Button, Button: Uncanny Stories

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes descriptions of physical abuse, racism, and death.

Arthur and Norma are the married couple featured in the title story, “Button, Button.” Norma plays a larger role in the story than Arthur and is the one for whom the button becomes an overwhelming temptation. Norma is a perfect example of being her own worst enemy because the perfect life she hoped for by pushing the button is instantly taken from her when she pushes it. Norma does not mean to kill her husband, but she is also far from blameless. Her decision illustrates The Devastating Effects of Selfishness because she willfully disregards the fact that pushing the button will cause a person’s death and focuses only on the monetary reward that her action will bring and assumes that she will suffer no personal consequences for her immoral choice. When her husband proves to be the “stranger” who dies, the story serves as a cautionary tale, suggesting that Norma’s superficiality is the reason why her husband is a stranger to her.