Short Story #1: Overview of Story Elements
“Button Button” by Richard Matheson (1970)
Click here to read the story
FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
OVERALL, WHAT WOULD YOU RATE THIS SHORT STORY? (HIGHLIGHT YOUR ANSWER)
1 STAR 2 STARS 3 STARS 🌟🌟🌟 4 STARS 🌟🌟 5 STARS 🌟🌟
🌟 🌟🌟 🌟🌟 🌟🌟🌟
Did you enjoy the story? Why or why not?
Yes, I did enjoy the story; It was interesting, and the end was good.
1. PLOT STRUCTURE: Map out the plot of the story on the following chart (bullet points are
fine)
1. EXPOSITION ● In New York City, a strange package is delivered to their apartment for
BEGINNING/ Norma and Arthur Lewis from a salesman. It’s a box, and its
INTRODUCTION troublesome.
2. RISING ACTION ● Norma and Arthur are both trying to figure out what to do. Arthur is
EVENTS LEADING TO against it, however Norma is intrigued, she takes the thrown away card
CLIMAX from the trash.
3. CLIMAX ● Norma pushed the button.
THE TURNING POINT/
MAJOR ACTION
4. FALLING ACTION ● Norma gets a call about her husband dying in and accident
EVENTS AFTER THE
MAJOR ACTION
5. RESOLUTION ● There is no resolution.
SOLVING OF
CONFLICTS/PROBLEM
S
2. SETTING: What is the setting of the story? Where does the majority of the action/dialogue
take place?
In their apartment in New York City.
3. CONFLICT: What is the MAIN CONFLICT or PROBLEM in this story? (Think: _____ vs.
_____) Are there any other types of conflict or minor conflicts present in the story? List below:
MAIN CONFLICT:
● Person vs. Self, Norma is at war with herself
MINOR CONFLICTS:
● Person vs Person, due to all the arguing between each other. Person vs. technology, the box is an
abnormality, also Person vs. Society
4. CHARACTERS/CHARACTERIZATION (R1.1):
NORMA LEWIS: ARTHUR LEWIS:
What traits/adjectives Curious, Selfish Hard-headed, Moral
would you use to
describe each
character?
Copy and paste a “Doesn’t it intrigue you?” “What would you like to do? Get the
quotation from the “It offends me.” Arthur said. button back and push it? Murder
story that “I know, but”- Norma rolled another someone?”
characterizes each curler in her hair- “doesn’t it intrigue you
character and too?” “The point Is, Norma.” He continued,
highlight which “Would you like me to return the button “what’s the difference between who you
trait(s) from the list unit?” kill? It’s still murder.”
above the quote Norma stiffened, “certainly not.” She
proves: hung up angrily.
5. LITERARY ELEMENTS/DEVICES (R.1.3):
FORESHADOWING: Copy and paste a line from I’m going to be late, she thought, she shrugged.
the story where the author hints at or foreshadows What difference did it make? She should be home,
Norma’s final decision (before it actually happens). anyway, not working in an office.
IRONY: Explain how the ending of the story is It’s ironic because the whole debate she has about
ironic (situational irony). pushing the button was centered around the fact
that the person who died, she wouldn’t know. It’s
ironic, because they find some things out about
each other when arguing about the button, and
when she presses it, Arthur dies. She really did not
know him.
6. POINT OF VIEW (R.1.3): What point of view is the story written from? Highlight below:
❏ FIRST PERSON ❏ SECOND PERSON ❏ THIRD PERSON
7. THEME (THE MESSAGE) (R.1.2): Use the following chart to help you determine the
overall theme of the story.
STEP 1: Create a list of TOPICS/big ● Greed, Ignorance, Consequences, Death, and irony
ideas/subjects covered or touched on in the
story (Ex: Love, Greed, Sacrifice,
Technology, Death, Power, etc.)
STEP 2: Select the strongest, most prominent ● Irony and consequences
topic from the list.
STEP 3: Write a sentence about what the The author believes that…
author of the story believes about that topic or Actions derived in greed, have terrible consequences
the message the author communicates (based
on the characters, plot, conflict, resolution,
etc.)
STEP 4: Cross out or delete “the author FINAL THEME STATEMENT:
believes that” & revise the sentence. That is
your theme statement!
8. TEXT CONNECTIONS (C.1.2, C.1.3, C.1.4):
TEXT-TO-TEXT: Have you read any I’ve read the Monkeys Paw which is very similar to this short
other books/stories or seen any movies, story. It also so discusses consequences with making wishes.
plays, or TV shows where character(s)
face a similar MORAL DILEMMA or
conflict as “Button Button”? (i.e What
would you sacrifice for X amount of
dollars? How far would you go for __?)
TEXT-TO-SELF: What would you have I would have thrown the box out. Theres no use keeping it, if
done if you were in Norma/Arthur’s it poses such a moral dilemma and would only serve to
shoes in this story? Would you have complicate things in my life.
pushed the button? Why or why not?
TEXT-TO-WORLD: Judging from what Yes. People are more likely to push the button in today’s
you know about humanity, do you think society because a lot of us are run by greed. However, not all.
most people in today’s society would
have pushed the button? Why or why not?
WHEN FINISHED, SUBMIT TO CANVAS!
