Katabasis displayed in "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding

In the human world, there is a subtle line between civilization and savagery. Many would like to think that they would never cross this line, but even the most wary can be pushed off the their platform of society and organization, into a world of savagery and chaos. In Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, a group of British boys are stranded on an island with no adults after their plan crashes. At first, …

…of their former civilized lives no longer hold them back; they hunt and kill without a second thought. Ironically, at Ralph's greatest moment of despair, the boys are rescued, and pulled back into the outside, supposedly civilized, world of adults. Stimulated by the presence of authority, the boys look back on their actions, and truly see for the first time what has happened to them, how low they have sunken, and what they have become.