The Pentagram Symbol in Katabasis – Analysis and Significance

What Is the Pentagram in Katabasis?

In R. F. Kuang’s 2025 novel Katabasis, the pentagram is not merely a decorative star but the fundamental unit of magic. It is a drawn circle containing a five‑pointed star, inscribed with chalk or other mediums, through which a magician performs spells by embedding logical contradictions into the physical world. The pentagram acts as a trans‑dimensional anchor: it encloses the working space and binds the magician’s will to the paradox being cast. Every spell in the novel—from minor charms to the life‑costing journey to Hell—begins with the drawing of a pentagram.

The most personal and painful instance of this symbol is the one etched into Alice Law’s skin. In Chapter Twelve, while recovering from an attack, Alice reveals a permanent pentagram tattoo on her upper arm. Professor Jacob Grimes inked it during her apprenticeship, and it grants her perfect, total recall—but at the cost of constant, unceasing pain. The tattoo functions as both a gift and a cage: it makes her immune to the Lethe river’s memory‑erasing waters, yet it also locks her into every traumatic detail of her past.

Where the Pentagram Recurs

The pentagram appears in nearly every ritual sequence:

Chapter Three – Alice and Peter together draw a pentagram to open the portal into Hell. The incantation binds the target (Professor Grimes) and the destination (the Eight Courts). The chalk lines flare white, and the ground lurches, transporting them into a birdless gray underworld.
Chapter Eight – In the first test of their magic in Hell, both Alice and Peter attempt to draw simple pentagrams. The strange silty ground “eats” the chalk instantly—the lines fade away. This signals that conventional magic is useless in the underworld, leaving them defenseless.
Chapter Fifteen – Elspeth Bayes demonstrates the workaround: she dips her chalk into her own black‑blue blood, drawn from a cut on her wrist. The resulting pentagram glows phosphorescent green and holds fast. This reveals that living tissue (specifically, a soul’s ichor) is the only medium that can anchor magic in Hell. It also explains why the Kripke’s bone‑constructs can wield magic—they are animated by parts of the Kripkes’ own souls.
Chapter Eighteen – Alice and Peter attempt to trap Elspeth with a Liar‑Paradox pentagram on the boat, hoping to force her to reveal the True Contradiction. The trick is exposed by Archimedes before it can take full effect.
Chapter Nineteen – Trapped in the Escher‑like Penrose staircase created by the Kripkes, Alice and Peter frantically search for the hidden pentagram that powers the illusion. They find none—the Kripkes have buried it so deeply that the magic is seamless, reinforcing their terrifying mastery.

How the Meaning of the Pentagram Changes

Early in the novel, the pentagram represents academic control and competence. Alice and her peers at Cambridge use it to demonstrate skill, solve problems, and advance their careers. It is a tool of rational, secular magic—a far cry from demonic summoning.

Once the characters descend into Hell, the pentagram becomes a symbol of vulnerability. The failure of ordinary chalk to take hold strips them of their primary defense. They are reduced to “two ordinary people” lost in a hostile realm. The pentagram’s meaning shifts from mastery to helplessness.

When Elspeth uses her own blood, the pentagram transforms into a symbol of sacrifice and identity. Blood magic is intimate, costly, and permanent. It mirrors Alice’s tattoo, which also requires a bodily price. The pentagram becomes a mark of the self—you cannot borrow someone else’s blood to draw a lasting circle; it must be your own.

Finally, in the Kripkes’ hands, the pentagram becomes a weapon of coercion. The hidden pentagram in the Escher trap is so perfectly integrated that it cannot be found or undone. The Kripkes have weaponized the symbol not just to perform magic, but to imprison others in unresolvable loops—much as Grimes imprisoned Alice with her tattoo.

Connections to Characters and Themes

Characters

Alice Law – Her permanent pentagram embodies the novel’s core tension between memory and pain. She cannot forget Grimes’s abuse or her own role in his death. The tattoo forces her to remember everything, which is both her greatest asset (she walks through the Lethe unscathed) and her deepest source of suffering. Her identity is literally inscribed on her skin.
Peter Murdoch – He treats the pentagram as a logical instrument. In Chapter Ten, Alice discovers his notebook contains a spell for “organic exchange”—a pentagram that would trade Alice’s soul for Grimes’s. Peter’s betrayal is not emotional but structural: he saw her as a component in an equation. The pentagram becomes a vehicle for his ruthless academic ambition.
Professor Jacob Grimes – He is the one who tattooed Alice. His legacy is the permanent pentagram she bears. He used the symbol to bind her to his work and to silence her—the tattoo is a mark of possession as much as it is a magical advantage.
Elspeth Bayes – She redefines the pentagram by using her own blood. For her, magic is not abstract theory but a survival skill. She demonstrates that the symbol must be personal to function in Hell, highlighting the theme of sacrifice.

Themes

Memory and identity – Alice’s tattoo ties directly to this theme. Her inability to forget shapes her decisions and her sense of self. The pentagram is the physical anchor of her memory.
Trust and betrayal – Peter’s planned use of the pentagram to exchange Alice’s soul is the ultimate act of betrayal. The symbol that should enable cooperation becomes a tool for betrayal. The hidden pentagram in the Kripkes’ trap also represents a failure of trust—Alice and Peter cannot rely on their own magic.
Sacrifice and redemption – Every successful pentagram in Hell requires a sacrifice: life force (for the portal), blood (for Elspeth), or memory (the Kripkes gave up their human identities). Alice’s tattoo is a constant sacrifice of comfort for knowledge, and her quest to retrieve Grimes’s soul is an attempt to redeem the guilt tied to that tattoo.
Academic ambition and abuse – The pentagram as a tattoo symbolizes the abuse of academic power. Grimes used his authority to permanently mark Alice, physically inscribing his agenda onto her body. The academic world’s obsession with results makes such exploitation possible.

Study Questions

How does Alice’s permanent pentagram tattoo affect her relationship with the Lethe river?
Answer: The tattoo makes Alice immune to the Lethe’s memory‑erasing properties. While others risk losing their identity if they fall into the water, Alice can wade through unharmed. However, this immunity comes at the cost of constant pain—the tattoo never stops hurting and prevents her from forgetting any traumatic event, including Grimes’s abuse and her own guilt.
Why does ordinary chalk fail to draw a pentagram in Hell, and how does Elspeth solve this problem?
Answer: The silt‑like ground in Hell absorbs the chalk’s “living‑dead” energy, causing any drawn pentagram to disappear instantly. Elspeth solves the problem by using her own blood as the drawing medium. She cuts her wrist and dips the chalk into the black‑blue ichor, which creates a lasting, phosphorescent green pentagram. This demonstrates that only a substance tied to a living soul—blood—can anchor magic in the underworld.
What does Peter’s notebook reveal about his plans regarding Alice and the pentagram?
Answer: In Chapter Ten, Alice finds Peter’s private notes showing a spell for “organic exchange.” The equation lists Professor Grimes’s name on one side and Alice’s name on the other, underlined with question marks. This strongly implies Peter intends to use a pentagram to trade Alice’s soul for Grimes’s soul, trapping her in Hell. The pentagram is thus recast as a tool of betrayal rather than collaboration.
How does the hidden pentagram in the Escher trap (Chapter Nineteen) reflect the Kripkes’ power?
Answer: The Kripkes have buried the controlling pentagram so deeply within the Penrose staircase illusion that Alice and Peter cannot find any chalk marks or flaws. The magic appears utterly seamless. This shows that the Kripkes have achieved a level of magical perfection that makes their work unassailable. It also mirrors how they themselves have become trapped in Hell—their power is so total that it is invisible, and they have lost the way back.