Description
For the essay, you will write an Analysis Essay, where you will be projecting your knowledge of Critical Theories learned in this course by analyzing 3 texts in terms of 2 theories.
You will analyze a VISUAL ( the movie Trance or Roseanne Show) and 2 TEXTS ( you will choose any 2 works from the stories, poem we discussed). The list is provided
Then, you will choose any 2 THEORIES/ TERMS that could be applied/ used to analyze these 3 works.
Works Cited page of all the Primary Sources ( texts and the movie / show you will choose 2 from to analyze)
Only choose the citation information of the 2 works you analyzed for your Final Essay and copy/ paste the citation information of your chosen ones onto your Works Cited page. If you quote from any of the Theory Handouts ( on Gender, Ideologies, Terms) posted in Canvas Files, also use the citation of the handout from the below Works Cited page to post on yours. *** See the Handout on Citation Guide of Primary sources in ANNOUNCEMENTS for more information.
*In the Announcements, see the recorded explanation of the Analysis Essay, a Sample Essay and Videos on MLA format and citations.
KNOW:
Your Final Analysis Essay should be uploaded on Canvas on/ before December 17, 2023 before midnight.
It should be 3.5 – 4.5 pages typed/ double spaced and formatted by MLA 8th or 9th ( * see videos on MLA Forma and Citation in ANNOUNCEMENTS)
It should have a Works Cited page in the very end (not counted as the required 3.5 – 4.5 pages)
The Works Cited page should have the cited sources of your 3 Primary Sources (the texts you analyze) and the 2 ( max 4) Secondary Sources you have researched and referenced /quoted in your paper
Your Final Analysis Essay should have a TITLE- You should come up with an interesting title (* do not put Final Essay as Title)
Your analysis with a use of a theory should also mention the name of the theorist and the brief definition of the theory . Grading Rubric Analysis Essay is 45 points
Academic structure/Paragraph Organization, balance, Sentence Structure- 5p
Length (3.5 -4.5 pages)- 1p
3 X 2 ratio (2 Texts/Primary Sources x 2 Theories/ themes)- 2p
Thesis Statement (1 or 2 sentences)- 5p
Introducing the primary sources the 2 works you analyze in the essay (brief summary)- 5p
Mentioning at least 1 theorist and briefly about the theory-2p
Referring to Primary sources (ref. or quote) 5p
A min of 2 (max. 4) Credible- Secondary sources- 5p
MLA Format and In-text citation 5p
Works Cited page of 2 Primary Sources (the works you analyze * see my Citation Guide) and 2 -4 Secondary Sources of In-text Citation)-5p
Mechanics (grammar, spelling, punctuation)-5p
watch this https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x19qdan
Unformatted Attachment Preview
English 102: Final Analysis Essay _Fall 2023
K. Yegoryan 1
Essay Due on Canvas by December 17, 2023 by midnight
THEORETICAL ANALYSIS ESSAY GUIDELINES
In this Analysis Essay you will be projecting your critical reading skills and your knowledge of the Critical
Theories learned in this course by analyzing 3 works (1 chosen by your professor and 2 of your choice. From
the list of texts what we have read/discussed) in terms of 2 theories/themes.
HOW TO START:
1. Movie TRANCE or Roseanne show Season 1 Episode 1 (the link is provided in Announcements)
*** You cannot change – the movie or the show is the mandatory choice 1
2. Choose any 2 works from the list below.
•
•
•
•
•
•
“The Lottery”
“The Story of an Hour”
“The Chaser”
“Button, Button”
“Two Kinds”
Poem “Spelling”
*** These 2 stories of your choice and the show (or the movie) will be your PRIMARY SOURCES in the analysis Essay.
So, in your essay, you will be analyzing 3 works: 1 visual (the movie or the show) and 2 texts of our choice using
2 critical theories.
_____________
3. Recall the Critical Theories and terms we learned:
Here are the Critical Theories and Themes (terms) to choose from:
Semiotics: Denotative/Connotative/ Symbolic Meaning (De Saussure’s and Pierce’s theories)
When analyzing from the Semiotic perspective, consider the meaning of the titles, some words/ phrases from the
text and/or the names of the characters in the stories, and their denotative / connotative meaning in the context of the text.
• Irony:
Consider ironic meaning if any meaning (of the title, characters’ names, or words/phrases/ideas from the stories you
chose) are used ironically/ not with the meaning we would usually expect.
Ideologies/ Power, Privilege, Control gained through: certain beliefs/ traditions, through social
status, age, gender, and/or education/ knowledge or certain skills (Marx’s theory)
• Capitalism: Competition, American Dream, Hero Motif, Commodification; Colonial Subject
When analyzing from Marxism/Ideologies perspective, you may consider if the characters in your chosen stories hold
any power and have certain privilege among others based on their social status, gender, educational level, knowledge
or any skill that the characters possesses. You may also consider if the characters can be related to any type
of capitalist ideologies or are colonial subject vs. colonizer.
• ISA/RSA: control via ideologies and repression (Althusser’s theory)
When analyzing from this perspective, you may consider if the character(s) from your chosen texts (or visual) are
acting as the “state apparatus” meaning if they are the ones imposing ideologies, rules, beliefs or are using any
type of punishment methods upon others/ “the disobedient.”
Or are your characters the obedient? Are they the one following the pre-set ideologies, rules, or are being punished for
deviating from those expectations?
English 102: Final Analysis Essay _Fall 2023
K. Yegoryan 2
Essay Due on Canvas by December 17, 2023 by midnight
Gender expectations in Patriarchal society and/or from Feminist perspectives (Judith Butler’s theory)
• “The Cult of the True Womanhood”
When analyzing from the Gender Theory perspective, you may consider if there are gender expectations
imposed by the society in your chosen stories. If your character(s) abide with any expected gender roles. You
may consider their lifestyle, profession, appearance, behavior, actions, interactions with others that re-affirm their
gender role/prototype expected by the society.
Altruism and/or Narcissism:
When analyzing from the perspective of this term, you may consider if the character(s) of your chosen texts are selfless
or self-centered; how much do they care about other.
• You can use Altruism/ Narcissism as a separate choice of theory/terms or you can consider these terms with Gender Theory or
with Marxism Ideologies of Power and Privilege
How to Structure your Paper?
The Analysis Paper should have Argumentative tone / Thesis Statement as it introduces
your argument/ claim that the 2 stories of different genres, authors, and time periods, can be
analyzed through the same 2 critical theories. Your analysis paper also involves
compare-contrast mode of writing as you compare the 2 stories in terms of 2 theories.
It should also have a title (do not title if as Final Essay or Analysis Essay…) Be Creative, you can think
of an interesting title for your Analysis Masterpiece!
Suggested Essay Structure:
Suggested Introduction: Start with a hook that states the importance of critical theories in the
interpretation of literary works. Then, introduce your 3 works with a brief summary of their plot
(1-3 sent. for each story). End the introductory paragraph with a clear Thesis Statement that claims how
these different stories can be analyzed through the same critical theories (the 2 theories that you picked).
Body Paragraphs: your body paragraphs should analyze each story using each of the 2 theories
and also compare and contrast them in terms of the similarities and/or differences they have for the
considered theories/terms. Make sure you include references and/or quotes from Primary
Sources (quotes and references from the 3 works you are analyzing) and from Secondary sources
(the 2 sources have researched and use as a support).
You decide the number of body paragraphs- remember the overall essay should be 3.5-4.5 pages.
Conclusion Paragraph: Sum up your analysis by looping back to introduction and restating your thesis.
You may also summarize the comparison of the stories (and their main characters) in terms of your
selected theories.
Sample Analysis Essays may be provided- even though the
requirement/prompt of the essays are slightly different, these samples can help
you understand the overall Theoretical Analysis Essay structure.
English 102: Final Analysis Essay _Fall 2023
K. Yegoryan 3
Essay Due on Canvas by December 17, 2023 by midnight
Mark off if you used all STRUCTURING YOUR ESSAY:
Introduction:
•
Hook/ 1st sentence: Interesting start (can be with a statement of how Critical Theories help us to understand the
deeper meaning of any text. Or how Critical Theories can be used to analyze different works composed by
different authors/ at different time periods. Or how Critical Theories help to understand the embedded message)
•
Introduce the 3 works you are analyzing (the brief plot summary of the 2 stories you chose and the show)
2-3 sentence summary for each
•
Thesis Statement – your claim/ the main idea of your analysis paper (as the last sentence of introduction)
Ex: Although the Roseanne show and the stories of “The Lottery,” “The Story of an Hour” and “The Chaser” have different
plots, they can be compared and analyzed in terms of critical theories of semiotics, gender ideologies.
Body Paragraphs 3-5:
Focus on the 2 Theories (and terms) and how they apply to the works you are analyzing
•
Use Primary Sources: Relate to your texts (quote/ re-tell briefly the part) that supports your claims
•
Use Secondary Sources: research and use credible sources that can reaffirm/ support your claims
(including the sources of the meanings of the names/ words)
•
Refer to at least 1 theorist as you discuss the theory: Ex: Judith Butler claims that gender is performative,
and in these two short stories we surely see how the male characters are performing the expected gender
behaviors. Whereas, in the Roseanne show…
Conclusion:
•
Briefly draw back / pull out what you have discussed in your essay, showing how these 3 works can relate
if analyzed in terms of the 2 theories.
•
Restate the thesis by claiming how critical theories are essential to understand the embedded meaning of texts
and the message for the readers…
REQUIREMENTS: After drafting your essay, consider the following:
The Critical/ Theoretical Analysis Essay:
•
Should have an academic essay structure: Introduction, Body Paragraphs, and a Conclusion
•
Should be 3 – 4.5 pages typed/ double spaced/ Times New Roman 12 font
•
Should be analyzing 3 works (2 texts and the assigned show) in terms of 2 critical theories/terms
•
Should mention the name of at least one theorist (and briefly state their theoretical claim)
Recall: Here are the names of the theorists and the brief statements of their theories
Ferdinand De Saussure: Language derives its meaning from the relation of Signifier and Signified
Charles Peirce: The meaning of signs is created through Icon, Index, and Symbolism
Karl Marx: The theory of power and knowledge is used for social control. The Ideology of power resides in the
ruling ideas: the ruling class is the intellectual force.
Louis Althusser: Power is exercised through ideologies and repression (ISA and RSA)
Judith Butler: Gender is performative and is socially constructed
English 102: Final Analysis Essay _Fall 2023
K. Yegoryan 4
Essay Due on Canvas by December 17, 2023 by midnight
•
Should have supporting information, quotes, examples/references from Primary Sources
and from Secondary Sources:
o Primary Sources: the 2 texts (you chose) and the visual (the movie or the show):
Quote from or briefly restate / refer to the parts or information that can support your claims.
o Secondary Sources: 2-4 researched sources (credible sources, course material /handouts,
dictionary or encyclopedia definitions of words, names or theories – you will research and
include in your essay relating /supporting your claims in the analysis.
* For credible sources use Google Scholar or Academic databases of LAVC Library.
•
It should use MLA for Format and Citation (in-text citation and Works Cited page)
* The citations of Primary Sources for Works Cited page will be provided
SOME EXAMPLES OF FINAL ANALYSIS PROMPTS:
You can choose any of these examples or come up with your own selection:
Critical Analysis of Roseanne show and the short stories “The Chaser” and “The Story of an Hour”
through semiotics and gender ideologies.
Critical Analysis of Roseanne show and the short stories “The Lottery” and “The Chaser” in terms of
symbolism (semiotics) and Power-Privilege ideologies imposed through gender.
Critical Analysis of Roseanne show and the short stories “The Story of an Hour” and “The Chaser” terms
of Narcissism and the “Cult of the true womanhood” patriarchal expectation.
I will also post some samples in Files section on Canvas, and we will discuss all the detail
The Grading Rubric
Critical Theoretical Analysis Essay is 40 points
• Academic structure – 15p
Length (3- 4.5 pages) and Paragraph organization
3 X 2 ratio: 3 works (the show/movie and 2 stories) x 2 Theories/ themes
Introducing the 2 texts and the show with brief summary in introductory paragraph
Thesis Statement (1 or 2 sentences)
• Mentioning at least 1 theorist and their brief theory definition -3p
• In-text Citation
Referring to Primary Sources (brief reference or quote)- 5p
Quotes from Secondary Sources (2-4 researched sources)- 5p
• Works Cited page (should include the detailed citations of 3 Primary sources (provided) and all the
Secondary sources used as in-text citation)- 5p
• MLA Format – 2p
• Mechanics (grammar and thought clarity)- 5p
English 102: Final Analysis Essay _Fall 2023
Essay Due on Canvas by December 17, 2023 by midnight
K. Yegoryan 5
Yegoryan 1
Works Cited
“Allan.” Think Babies Names. n.d. www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Allan.
Atwood, Margaret. “Spelling.” Poem Hunter. https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/spelling/
Chopin, Kate. “The Story of an Hour.” Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1894.
Files. Canvas. English 102 Fall 2023. https://ilearn.laccd.edu/
Collier, John. “The Chaser.” Files. Canvas. English 102 Fall 2023. https://ilearn.laccd.edu/
Jackson, Shirly. “The Lottery.” Files. Canvas. English 102 Fall 2023. https://ilearn.laccd.edu/
Mateson, Richard. “Button, Button.” Files. Canvas. English 102 Fall 2023. https://ilearn.laccd.edu/
“Life and Stuff” Roseanne Sitcom, created by Matt William, Season 1 Episode 1, The CarseyWarner Production. Oct. 18, 1988. March 27, 2018. dailymotion.com/video/x19qdan.
Announcements. Canvas. English 102 Fall 2023. https://ilearn.laccd.edu/
Tan, Amy. “Two Kinds.” Amazonws.1989. Files. Canvas. English 102 Fall 2023.
https://ilearn.laccd.edu/
Trance. Directed by Danny Boyle. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2013.
Yegoryan, Kristina. “Handout on Important Terms from Irony to Altruism.” Files. Canvas.
English 102 Fall 2023. https://ilearn.laccd.edu/
Yegoryan, Kristina. “Handout on Gender Paradigm: Patriarchy and Feminism.” Files. Canvas.
English 102 Fall 2023. https://ilearn.laccd.edu/
Yegoryan, Kristina. “Handout on Marxism: Power, Control, and Privilege.” Files. Canvas.
English 102 Fall 2023. https://ilearn.laccd.edu/
The Chaser, by John Collier
Alan Austen, as nervous as a kitten, went up certain dark and creaky stairs in the
neighborhood of Pell Street, and peered about for a long time on the dime landing before he
found the name he wanted written obscurely on one of the doors.
He pushed open this door, as he had been told to do, and found himself in a tiny room, which
contained no furniture but a plain kitchen table, a rocking-chair, and an ordinary chair. On
one of the dirty buff-colored walls were a couple of shelves, containing in all perhaps a
dozen bottles and jars.
An old man sat in the rocking-chair, reading a newspaper. Alan, without a word, handed him
the card he had been given. “Sit down, Mr. Austen,” said the old man very politely. “I am
glad to make your acquaintance.”
“Is it true,” asked Alan, “that you have a certain mixture that has-er-quite extraordinary
effects?”
“My dear sir,” replied the old man, “my stock in trade is not very large-I don’t deal in
laxatives and teething mixtures-but such as it is, it is varied. I think nothing I sell has effects
which could be precisely described as ordinary.”
“Well, the fact is. . .” began Alan.
“Here, for example, “interrupted the old man, reaching for a bottle from the shelf. “Here is a
liquid as colorless as water, almost tasteless, quite imperceptible in coffee, wine, or any other
beverage. It is also quite imperceptible to any known method of autopsy.”
“Do you mean it is a poison?” cried Alan, very much horrified.
“Call it a glove-cleaner if you like,” said the old man indifferently. “Maybe it will clean
gloves. I have never tried. One might call it a life-cleaner. Lives need cleaning sometimes.”
“I want nothing of that sort,” said Alan.
“Probably it is just as well,” said the old man. “Do you know the price of this? For one
teaspoonful, which is sufficient, I ask five thousand dollars. Never less. Not a penny less.”
“I hope all your mixtures are not as expensive,” said Alan apprehensively.
“Oh dear, no,” said the old man. “It would be no good charging that sort of price for a love
potion, for example. Young people who need a love potion very seldom have five thousand
dollars. Otherwise they would not need a love potion.”
“I am glad to hear that,” said Alan.
“I look at it like this,” said the old man. “Please a customer with one article, and he will
come back when he needs another. Even if it is more costly. He will save up for it, if
necessary.”
“So,” said Alan, “you really do sell love potions?”
“If I did not sell love potions,” said the old man, reaching for another bottle, “I should not
have mentioned the other matter to you. It is only when one is in a position to oblige that one
can afford to be so confidential.”
“And these potions,” said Alan. “They are not just-just-er-”
“Oh, no,” said the old man. “Their effects are permanent, and extend far beyond the mere
casual impulse. But they include it. Oh, yes they include it. Bountifully, insistently.
Everlastingly.”
“Dear me!” said Alan, attempting a look of scientific detachment. “How very interesting!”
“But consider the spiritual side,” said the old man.
“I do, indeed,” said Alan.
“For indifference,” said the old man, they substitute devotion. For scorn, adoration. Give one
tiny measure of this to the young lady-its flavour is imperceptible in orange juice, soup, or
cocktails-and however gay and giddy she is, she will change altogether. She will want
nothing but solitude and you.”
“I can hardly believe it,” said Alan. “She is so fond of parties.”
“She will not like them any more,” said the old man. “She will be afraid of the pretty girls
you may meet.”
“She will actually be jealous?” cried Alan in a rapture. “Of me?”
“Yes, she will want to be everything to you.”
“She is, already. Only she doesn’t care about it.”
“She will, when she has taken this. She will care intensely. You will be her sole interest in
life.”
“Wonderful!” cried Alan.
“She will want to know all you do,” said the old man. “All that has happened to you during
the day. Every word of it. She will want to know what you are thinking about, why you
smile suddenly, why your are looking sad.”
“That is love!” cried Alan.
“Yes,” said the old man. “How carefully she will look after you! She will never allow you to
be tired, to sit in a draught, to neglect your food. If you are an hour late, she will be terrified.
She will think you are killed, or that some siren has caught you.”
“I can hardly imagine Diana like that!” cried Alan, overwhelmed with joy.
“You will not have to use your imagination,” said the old man. “And, by the way, since there
are always sirens, if by any chance you should, later on, slip a little, you need not worry. She
will forgive you, in the end. She will be terribly hurt, of course, but she will forgive you-in
the end.”
“That will not happen,” said Alan fervently.
“Of course not,” said the old man. “But, if it did, you need not worry. She would never
divorce you. Oh, no! And, of course, she will never give you the least, the very least,
grounds for-uneasiness.”
“And how much,” said Alan, “is this wonderful mixture?”
“It is not as dear,” said the old man, “as the glove-cleaner, or life-cleaner, as I sometimes call
it. No. That is five thousand dollars, never a penny less. One has to be older than you are, to
indulge in that sort of thing. One has to save up for it.”
“But the love potion?” said Alan.
“Oh, that,” said the old man, opening the drawer in the kitchen table, and taking out a tiny,
rather dirty-looking phial. “That is just a dollar.”
“I can’t tell you how grateful I am,” said Alan, watching him fill it.
“I like to oblige,” said the old man. “Then customers come back, later in life, when they are
better off, and want more expensive things. Here you are. You will find it very effective.”
“Thank you again,” said Alan. “Good-bye.”
“Au revoir,” said the man.
The Story of an Hour
Kate Chopin
Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break
to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.
It was her sister Josephine who told her, in broken sentences; veiled hints that revealed in
half concealing. Her husband’s friend Richards was there, too, near her. It was he who had been
in the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was received, with Brently
Mallard’s name leading the list of “killed.” He had only taken the time to assure himself of its
truth by a second telegram, and had hastened to forestall any less careful, less tender friend in
bearing the sad message.
She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to
accept its significance. She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms.
When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no
one follow her.
There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank,
pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.
She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with
the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was
crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly,
and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.
There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and
piled one above the other in the west facing her window.
She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except
when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep
continues to sob in its dreams.
She was young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain
strength. But now there was a dull stare in her eyes, whose gaze was fixed away off yonder on
one of those patches of blue sky. It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a
suspension of intelligent thought.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” originally published 1894.
There was something coming to her and she was waiting for it, fearfully. What was it? She
did not know; it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky,
reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.
Now her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that
was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will—as powerless
as her two white slender hands would have been.
When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She
said it over and over under her breath: “free, free, free!” The vacant stare and the look of terror
that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright. Her pulses beat fast, and
the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body.
She did not stop to ask if it were or were not a monstrous joy that held her. A clear and
exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion as trivial.
She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender hands folded in death;
the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead. But she saw
beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her
absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.
There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself.
There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and
women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature. A kind
intention or a cruel intention made the act seem no less a crime as she looked upon it in that brief
moment of illumination.
And yet she had loved him—sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could
love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she
suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!
“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering.
Josephine was kneeling before the closed door with her lips to the keyhole, imploring for
admission. “Louise, open the door! I beg; open the door—you will make yourself ill. What are
you doing, Louise? For heaven’s sake open the door.”
“Go away. I am not making myself ill.” No; she was drinking in a very elixir of life through
that open window.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” originally published 1894.
Her fancy was running riot along those days ahead of her. Spring days, and summer days,
and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long.
It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long.
She arose at length and opened the door to her sister’s importunities. There was a feverish
triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory. She clasped
her sister’s waist, and together they descended the stairs. Richards stood waiting for them at the
bottom.
Some one was opening the front door with a latchkey. It was Brently Mallard who entered, a
little travel-stained, composedly carrying his grip-sack and umbrella. He had been far from the
scene of the accident, and did not even know there had been one. He stood amazed at Josephine’s
piercing cry; at Richards’ quick motion to screen him from the view of his wife.
But Richards was too late.
When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills.
Copyright © by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” originally published 1894.
Button, Button
RICHARD MATHESON
The package was lying by the front door-a cube-shaped carton sealed
with tape, their name and address printed by hand: “Mr. and Mrs.
Aurthur Lewis, 21 7 E. Thirty-seventh Street, New York, New York 10016.”
Norma picked it up, unlocked the door, and went into the apartment. It
was just getting dark.
After she put the lamb chops in the broiler, she sat down to open the
package.
Inside the carton was a push-button unit fastened to a small wooden
box. A glass dome covered the button. Norma tried to lift it off, but it was
locked in place. She turned the unit over and saw a folded piece of paper
Scotch-taped to the bottom of the box. She pulled it off: “Mr. Steward will
call on you at 8:00P.M.”
Norma put the button unit beside her on the couch. She reread the
typed note, smiling.
A few moments later, she went back into the kitchen to make the salad.
The doorbell rang at eight o’clock. ”I’ll get it,” Norma called from the
kitchen. Arthur was in the living room, reading.
There was a small man in the hallway. He removed his hat as Norma
opened the door.
“Mrs. Lewis?” he inquired politely.
“Yes?”
”I’m Mr. Steward.”
“Oh, yes.” Norma repressed a smile. She was sure now it was a sales
pitch.
SHORT STORY
103
DECISIONS
DECISIONS
“May I come in?” asked Mr. Steward.
”I’m rather busy,” Norma said, ”I’ll get you your whatchamacallit,
though.” She started to turn.
“Don’t you want to know what it is?”
Norma turned back. Mr. Steward’s tone had been offensive. “No, I
don’t think so,” she replied.
“It could prove very valuable,” he told her.
“Monetarily?” she challenged.
Mr. Steward nodded. “Monetarily,” he said.
Norma frowned. She didn’t like his attitude. “What are you trying to
sell?” she asked.
”I’m not selling anything,” he answered.
Arthur came out of the living room. “Something wrong?”
Mr. Steward introduced himself.
“Oh, the-” Arthur pointed toward the living room and smiled. “What
is that gadget, anyway?”
“It won’t take long to explain,” replied Mr. Steward. “May I come in?”
“If you’re selling something-,” Arthur said.
Mr. Steward shook his head. “”m not.”
Arthur looked at Norma. “Up to you,” she said.
He hesitated. “Well, why not?” he said.
. . ..
They went into the living room and Mr. Steward sat in Norma’s chair. He
reached into an inside coat pocket and withdrew a small sealed
lope. “Inside here is a key to the
dome,” he said. He set the
table. “The bell is connected to our office.”
envelope on the
“What’s it for?” asked Arthur.
“If you push the button,” Mr. Steward told him, “somewhere in the
world someone you don’t know will die. In return for which you will
receive a payment of $50,000.”
Norma stared at the small man. He was smiling.
“What are you talking about?” Arthur asked him.
Mr. Steward looked surprised. “But I’ve just explained,” he said.
“Is this a practical joke?” asked Arthur.
“Not at all. The offer is completely genuine.”
“You aren’t making sense,” Arthur said. “You expect us to believe-”
“Whom do you represent?” demanded Norma.
Mr. Steward looked embarrassed. ”I’m afraid I’m not at liberty to tell
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you that,” he said. “However, I assure you, the organization is of international scope.”
“I think you’d better leave,” Arthur said, standing.
Mr. Steward rose. “Of course.”
“And take your button unit with you.”
“Are you sure you wouldn’t care to think about it for a day or so?”
Arthur picked up the button unit and the envelope and thrust them
into Mr. Steward’s hands. He walked into the hall and pulled open the
door.
‘Til leave my card,” said Mr. Steward. He placed it on the table by the
door.
When he was gone, Arthur tore it in half and tossed the pieces onto
the table.
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DECISIONS
Norma was still sitting on the sofa. “What do you think it was?” she
asked.
“I don’t care to know,” he answered.
She tried to smile but couldn’t. “Aren’t you curious at all?”
“No.” He shook his head.
After Arthur returned to his book, Norma went back to the kitchen and
finished washing the dishes.
“Why won’t you talk about it?” Norma asked.
Arthur’s eyes shifted as he brushed his teeth. He looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.
“Doesn’t it intrigue you?”t
“It offends me,” Arthur said.
“I know, but”-Norma rolled another curler in her hair-“doesn’t it
intrigue you, too?”
“You think it’s a practical joke?” she asked as they went into the bedroom.
“If it is, it’s a sick one.”
Norma sat on her bed and took off her slippers. “Maybe it’s some kind
of psychological research.”
Arthur shrugged. “Could be.”
“Maybe some eccentric millionaire is doing it.”
“Maybe.”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
Arthur shook his head.
“Why?”
“Because it’s immoral,” he told her.
Norma slid beneath the covers. “Well, I think it’s intriguing,” she said.
Arthur turned off the lamp and leaned over to kiss her. “Good night,”
he said.
“Good night.” She patted his back.
Norma closed her eyes. Fifty thousand dollars, she thought.
. . .
In the morning, as she left the apartment, Norma saw the card halves on
the table. Impulsively, she dropped them into her purse. She locked the
front door and joined Arthur in the elevator.
While she was on her coffee break, she took the card halves from her
1 intrigue you: spark curiosity in you
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purse and held the torn edges together. Only Mr. Steward’s name and
telephone number were printed on the card.
After lunch, she took the card halves from her purse again and Scotchtaped the edges together. “Why am I doing this?” she thought.
just before five, she dialed the number.
“Good afternoon,” said Mr. Steward’s voice.
Norma almost hung up but restrained herself. She cleared her throat.
“This is Mrs. Lewis,” she said.
“Yes, Mrs. Lewis,” Mr. Steward sounded pleased.
”I’m curious.”
“That’s natural,” Mr. Steward said.
“Not that I believe a word of what you told us.”
“Oh, it’s quite authentic,” Mr. Steward answered.
“Well, whatever-” Norma swallowed. “When you said someone in
the world would die, what did you mean?”
“Exactly that,” he answered. “It could be anyone. All we guarantee is
that you don’t know them. And, of course, that you wouldn’t have to
watch them die.”
“For $50,000,” Norma said.
“That is correct.”
She made a scoffing sound. “That’s crazy.”
“Nonetheless, that is the proposition,” 2 Mr. Steward said. “Would you
like me to return the button unit?”
Norma stiffened. “Certainly not.” She hung up angrily.
.. . .
The package was lying by the front door; Norma saw it as she left the elevator. Well, of all the nerve, she thought. She glared at the carton as she
unlocked the door. I just won’t take it in, she thought. She went inside
and started dinner.
Later, she went into the front hall. Opening the door, she picked up the
package and carried it into the kitchen, leaving it on the table.
She sat in the living room, looking out the window. After a while, she
went back into the kitchen to turn the cutlets 3 in the broiler. She put the
package in a bottom cabinet. She’d throw it out in the morning.
. . .
2 proposition: offer; proposal
3 cutlets: pieces of meat cut to serving size
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“Maybe some eccentric millionaire is playing games with people,” she
said.
Arthur looked up from his dinner. “I don’t understand you.”
“What does that mean?”
“Let it go,” he told her.
Norma ate in silence. Suddenly, she put her fork down. “Suppose it’s
a genuine offer?” she said.
Arthur stared at her.
“Suppose it’s a genuine offer?”
“All right, suppose it is?” He looked incredulous. 4 “What would you like
to do? Get the button back and push it? Murder someone?”
Norma looked disgusted. “Murder.”
“How would you define it?”
“If you don’t even know the person?” Norma said.
Arthur looked astounded. “Are you saying what I think you are?”
“If it’s some old Chinese peasant ten thousand miles away? Some diseased native in the Congo?”
“How about a baby boy in Pennsylvania?” Arthur countered. “Some
beautiful little girl on the next block?”
“Now you’re loading things.”
“The point is, Norma,” he continued, “what’s the difference whom
you kill? It’s still murder.”
“The point is,” Norma broke in, “if it’s someone you’ve never seen in
your life and never will see, someone whose death you
