Mr. Steward

E729018

Mr. Steward is a mysterious and morally ambiguous figure who tempts a couple with a life-altering, ethically fraught offer in Richard Matheson’s short story “Button, Button.”

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Mr. Steward canonical 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (29)

Predicate Object
instanceOf antagonist
fictional character
literary character
appearsIn "Button, Button" NERFINISHED
associatedWithTheme consequences of selfishness
ethical decision-making
the price of human life
characterIn short story
createdBy Richard Matheson NERFINISHED
firstPublishedIn "Button, Button" (1970s magazine publication context) NERFINISHED
genreContext moral allegory
psychological horror
hasMoralAlignment morally ambiguous
hasRole moral catalyst
tempter
hasTrait enigmatic
mysterious
persuasive
interactsWith a married couple
narrativeFunction initiates central conflict in "Button, Button"
offers ethically fraught choice
life-altering deal
operatesIn a contemporary domestic setting
presentsObject a box with a button
setsCondition pressing the button will cause the death of an unknown person
pressing the button will result in a monetary reward
symbolizes moral compromise
temptation
tests the couple's morality

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Button, Button antagonist Mr. Steward