The drama of the story arises from the men's realization that they are likely to drown. Faced with the prospect of their imminent demise, each character encounters what Crane calls a “new ignorance of the grave-edge.” Interestingly, Crane opts for the word "ignorance" rather than "knowledge" to describe this awareness. Being at the mercy of fate reveals to them how misguided their previous beliefs about their own importance were. The correspondent, in particular, is troubled by the absurdity of his situation and thinks of a poem about a French soldier who dies far from home and family, without any ceremony. In the face of a pointless death, the universe loses the meaning he once attached to it, resulting in a new "ignorance" about life instead of new "knowledge."

Crane seems to endorse the idea that nature is random and senseless, as demonstrated by the fittest man, the oiler, drowning in the surf. His death implies that the survival of the others was merely a matter of luck. However, once the survivors are out of danger, the randomness of death is quickly forgotten.