ANALYSIS - Med Michelle:
- The story takes place in New York. Around the 1970 - the modern times.
- Norma is a traditional ''house mother'', and she is easy to be convinced.
Arthur is protective, and wont let Norma push the button. 
- Norma pushes the button, because she think that a stranger will die, and she will get money so she and Arthur can move to Europe, where they can buy a nice appartment and furnitures.
- The theme in the story is that human life is more important than whealth. The message is that money isn't as valuable as a human life. 

One day the couple receive a package, which contains a strange push-button unit with a glass dome covering the button, attached to the bottom of the unit is a strange note saying “Mr Steward will call on you at eight p.m.” 

When the clock turned eight the doorbell rang, and Norma opened the door. The man in the hallway is Mr Steward; he tells the Lewis couple about the button-unit, but they do not believe in him. He tells them, that if you press the button of the unit, someone you do not know will die, and you will receive fifty thousand dollars. 

After Mr Steward left Norma gets suspicious and curios and wants to know, if the strange event of the night is a social experiment or just a practical joke. Norman can’t contain her curiosity and ends up calling Mr Steward the next day. When she gets home from work the button-unit is once again there. 

Arthur and Norma gets in a fight about the unit, and the next day Norma ends up pushing the button, expecting nothing to happen. A few minutes later the phone rings, and the Leno Hill Hospital tells her, that her husband, Arthur, has died in a subway accident. 

Mr Steward then calls her asking if she really knew her husband. 

One day, they got a cube-shaped carton package lying at the door, and while Norma was cooking, she looked inside the package. There was a small wooden box, with a glass dome covered the button, inside the box. Also there was a little piece of paper, with a message from Mr Steward, who would call them at eight p.m. 

When it becomes eight p.m. the doorbell rang, and Mr Steward stood in the door, and want to come in, and tell about the package, that they had got. 

After Mr Steward had been a little offensive, they went to the living room, and then he told them about the glass dome, and the button on it. He said that, if they push down the button, someone in the world would die, but they will receive a payment of fifty thousand dollars, and he promised, that they won’t knew the person, who would die. 

Norma becomes really interesting in it, because she could get all her future dreams, with the fifty thousand dollars payment. Arthur is a bit more worried about it, because someone would die, and they don’t know about, they can trust Mr Steward or not. 

But a day Norma is pressing the button down, and subsequent she got a call from the hospital, which told, that Arthur has been in a accident, and died.  

Norma called Mr Steward and he answered “do you really think you knew your husband?”. 

 

It all starts with a package outside a married couple’s door. In the package there was a push button, which came in a wooden box. On the wooden box there was a note which said, “Mr Steward will call on you at 8:00 PM”. When the clock turned 8:00 PM, the doorbell rang and there stood Mr. Steward, a small man. Norma was letting Mr. Steward into the house. Mr. Steward said that if they pushed the button, someone they did not know would die, but they would get $50.000.

First they thought it was a joke, but Mr. Steward was very serious about it, and told them that it was not.

Norma was interested in this opportunity, but Arthur would not even talk about it, because he thought that it was immoral. 

The next day they started arguing again, but this time it ended up with Arthur going to work. Norma was so angry at this point, and it ended up with her pushing the button. Later the telephone rang, it was the hospital. They said that her husband had just died, he had been pushed from a platform into of the train. Then she remembered that Arthur’s life-insurance policy had been doubled to $50.000.

Some moments later, the telephone rang again, it was Mr. Steward. He promised that would not be someone that she knew, but then Mr. Steward answered: “My dear lady, do you really think you knew your husband?”. 

A box appears at a married couple's door. They wonder what it is? On this box, there is a button. This button isn't just any button.

On the box, there is a note which says “Mr Steward will call you at 8 PM” The clock then turned 8, and as the note says, Mr Steward rang the doorbell. They were skeptical as to what all this was about, but curiosity got the best of them, and the fact that Mr Steward talked them into letting him in. He told them that the button is made to kill, not someone they know, just a random person. The catch is that there's a reward. 50.000$, straight into the bank account. Arthur, the husband, did not even want to speak about. No questions, just a straight up no. Norma however, was intrigued about this mysterious button, and the money of course.

Arthur sent Mr Steward running back home, he did leave his business card, incase they changed their minds. The couple discussed the button back and forth the next few days. Arthur would never in a million years push that button, even if it depended on his life. Norma didn't mind killing anyone though, as long as it was a random person.

One day, after yet another discussion about the button, Arthur just went to work and didn't bother with his wife, and that made her very upset. Upset enough to kill a person apparently. She pushed the button without any thought behind it, and that was it.

Some time later, the phone rang. It was the hospital, telling Norma that her husband unfortunately died in a train accident. That made her realize that her husbands life insurance also doubled to 50.000$, the amount Mr Steward promised her. 

The text is about a couple that receive a mysterious button in a small wooden box. A stranger tells them that if they press the button, a person who they don’t know will die, and they will receive fifty thousand dollars in return. The couple first get angry at the stranger, whose name is mr. steward. However later on Norma (the woman in the couple) reconsiders the offer, and is tempted to open the class dome that the button is encased in, to press it so she can get her hands on the money.
 Norma and Arthur (the man in the couple) discuss and argue a lot about the offer. Arthur is almost furious and confused, as to why Norma even thinks about pressing the button. Norma is frustrated, because she sees an opportunity to live out their dreams with the money, which Arthur doesn’t want to take part in. When Arthur later on goes to work, Norma ends up pressing the button without Arthurs permission, which has dire consequences afterwards. The story ends with Norma receiving word of Arthur’s death, after she presses the button. She calls mr. steward, and ask him about the random person she didn’t know who would die, and why Arthur was killed instead, since he was someone very dear to her. He answers her question with another question about if she actually knew Arthur at all.        

At eight p.m. Mr. Steward come, and he tells what the button is about.

If they push the button, somewhere in the world, someone they don’t like will die, and they will get fifty thousand dollars.

Arthur doesn’t like the offer, but Norma keeps thinking about it. Norma calls Mr. Steward to know more. He guarantees Norma that she won’t know the person who die.

Norma push the button. The hospital calls to tell that Arthur is dead.

Mr. Lewis (Arthur): he dies in the end, he is not easy to convince. He's more realistic and has both feet on the ground and thinks clearly.

Mrs. Lewis (Norma): She's tempted, curioius, wants to push the button, thinks a lot about her future dreams, She is easy to convince because she doesn't worry about the random person who might die.

We think Norma pushes the button, because she believes in Mr. Stewards words, that it's a person she dont know and she's curious about what's gonna happen if she pushes it.

Themes and message: Horror. The message is that you should think about the consequences in life and do not always believe what people tell you.

Comment on themes and message. Selfishness, inhumanity, impulsiveness – think before you just do something. You should care about people instead of material things. The end of the story could symbolize that if you hurt one man it’s the same as if you hurt all the people 

- Don’t believe everything you hear. 

It takes place in New York, 1970.

Norma is curious about the mysterious package. She is dreaming about what they could do with such money. She doesn´t care about the consequences. 

Arthur, he is very morally correct. He doesn´t want to kill anybody; no matter the price he is offered. He tries to lecture his girlfriend (Norma) 

She pushes the button because she wants to collect the money, she is offered. So that she can go on a vacation with her boyfriend (Arthur) so they can live out their dreams. And she is frustrated about all the commotion about the tiny button. And her emotions get the better of her.

Moral values 

Choice between life and money (greed) 

Greed and selflessness 

Mystery 

Curiosity

Don´t give in to greed 

 

1.    Where and when does the story take place?
The story takes place in modern time in New York
2.    Characterize the main characters.
The main characters in the story is Mr. and Mrs. Lewis. Mr. Lewis is a decent person, maybe not normal actually since he is not taken over by greed like ”normal” people would

Mrs. Lewis is a lot more interested in the button and dreams of taken a vacation to Europe with her husband, which is why she really wants to press the button. Knowing that a unknown person will die doesn’t really concern her and is taken over by greed.
3.     Explain why Norma pushes the Button.
Noma has things in her life that she wants to experience, but they don’t have the money for it. When finally, the option to experience these things of the cost of a random persons live comes to her, she is taken over by her greed and anger which makes her push it. 

Comment on themes and message.
The theme in the story is Moral and etics, if it is okay on the cost of a random persons live to receive a big amount of reward so you can experience the things you always wanted. 

The message is how far a human being will go for money. Today money means a lot in the world, probably so much that people forget what really matters in life. 

 

 

 

2.    Characterize the main characters.
Norma is curious by nature; she wants to explore things and she is very tempted by money. She doesn’t care about the consequences of the action, if it doesn’t involve them. She doesn’t wait for them to agree on what to do, she decides by herself.
Arthur is very different; he won’t do anything, which involves hurting someone else, even if he doesn’t know the person and he will get rewarded for it.
Mr. Steward knows this difference between the couple. He exploits this, and there’s nothing in it for him to lose.

3.    Explain why Norma pushes the Button.
She wants them to have a better life together, to make a trip to Europe. She only decides on doing this, because she doesn’t believe that this decision won’t have consequences for them. 

 

The themes are moral and ethics. 

A box appears at a married couple's door. They wonder what it is? On this box, there is a button. This button isn't just any button.

On the box, there is a note which says “Mr Steward will call you at 8 PM” The clock then turned 8, and as the note says, Mr Steward rang the doorbell. They were skeptical as to what all this was about, but curiosity got the best of them, and the fact that Mr Steward talked them into letting him in. He told them that the button is made to kill, not someone they know, just a random person. The catch is that there's a reward. 50.000$, straight into the bank account. Arthur, the husband, did not even want to speak about. No questions, just a straight up no. Norma however, was intrigued about this mysterious button, and the money of course.

Arthur sent Mr Steward running back home, he did leave his business card, incase they changed their minds. The couple discussed the button back and forth the next few days. Arthur would never in a million years push that button, even if it depended on his life. Norma didn't mind killing anyone though, as long as it was a random person.

One day, after yet another discussion about the button, Arthur just went to work and didn't bother with his wife, and that made her very upset. Upset enough to kill a person apparently. She pushed the button without any thought behind it, and that was it.

Some time later, the phone rang. It was the hospital, telling Norma that her husband unfortunately died in a train accident. That made her realize that her husbands life insurance also doubled to 50.000$, the amount Mr Steward promised her.