her inner struggle with pushing the button or destroying