Button, Button: The Horror in Decision-Making.

Richard Matheson's "Button, Button" is a lot of things. It is a short story, perfectly made for adaptions. It has an element of mystery as well as an element of weird fiction. Ultimately, it is somewhat of a horror, but here are no monsters. There are no murderers or ghosts. Instead, the horror in this one lies in the idea of power.

Power plagues the world every day, whether in politics or in your own day-to-life. Power corrupts and power is something people should be fearful of. Its the classic snake in the Garden of Eden. It may seem appealing, but it always has a way of creeping up on those who desire power for power's sake.

In "Button, Button," power is shown with as much empathy as possible. And still, it corrupts. When Arthur and Norma Lewis are introduced as a financially struggling couple who are probably the victims of the power that is the cruel dog-eat-dog world that is capitalism, there is a lot to be understanding of when they have the chance to strike big on some cash.

However, when they have the opportunity to sacrifice life for money, they inherit a god-like power to apply practically. With this power and responsibility, Norma choose not to do as Peter Parker does and ultimately gets played, inadvertently killing her own husband. The horror in this story lies in decision making. Whether that is choosing a career or a romantic partner, decisions often cause us fear and panic. The ability to control our life is a welcomed yet daunting ability we have as humans. And even then, it is a limited ability.

When we further our ability to control and gain power, we lose sense of what it means to be a small being in a giant universe, fueling our ego for our own personal gain. Power robs us of perspective and unleashes our true human nature, which is a convoluted mess of good, evil, and everything in between. In the moment that Norma makes her decision, she no longer is herself as much as she is a faceless creature of submission. What makes Norma Norma is betrayed for this animalistic instinct to gain money, power and comfort. In that moment, she is no longer herself and becomes something as basic and primitive as an animal. All of this happens because of the power to make a decision.

Decisions confront us and make us introspective to who we really are and to what extent are we willing to go for certain things.