Perspectives

Literary movement

The short story “Button, Button” by Richard Matheson can be considered an example of post-modernist literature. 

A feature of post-modernism which is also present in “Button, button” is the use of irony.…

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Adaptations 

The short story “Button, Button” was adapted into an episode of the American TV show The Twilight Zone. The episode altered the story slightly and changed the ending significantly. In the show, Arthur and Norma discover that the button has no internal mechanism early on and initially discard it. After Norma continues to be curious about it…

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Works with the same theme 

The short story “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs also looks at the dangers of greed and at unexpected consequences. In the story, a man uses a magical monkey’s paw to wish for money. The following day, the man’s son dies in a workplace accident and the man receives money as compensation. Just like “Button, Button”, the story shows that greed and magical endeavors can have unexpected consequences. 

The short story “The Five Boons of Life” by Mark Twain shows a man who is granted the choice of several gifts: pleasure, love, fame, wealth, and death. Each gift the man chooses has negative consequences leading him to ultimately choose death. Similarly to “Button, Button”, the story shows that nothing is as good as i…