Button, Button Literary Devices

When faced with a choice, one must contend with their moral compass. The people one loves could be harmed if the person only cares about his or her own wants. Although sometimes one makes decisions for their family for their own good, taking it too far can end up with someone being killed. This is shown in the short story Button, Button through the conflict devices man vs. man, man vs. self, and man vs. technology. A person being selfish hurts the people they love.
A person in the story being selfish hurt the people they loved. Norma continued to argue with Arthur about the button, causing a rift in their relationship. This is shown through man vs. man conflict. The text states, “ ‘They want to know what average people would do under such a circumstance! That they’re just saying …show more content…
technology conflict. Norma was facing the temptation of the button alone without Arthur’s help. The author said, In the text it states, “Reaching out, she pressed it down. For us, she thought angrily. She shuddered. Was it happening? A chill of horror swept across her. In a moment, it had passed. She made a contemptuous noise. Ridiculous, she thought. To get so worked up over nothing. She threw the button unit, dome, and key into the wastebasket and hurried to dress for work” (4). Since Arthur shut down the idea of pushing the button right away and Norma was left alone with her thoughts, she pushed the button for revenge against Arthur, but became frightened after she pushed it. Man vs. technology is also shown when Matheson writes “Abruptly, she began to smash it one the sink edge, pounding it harder and harder, until the wood split. She pulled the sides apart, cutting her fingers without noticing” (4). This is a literal representation of this plot device. Norma instantly blamed the button instead of herself for pushing it after Arthur died. The combination of conflicts in the text served to provide complexity to Norma’s