Throughout the story, the four men fight to stay alive as they alternate the seating arrangement, taking turns rowing, and fight to stay alert as they contemplate their fate and the possibility of a cruel Divine presence watching them toil in vain to live.
Throughout the story, the four men fight to stay alive, alternating the seating arrangement is a very difficult affair for the correspondent and the oiler as the dinghy is very unstable. The men are given plenty of time to contemplate their impending fate and the possibility of a cruel Divine presence watching them toil in vain to live.