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In Coraline, why are eyes replaced with buttons?
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In "Coraline," eyes are replaced with buttons to symbolize the soullessness and otherworldliness of the "Other" characters. This eerie choice enhances the story's suspenseful tone and highlights the distinction between Coraline's real world and the sinister world of the Other Mother. Additionally, button eyes prevent the ghost children from expressing their suffering, emphasizing the Other Mother's lack of compassion and humanity.
In Neil Gaiman's Coroline, the Beldam (or "other mother") lives in
a world where everyone's eyes have been replaced with buttons, evidently by
her. The exact practical reason as to why she does this is never made quite
clear. It stands to reason that once buttons have been sewn in the place of a
character's eyes, they are of the other world and are, effectively, in the
possession and control of the Beldam.
Caroline notices that she cannot tell what emotions a person with buttons for
eyes are having or even whether or not they are looking at her. She notices
that the buttons are functioning as a way to hide what any person is feeling.
She could never know if the inhabitants of the other world were truly happy,
despite the other world being a more interesting world for her.
The buttons over eyes represents the Other Mother's unlimited...
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control.
Eyes are very significant in Coraline. When Coraline sees a person's eyes, she is in the real world. For example, her real mother and father both have eyes. However, in the other world, eyes are replaced with buttons. Other Mother has buttons for eyes, as do the ghost children. The symbolism behind buttons for eyes is quite clear: "They were looking at her with their black button eyes. Or at least she thought they were looking at her. She couldn't be sure."
Buttons are a way to limit the humanity of another person. We speak with our eyes. They are a form of communication. Coraline's Other Mother replaces people's eyes with buttons as a way to silence their voices. Buttons are her means of limiting people's expressions in her world.
Coraline recoils at the thought of exchanging her eyes for buttons. Put another way, Coraline does not want to lose her unique individuality. When faced with the prospect of having buttons for eyes, Coraline rejects such a sacrifice. This repudiation is one of the first moments where she understands the importance of going home. Coraline clearly grasps that she is not going to be happy in a world of buttons.